Gale Force Esports beats Simplicity, 3-2





SpaceStation Gaming beats LFM Esports, 3-1

Simplicity beats SpaceStation Gaming, 3-1

Tempo Storm beats HeroesHearth Esports, 3-1

Team Freedom beats Gale Force Esports, 3-1

Team Twelve beats LFM Esports, 3-0

NA Power Rankings - Week 1

NA Power Rankings - Week 2

The Predictions

Friday - 1/26





Ah, it sure felt good to see the return of the "NA LUL" this past weekend. Before I get into the adjusted power rankings, cause you better believe they most certainly have, I want to go over what I saw in week 1's matchups.This series could of ended up a GFE sweep had it not been for some interesting choices game 1. Specifically, if Udall hadn't gotten so overzealous while attacking the core to go after Abathur. That was definitely a great way to bring back the NA LUL, as it looked like something I would see in a hero league game. If there's a time to make mistakes though, it's in the first game. The circles composition in game 2 looked very clean and effective for GFE (Kerrigan Maelstrom, Malthael Tormented Souls, and Johanna Condem made for an excellent death blender.) Udall on Kerrigan looked good, a great recovery from game 1. Fury's Stage Dive game 3 was the deciding factor. Game 5 came down to the team with more globals on D-Shire, and GFE had that in spades with Dehaka and E.T.C.. All it took was one late game team fight to put the series away.Overall, GFE looked good. I felt like there were some moments of clear miscommunication, but aside from the occasional getting caught out they made a lot of solid, clean plays. CavalierGuest at work? I think so. GFE won every game they picked Lucio, and for whatever reason wasn't banned game 5. Hmmm.Goodbye Old Gods, hello Simplicity. Despite losing their first match of the season, I felt they looked strong. Resilience was what got them the win game 1, and sheer outplay won them game 4. Had it not been for some late game errors in the last game, it would of been their series. Jaina's emergence was something I wasn't expecting, and I can't quite tell what to make of it yet. I do know that k1pro can play some support, and apparently switching roles would be no problem at all for him. This team going forward will be fun to watch, they've got a lot of potential if they can iron out the little bumps that happened here and there. Entertaining series to start the new season without a doubt.SpaceStation saw what Udall did with game 1 and felt they should follow suit. My heart hurts every time I see a boss call go completely wrong, which was how SSG managed to lose game 1. Aside from that, it went about as planned once they stopped downplaying LFM. I'm sure SSG would say otherwise, but in game 1 they definitely played like LFM would just lay down. Game 2 was dominated by the play of Jschritte on Li-Ming, and was a fairly quick game. Game 3 gave us our first look at HGC Volskaya play. Like the emergence of Jaina, I'm still not sure to make of it considering LFM are the new kids. Game 4 came down to the late game plays, an advantage the more experienced team would have.They won the series, but this team still has a ton of work ahead of them. There were some super glaring mistakes made; the one I have in mind was the Stage Dive on the camp on D-Shire. NANI!? The player I was concerned about ended up being the greatest asset to the team, Jschritte. I'm not sure the reasoning for switching Equinox to tank and Casanova to dps, I'm not a fan of it at all. I didn't like Equinox tanking on GFE, don't like it here. I felt like SpaceStation had a lot of success throughout the last season when Equinox wasn't tanking but alas, this is only week 1. Maybe in time things will work out.Aside from Drated saying a lot of nonsense about Jschritte before the series started, I would say they did well all things considered, especially when you have to play with a substitute. Taking a game off an established team means you can play with the best. Sure, they would go on to lose the rest, but there are signs of life. Most of game 4 was controlled by LFM. Game 1 they dominated the boss point with some great Li-Ming play. The other games, however, weren't so pretty to watch. That makes for plenty of material to look at, figure out what went wrong, and get to work on it. LFM performed better than I expected, but the growing pains will be there for some time early on in HGC.I had a feeling that after losing to GFE, Simplicity would make sure that they got into the win column the next day. Game 1 heading back to Volskaya, the double support Hanzo composition worked well, to my surprise. SSG simply couldn't keep up with Simplicity's sustain. Game 2's fate was sealed at draft by picking The Lost Vikings. This would be the greatest thing to come from SSG in this series. Having four bodies on the map due to Abathur made the game insanely tough for Simplicity, which snowballed out of control in SSG's favor. Aside from those unusual yet effective compositions, the rest of the series resumed the usual suspects. SSG's crux returned at Sky Temple attempting the late game boss. As a Tychus player, it was extremely satisfying watching Zuna's Odin Pilot at work there. That, my friends, was art. Simplicity's tenacity is something to admire, as they took that boss without their support. Battlefield of Eternity was just a continuation of what Simplicity did at the end Sky Temple: body. I don't understand SSG letting Hanzo through to Simplicity at draft, knowing that they have been consistently selecting him, not to mention Hanzo being the greatest objective burner. The better team prevailed, 3-1.If you're a fan of Tempo Storm, then you must be living on cloud nine (see what I did there, cause its a cloud?) Enough with the haHAA, this roster lived up to their expectations and then some. Right from the start of game 1, their aggression and clean rotations caused HeroesHearth immense trouble. I don't agree with the Kel'Thuzad pick, but you can't argue with the results. Game 3 featured some sick Alexstrasza value denial. I thought for sure HeroesHearth had the objective situation under control. And then, Junkrat mine blew EVERYONE out of her heal. My. God. I'm going to reserve the game 4 win for the HeroesHearth side, just cause I feel like it's more relevant for them than it was for Tempo.This is the best Tempo Storm team we've ever seen. The coordination was on point and the execution was excellent. I wasn't concerned about that. What I am worried about is the team's mentality. Jun taking Tranquility in game 2 was just unnecessary. I'm also not keen on the complaints of Azmodan in game 4. Drafting Chromie, Malthael and Hanzo meant extremely poor siege damage, which means a late game for Azmo. Taking Azmo wasn't cheese, just an intelligent draft decision. You might say I'm nitpicking, but if you want to be the best team in NA, these are the sort of things I'm looking at.We were about ten seconds away from seeing a game 5, had another character besides Azmodan had backed. Who could of guessed a completely stacked Azmo couldn't clear catapults though? Might as well of been five games considering how long Volskaya took. The win game 2 was a thing of beauty. I don't think Khroen blinked once that entire series. Personally I felt this was the most entertaining series of the weekend, but I'm sure HeroesHearth feels otherwise. I don't know if I've ever seen a team pick the same two heroes every game (Greymane, Leoric.) Going to have to open the draft a bit more like it was done in game 4. I feel like nerves played a large part for ishb00, particularly game 1. Throughout the entire series, HHE had to play from behind. Only in game 2 towards the end did they end up with more xp. I want more consistency from Arthelon this upcoming week, and if we're lucky, more Azmo. It's unfortunate having to go against the projected #1 team right out of the gate, but it will only get better going forward for HeroesHearth.They managed to win the series quicker than I expected. Team Freedom picked up right where they left off last season with their strong play. Like Tempo, Freedom dominated their game 1. In this case, Cursed Hollow with Lutano on Hanzo. Hey, speaking about that guy, turns out he's doing everything we had hoped for. Watching Dragon Blade annihilate everyone at the boss on Sky Temple was disgusting. Same thing goes for YoDa; both looked great in their debut. These additions show that they won't miss a beat. Game 4 on Infernal Shrines had some lovely Medivh/Diablo action, a combo that always brings joy to my heart. No daneski for Medivh? No problem, we've got YoDa now (Arcane Charge btw.) There's not much else I have to say about this team. They're very very good. Being able to force a team fight to get back into the game is a tremendous ability to have as a team, as it was demonstrated at Sky Temple and the great usage of Nazmas utilizing Molten Core in game 4.Another dominant performance, but probably not the colossal stomp some may have thought the series sweep to be. LFM showed some glimmers of hope throughout, but couldn't translate that into wins. I'm sure some were concerned for a moment went Kure had his lagf moment on Tomb of the Spider Queen, but it was a mere hiccup. There's not much else to take from this matchup unfortunately. Considering next week TT goes against Tempo, I'm sure they were cautious in making sure they didn't give away too much draft insight. As Justing said in the post-game interview, they didn't want to show any "crazy stuff." I'm anticipating that this upcoming Friday.1. Team Twelve2. Tempo Storm3. Team Freedom4. Gale Force Esports5. HeroesHearth Esports6. SpaceStation Gaming7. Old Gods8. LFM Esports1. Team Twelve, 1-02. Tempo Storm, 1-03. Team Freedom, 1-04. Gale Force Esports, 1-15. Simplicity, 1-16. HeroesHearth, 0-17. SpaceStation Gaming, 1-18. LFM Esports, 0-2The top four stay the same from last week, and LFM Esports holds tightly onto the last spot. Gale Force Esports barely holds 4th with their victory over Simplicity. Simplicity moves up two spots, HeroesHearth goes down a spot, and SpaceStation Gaming falls to 7th. Gale Force, HeroesHearth, and Simplicity I believe all have the potential to take the 3rd spot in time. Possible, but probable? We shall see how they stack against Team Freedom. I'm not feeling great about SpaceStation and LFM moving anytime soon. It's too early to tell, but the vibes I've picked up thus far... Not good.Tempo Storm vs. Team TwelveFor those who need to know who the top dog in the pound is, don't you worry! Week 1 was just getting these heavyweights warmed up. Glaurung gets his shot at beating his old team. I know some feel Tempo to be the superior team without question based upon their roster and how they performed out of the gate, but I just don't feel like that was informative enough. Same goes for TT against LFM. I don't think Tempo will be able to walk all over the map like they did against HeroesHearth, although I'm sure they will try. Out of all the NA performances week 1, Tempo was by far the most aggressive club. I'm looking to see how TT handles this, and how they draft for it. We know TT can create some unique drafts and that they have the personnel to execute. I'm looking at Goku and Glaurung in this series to be the difference makers. Whichever team wins it will be with either one making big plays and not getting caught. Tempo will propose the questions, and TT will provide the answers. TT wins the series 3-1, no clean sweep this weekend fam.Team Freedom vs. HeroesHearth EsportsThere's no reprieve from the top three, as HeroesHearth gets pitted against another beast in Team Freedom. I already know what to expect from TF, they demonstrated plenty enough that they're capable of the same greatness they had last season. These Azmodan pickers though, they're the ones you gotta keep an eye out for. Just how far will they have adapted in less than a week? I think the learning process will continue, but it will be a better experience this time than it was against Tempo. I want to see HHE open their draft up a bit, get McIntyre and Khroen playing something else other than Leoric and Greymane. With all that said, I foresee another heartbreaking defeat on the horizon dealt by the hands of TF as they take the series 3-2. Thirty minute Volskaya game? We can get more heartbreaking than that I'm sure. More growing pain to ensue for the Hearth.Saturday - 1/27LFM Esports vs. Gale Force EsportsSpeaking of growing pains! Another team that will still be going through them, LFM looks to get in the win column against another team that's still taking shape. Key difference is, Gale Force is no stranger to HGC as they continue to take form. I believe GFE will sweep the series, and I think they'll do it with stronger, cleaner execution; don't get too carried away Udall. Coaching will make a difference in cleaning up the rough spots that had occurred in last week's matches. LFM will come out swinging, and they could make this a series if GFE doesn't take things seriously enough, but I think they will be outplayed throughout the stretch. Just like HeroesHearth, I'll be watching LFM closely to see how they've adapted in a week to their new surroundings.HeroesHearth Esports vs. SpaceStation GamingThere's a reason why I'm still holding HeroesHearth higher than SpaceStation in the power rankings, and this series will show why. It's marginal, but it's just enough. I think SSG will continue to show consistency issues in this series, whereas HHE will come out determined to win more than ever. Jschritte I believe will carry some of the games, but I don't think it will be enough. Tanking is going to be a spectacle to behold. Sometimes it will look great, other times it's going to be a wild ride with a high potential of NA LUL for SSG. As for HHE, they're going to keep adapting and improving, and they will be rewarded this series with a 3-2 win. It's going to be a tightly contested matchup, and it could be the most entertaining set this weekend just with how the plays unfold. Here's to hoping for more spicy Azmodan ridiculousness.Sunday - 1/28Simplicity vs. Team TwelveI know I know, that's the incorrect logo, but that's what happens when you switch it up on me that quickly. I don't see this series being close. I definitely can see Simplicity making some big plays throughout, but not being able to create wins from it. TT wins 3-0; back to the sweeps. TT might not have shown anything in week 1, but week 2 there will be no reason for them to hold back. Simplicity will play well, but I don't see them beating a top three team just yet.Team Freedom vs. Tempo StormI'm curious as to how Tempo is planning for this weekend having to play against their greatest competition. If these teams play how they did week 1 this week, this should be a bloodbath. As far as I'm concerned, the top three teams are equally skilled mechanically; I don't think that will be a question for this series. What's to look for is how they draft, and what these teams decided to whip out. Just how diverse and skilled are the individuals on each squad, and how will their efforts match up against one another? The importance of this match cannot be ignored, and therefore I'm expecting to see some bold moves with the compositions. It's a go big or go home scenario early in the season, and it will come down to the wire. Tempo takes the series 3-2 to conclude the weekend, although I wouldn't be surprised if TF takes it in five.That's all I've got for this week, hope you enjoyed the read. Have a great day!