EsportsJohn Profile Blog Joined June 2012 United States 4833 Posts #1





Life in the Third Seed Written by: Midseasons





HGC Bracket and schedules on Liquipedia HGC Bracket and schedules on Liquipedia



The groups for BlizzCon are locked in, and it can’t be easy to be the third seed of a major region. Playoffs are over, and most HGC teams have seen their seasons come to an end. But for these four teams (and their fans), the emotional hype rollercoaster has only accelerated.



Beyond The Game, Team expert, Tempest, and Tempo Storm have all earned the right to represent their regions, and all of them deserve to feel triumphant. But after everything they’ve overcome to qualify for BlizzCon, the excitement is tempered by overwhelmingly difficult roads in stacked groups. The bracket format gives every team an equal number of lives and a fair chance to make it out of groups, but the third seed teams still face more daunting schedules than their compatriots.



In some ways, the performance of these teams means more to their regions than the first seed teams. It’s one thing for European fans to boast about having the current global champions, Fnatic. But if Team expert can stand just as strong against Korea and China, that says even more about EU’s strength. Compare the recent





Group A: Tempo Storm (North America)



Tempo Storm has had the best year, and the worst. They were incomparably dominant over North America in Phase 1 only to be embarrassed during the first Western Clash. When they returned home, they went undefeated for their next seven series. They put up a good fight at the Mid-Season Brawl and second Western Clash but were continually eliminated by other NA rivals.



Phase 2 brought the team a new coach and experimental role swaps that started out well but slumped dangerously low in the latter half. Fallen from glory, Tempo Storm barely eked out a fourth place finish to the season, their record tied with Superstars and the Crucible-bound Lag Force. To have a hope of going to BlizzCon, Tempo had to push through the playoff bracket and defeat Gale Force eSports.







Luckily, Tempo Storm’s playoff run was powerfully one-sided. They crushed their long-standing rivals completely, and if the play on the battleground wasn’t clear enough, the





Tempo Storm’s first opponent will be Chall Enge, the #2 seed from HGC China. Tempo and CE have an intriguing number of parallels that make the match-up difficult to call. Both teams have been at the top of their regions in the past but recently entered a nadir that almost cost them their BlizzCon tickets.



On a good day, either team can be the best team in their region. On a bad day, both teams can get swept in an easy 3-0. CE will be missing Xuyu, their ranged carry, which throws further uncertainty on the match, but their substitute Loktar is one of the more consistent players in the region.



China is an unpredictable region that makes them hard to rank as a whole, but CE proved at the Eastern Clash that they can stand up to Korea better than most. If Tempo Storm can beat CE at their finest, it would make a strong argument that North America can still compete with the rest of the world.





Group B: Beyond the Game (China)

Beyond The Game was supposed to be a miracle story. A team comprised of unknowns, BTG qualified for HGC through China’s open division, took their region by storm, and claimed their tickets to BlizzCon in less than two months. BTG didn’t just defeat the middle-tier Chinese teams that have been long established, either. They took games off CE and showed good form against SPT too. Despite being a new team, they play as though they’ve always been one of the best.







Unfortunately, the specter of missing visas haunts the Chinese teams, and BTG got hit the hardest this time around. Only two of BTG’s players are able to attend BlizzCon, and the rest of their slots are filled with a smattering of substitutes borrowed from every corner of HGC China. The hodgepodge of random players is more concerning because these subs are coming from bottom tier teams. Of course, if a smattering of players from across the region ends up performing well, that speaks well of the region’s strength, but how likely are these players to work well together?





BTG will take on Team Freedom first, and it’s hard to see Freedom losing against such a piebald opponent. If there’s a silver lining for China, it’s Freedom’s lack of experience against Eastern teams, but even that may not be enough. A





Group C: Tempest (South Korea)

The third seed is a familiar place for Tempest. The team has long been part of the holy trinity with MVP Black and Ballistix (L5). Each of those three won a Global Championship in 2016, but since then, L5 and MVP.B have always jetted just ahead of Tempest in the standings.







Tempest grew complacent in Phase 1, but they recovered in Phase 2 just as MVP Black and L5 were going through roster changes. By recent standings, the gap between the three teams may be smaller than ever with the contest for second seed coming down to a tiebreaker between Tempest and L5. After dropping to the Korean playoffs, Tempest prevailed over Mighty in a close series and secured another chance to prove themselves on the global stage.





Tempest will face Team Dignitas early on. For a first round, second/third seed matchup, this series could be a believable semifinal. Both Dignitas and Tempest are global titans of the scene, and while there may not be specific history between the two, this match is an important one for regional rivalries.



In their last international appearance



Tempest’s road to BlizzCon has been hard fought, and a victory here would rebuild a lot of pride for the team—and for their region. If the KR’s third seed can defeat the kingslayers of Dignitas, we could return to Korean lordship over the scene. If not, Tempest faces potentially severe backlash from their fans.





Group D: Team expert (Europe)

Team expert has spent 2017 trying to break into their region’s top three, oscillating in and out of fourth place all year. Their final run during Phase 2 put that goal in easy reach, and their convincing performance in playoffs secured it. BlizzCon qualification is the crown Team expert have always pursued, and in doing so, they proved that their experimental and creative style is more than just cheese.







However, they still have a lot to prove on the world stage, especially when eclipsed by giants from their own region like Team Dignitas and Fnatic.







L5 will be expert’s first (and likely most difficult) test. L5 is one of the strongest teams in Heroes of the Storm history, and facing them so early makes expert’s bracket the most difficult of any third seed team.



The challenge is daunting, but not hopeless. The last time L5 played









Fern “Midseasons” Rojas covers HGC for Team Liquid from his home in Los Angeles. Fern is a long range support sniper who can shut down the enemy team’s healing capabilities. Fern’s Biotic Rifle rounds and Biotic Grenades heal allies and damage or impair enemies; his sidearm tranquilizes key targets, and Nano Boost gives one of his comrades a considerable increase in power.



You can follow Fern’s thoughts on HGC China (and more) on Twitter.









The groups for BlizzCon are locked in, and it can’t be easy to be the third seed of a major region. Playoffs are over, and most HGC teams have seen their seasons come to an end. But for these four teams (and their fans), the emotional hype rollercoaster has only accelerated.Beyond The Game, Team expert, Tempest, and Tempo Storm have all earned the right to represent their regions, and all of them deserve to feel triumphant. But after everything they’ve overcome to qualify for BlizzCon, the excitement is tempered by overwhelmingly difficult roads in stacked groups. The bracket format gives every team an equal number of lives and a fair chance to make it out of groups, but the third seed teams still face more daunting schedules than their compatriots.In some ways, the performance of these teams means more to their regions than the first seed teams. It’s one thing for European fans to boast about having the current global champions, Fnatic. But if Team expert can stand just as strong against Korea and China, that says even more about EU’s strength. Compare the recent Eastern Clash as an example, where the three Korean representatives are also the top three overall, leaving little doubt as to which region was strongest. With the eyes of the entire BlizzCon audience on them, the third seed teams will show the true strength of their regions to the whole world… for better or for worse.Tempo Storm has had the best year, and the worst. They were incomparably dominant over North America in Phase 1 only to be embarrassed during the first Western Clash. When they returned home, they went undefeated for their next seven series. They put up a good fight at the Mid-Season Brawl and second Western Clash but were continually eliminated by other NA rivals.Phase 2 brought the team a new coach and experimental role swaps that started out well but slumped dangerously low in the latter half. Fallen from glory, Tempo Storm barely eked out a fourth place finish to the season, their record tied with Superstars and the Crucible-bound Lag Force. To have a hope of going to BlizzCon, Tempo had to push through the playoff bracket and defeat Gale Force eSports.Luckily, Tempo Storm’s playoff run was powerfully one-sided. They crushed their long-standing rivals completely, and if the play on the battleground wasn’t clear enough, the excitement the team showed over Twitter was even louder. Whatever spark Tempo Storm lost, they’ve found it again—and just in time, too.Tempo Storm’s first opponent will be Chall Enge, the #2 seed from HGC China. Tempo and CE have an intriguing number of parallels that make the match-up difficult to call. Both teams have been at the top of their regions in the past but recently entered a nadir that almost cost them their BlizzCon tickets.On a good day, either team can be the best team in their region. On a bad day, both teams can get swept in an easy 3-0. CE will be missing Xuyu, their ranged carry, which throws further uncertainty on the match, but their substitute Loktar is one of the more consistent players in the region.China is an unpredictable region that makes them hard to rank as a whole, but CE proved at the Eastern Clash that they can stand up to Korea better than most. If Tempo Storm can beat CE at their finest, it would make a strong argument that North America can still compete with the rest of the world.Beyond The Game was supposed to be a miracle story. A team comprised of unknowns, BTG qualified for HGC through China’s open division, took their region by storm, and claimed their tickets to BlizzCon in less than two months. BTG didn’t just defeat the middle-tier Chinese teams that have been long established, either. They took games off CE and showed good form against SPT too. Despite being a new team, they play as though they’ve always been one of the best.Unfortunately, the specter of missing visas haunts the Chinese teams, and BTG got hit the hardest this time around. Only two of BTG’s players are able to attend BlizzCon, and the rest of their slots are filled with a smattering of substitutes borrowed from every corner of HGC China. The hodgepodge of random players is more concerning because these subs are coming from bottom tier teams. Of course, if a smattering of players from across the region ends up performing well, that speaks well of the region’s strength, but how likely are these players to work well together?BTG will take on Team Freedom first, and it’s hard to see Freedom losing against such a piebald opponent. If there’s a silver lining for China, it’s Freedom’s lack of experience against Eastern teams, but even that may not be enough. A 6th place finish at the Western Clash is Freedom’s only previous international appearance. However, they have had a season to grow together, and their synergy and comfort with each other is bound to subdue the assortment of Chinese players on BTG.The third seed is a familiar place for Tempest. The team has long been part of the holy trinity with MVP Black and Ballistix (L5). Each of those three won a Global Championship in 2016, but since then, L5 and MVP.B have always jetted just ahead of Tempest in the standings.Tempest grew complacent in Phase 1, but they recovered in Phase 2 just as MVP Black and L5 were going through roster changes. By recent standings, the gap between the three teams may be smaller than ever with the contest for second seed coming down to a tiebreaker between Tempest and L5. After dropping to the Korean playoffs, Tempest prevailed over Mighty in a close series and secured another chance to prove themselves on the global stage.Tempest will face Team Dignitas early on. For a first round, second/third seed matchup, this series could be a believable semifinal. Both Dignitas and Tempest are global titans of the scene, and while there may not be specific history between the two, this match is an important one for regional rivalries.In their last international appearance at the Mid-Season Brawl , Dignitas defeated both of Tempest’s Korean rivals, heralding an age of European dominance. Yet after the MSB, Dignitas entered a strange period in their history, and were remarkably absent from the summer’s Western Clash.Tempest’s road to BlizzCon has been hard fought, and a victory here would rebuild a lot of pride for the team—and for their region. If the KR’s third seed can defeat the kingslayers of Dignitas, we could return to Korean lordship over the scene. If not, Tempest faces potentially severe backlash from their fans.Team expert has spent 2017 trying to break into their region’s top three, oscillating in and out of fourth place all year. Their final run during Phase 2 put that goal in easy reach, and their convincing performance in playoffs secured it. BlizzCon qualification is the crown Team expert have always pursued, and in doing so, they proved that their experimental and creative style is more than just cheese.However, they still have a lot to prove on the world stage, especially when eclipsed by giants from their own region like Team Dignitas and Fnatic.L5 will be expert’s first (and likely most difficult) test. L5 is one of the strongest teams inhistory, and facing them so early makes expert’s bracket the most difficult of any third seed team.The challenge is daunting, but not hopeless. The last time L5 played a global tournament , they fell to EU, and even though the team has been through a lot of changes since, Team expert still has a grand opportunity to write their own history. Together with the Dignitas/Tempest match in Group C, this series is pivotal for the future of EU/KR matchups—not just in this tournament, but for HGC 2018. Strategy