Natus Vincere - #1 place July Open

Team ROCCAT - #2 place July Open, #1 place September Open

Photo by Adela Sznajder, DreamHack

Virtus.Pro - #3 place July Open

Team Liquid - #1 place August Open

Photo by Ben Cotton, DreamHack

Bob? - #2 place August Open, #3 place September Open

Gamers2 - #3 place August Open, #2 place September Open

Photo by Frederike Schmitt, DreamHack

Fnatic - #4 place September Open

Pirates in Pyjamas - #5 place September Open

Stats used provided by

The European Heroes of the Storm scene was what one might call predictable for months. Starting from late April we’ve seen 4 LAN events and a myriad of online cups, and they all had one thing in common - Team Liquid inevitably always came out on top. A couple of teams tried to challenge them - Gamers2, Na’Vi, Fnatic, but they came up short each time… until Enter the Storm #3. “The Spanish Armada”, as they are often called by one of the premier European commentators, finally suffered defeat. The timing couldn’t be worse for them with the European Championship which serves as a qualifier for BlizzCon coming up shortly in Prague, Czech Republic. For all the other teams, however, and for those viewers who hope to see an upset or two, it’s exactly what they have been waiting for all along - the field has never been more open. Having said that, here’s a look at how the 8 teams made it to the Regional Championship and their recent tournament performances.The first team to secure a spot in the European Championship and call themselves an Open Qualifier Champion was Natus Vincere. Despite having the unenviable task of facing the then considered unstoppable Team Liquid as early as the round of 64, they overcame that hurdle (even if aided by the Zeratul global ban during the first weekend of the cup) and easily reached the top 8. After losing their opening game there, Na’Vi made it through the loser’s bracket all the way to the grand final where they took down Team ROCCAT in 2 straight best of 3 series. What made their run through the open qualifier even more impressive was the fact that they lost their warrior player and shotcaller, Breez, just a few days before that. Even more, their new recruit, AlexTheProG, used to occupy the flex position prior to joining Na’Vi. His quick transition to both the warrior and shotcalling role was ultimately what gave them the edge they needed to swiftly secure their spot for Prague.Things have changed since then though and Na’Vi who were a solid pick for a top 2 team in Europe during July and August find themselves struggling to keep up with the likes of Bob? and Alternate Fancy, which have improved by leaps and bounds recently. It’s tough to give a solid ranking for the team at the moment as it seems the playing field in Europe has never been more even and everyone can take games off everyone, but if they bring their A game at the Regional they might just win the coveted trip to the World Championship.Na’Vi are not ones to expect crazy compositions or picks from. They tend to stick to the double warrior meta that reigns over Europe at the moment. An unusual moment we saw from them during the recent Enter the Storm #3 was schwimpi who is typically their second warrior player going for Tyrande, while one of their carries took on the frontline role. Prior to the beginning of the game he claimed to be a master of the hero and they did beat Liquid with this stunlock composition, so perhaps that is something their opponents should expect as a pocket strat. As far as favourite map goes, when provided with a choice Na’Vi usually prefer Cursed Hollow.Team ROCCAT, formerly WELL MET, have been a staple in the European scene since the very beginning. Sporting two long time esports players in the faces of Socke and HasuObs in their lineup, the team might not have achieved a dominance similar to that of Team Liquid but they have never been a team you could underestimate. They made waves by reaching the grand final of the first open qualifier and ultimately taking second place there, as they fell victim to Na’Vi’s wrath. ROCCAT didn’t stop there though and returned to the top 8 in the September Open. After suffering a defeat to Gamers2 in the winner’s bracket final, they came back to the grand final to seek revenge. A quick 2-0 for the German team forced a second best of 3 series which went all the way to the third game. Just as all seemed lost for ROCCAT a moment of brilliant shotcalling and even better teamfighting (timestamp - 09:10:35) landed them the victory and the #1 place in the last European Open. These top finishes combined with their recent performance in the Enter the Storm #3 solidify the team’s position as a top 4 team in Europe but they might need just a bit more than that, if they want to punch their tickets to BlizzCon.Known for their slow and defensive style of play, some of ROCCAT’s most common picks recently are Nazeebo, Zagara, Johanna and Anub’Arak. They also don’t shy away from a single damage dealer comps backed up by Abathur. In recent tournaments, their most favoured map is Dragon Shire followed by Cursed Hollow.Virtus.Pro are another one of the European Heroes teams that has been around for quite a while and has achieved a fair amount of success. They are the only local team that has participated in both international LAN events so far (IEM Shenzhen and MSI MGA) though they lost to Korea's MVP Black both times. During the first open European qualifier they made it to a respectable third place which secured them a spot for Prague but there was never much doubt that they will claim one of the those.The Russians are usually considered a very hot and cold team - they either show up in an amazing form or in a pretty bad one. It seems the latter was prevalent in their two offline showings so that’s definitely a worrying sign for the team’s chances of making it to BlizzCon.Jaina has been one of Virtus.Pro’s staple picks for months now as AndyLendi is nothing short of a stone cold killer on her. Another hero they prioritize these days is Leoric, though honestly who doesn’t, as well as Malfurion which is a bit peculiar considering most teams’ recent fascination with Uther. Their favoured maps are Cursed Hollow and Tomb of the Spider Queen.Ever since the Road to BlizzCon and the Heroes World Championship were announced, there was one team in Europe few had any doubts would make it there. While Team Liquid were stopped early in their tracks in the first open qualifier by lack of seeding, the Zeratul ban and Na’Vi’s strong play, they didn’t allow for another upset to happen in the second one. While they did lose one game in each of the 4 sets they played in the Round of 8, the Spaniards ultimately came out on top of each team they faced. That solid performance was a follow-up on their win at the WCA EU qualifier at gamescom - a tournament which started shaky for them and saw them lose their first games offline before they stepped it up, changed their drafts and quickly returned to their dominant form.Those losses were quickly dismissed as a no cause for worry by the victories that followed but in retrospect, they were the first signs of trouble in paradise. The double warrior meta that came from Korea and took over Europe was not something Liquid were quick to embrace and even when they did, it seemed they were reluctant to do it. Blackscorp, often hailed as the best melee assassin in the region, had to switch his focus to the tanky role and thus doesn’t have the same impact on the game anymore. Coupled with their sometimes questionable drafts, this resulted in their first not-first-place in a major European tournament when they recently finished third at Enter the Storm #3.Despite the dip in form, Team Liquid are still a force to be reckoned with. Any team facing them in Prague who happens to underestimate them would not have a good time, and they are still one of the favourites to make it to BlizzCon, especially if they are taking the time until then to work hard on their recent issues. While some of their most picked heroes lately have been Arthas, Muradin, Uther, and Valla, you can never count out Blackscorp’s Zeratul and Illidan, Vortix’ Lost Vikings, and Abathur, which both Vortix and Falcon could bust out if they find the draft suitable for those, especially on their favourite map, Sky Temple.Unlike all the teams above, Bob? (likely to be playing under a new name in Prague) hasn’t existed for a long time but that didn’t stop them from already leaving their mark on the European Heroes scene. Shortly after being released from Gamers2, adrd, often cited as one of the smartest players, drafters and shotcallers in the game, and responsible for the majority of the Polish team’s success prior to his departure, teamed up with 3 players from the then defunct SK Gaming squad, as well as one complete newcomer to the Heroes competitive scene. Mostly flying under the radar until the second open qualifier, Bob? made it to the top 8 with relative ease. Once there, they surprised many by making it all the way to second place after victories against the likes of MYM, Na’Vi, and Gamers2. Similar thing occurred in the September Open, though they had to settle for third then. After two successful runs through the open qualifiers every team had to start paying attention to Bob? but they ultimately proved their worth as a top European contender during Enter the Storm #3. The tournament featured 7 out of the 8 teams qualified for Prague and Bob? triumphed over all of them, sporting not one, but 2 victories against Team Liquid in best of 3 series, and essentially claiming their title of #1 team in Europe for themselves at least for the time being.Bob? often accredit their recent success to the diversity of compositions they can play on any given day. We have seen them bust out multiple double and triple warrior comps, sometimes even accompanied by Abathur, but they also occasionally go back to the old triple assassin style or utilize adrd’s scary late game Azmodan. Each player on the team has at least one signature hero - Bakery’s unrivaled in Europe Kharazim, Snitch’s Kael’thas, Zarmony’s Arthas, Atheroangel’s Tyrael, adrd’s Abathur, but their flexibility allows them to play anything they need including switching heroes between each other. Their favourite map is Tomb of the Spider Queen which favours their Azmodan compositions, as well as their recent fascination with Raynor and Zeratul, but they also find a lot of success on Battlefield of Eternity.Earlier in the year Gamers2 were arguably the second best team in Europe. Upon parting ways with adrd in July however they hit a rough patch. They had to adjust to a new shotcaller and that definitely took its toll on them, resulting in the Polish team being unable to find a top 3 finish in the first open qualifier. By the time the second one rolled out though it seemed like they did find their winning ways again as they took third place and secured themselves a spot in Prague. What’s more, they returned in the September Open and improved upon that performance by earning second, and being only one unfortunate teamfight away from going home as champions. They are still far away from their past dominance over every team that is not Liquid though so unless they bring 110% to Prague, qualifying for BlizzCon might be too hard of a task for them.Gamers2 were one of the first teams to bring out a triple warrior composition in Europe and they are also one of the few that find Chen viable. As they have one of the best Illidans in the region in the face of Jowe, they often run a comp around him aided by Abathur and/or Uther. Other heroes they’ve been using a lot lately are Johanna and Nazeebo, and their preferred map is usually Dragon Shire.Despite being the only Heroes team in Europe as of now that lives in a gaming house, the Fnatic squad is yet to find their big breakthrough performance. After placing fourth out of 4 teams in the first two LAN events of the year, they decided a change was needed and brought in 3 new players With 2 of them coming in from Na’Vi, this started a friendly but quite passionate rivalry between the 2 teams. The new roster’s first tournament was the July Open in which they ended up only one step away from qualifying ending once again in fourth place. In their next event however, the WCA European qualifier, they looked very impressive taking 2-0 victories against Team Liquid and Na’Vi, before losing the final to the Spanish team which managed to make a comeback through the loser’s bracket. Things were looking up for Fnatic but then they met Liquid in the round of 16 of the August Open. The suffered defeat there meant one more chance to qualify for Prague was gone and there was only one left. Having this positively alarming thought in their minds, they headed into the last open qualifier and finally made it happen. Taking fourth place was just enough for them as all of the teams in top 3 had already qualified the previous 2 months.Fnatic used to be famous for running Illidan a lot as Lowell is one of the finest with the melee assassin in Europe but they have been shying away from that recently. Besides the reigning double warrior compositions, another reason for that might be having Wubby who is notorious for his Kerrigan on the team now. Another signature hero for the team is Anub’Arak as he is the prefered warrior by Breez. Similar to a couple of other teams above, Fnatic’s map of choice is Dragon Shire.The last team to make it through the cut and qualify for Prague was Pirates in Pyjamas. The Swedish squad has only been together for roughly 2 months but they have the potential to leave a mark on the European Heroes scene as long as they stay together and keep practicing hard - just ask Bob? After ending their runs in the first 2 open qualifiers in the round of 16, Pirates finally made it to the top 8 in September. Much like Fnatic, claiming the fifth place was enough as the teams above them had already qualified. Soon after that they participated in the Enter the Storm #3. There’s not much to be said for their performance there as they didn’t manage to win a single map going down 0-2 against Bob? and ROCCAT. While this suggests qualifying for BlizzCon might be beyond their capabilities at this point, the young team can definitely make good use of the experience of playing on LAN against the best teams in Europe in the future.PiP’s favourite warrior is Muradin, they also utilize both Jaina and Kael’Thas very often. One of their carry players, Quackniix, is famous for playing Falstad a lot, a hero we rarely see these days. What’s more, he’s convinced “Mighty Gust” is the ult to go and is basically on a mission to prove that to the world, so don’t be surprised if you see that at the European Championship, especially on big maps like Cursed Hollow and Sky Temple where he can utilize Falstad’s fly trait.For schedule and any other additional information, make sure to visit the Road to BlizzCon official website Liquipedia and Dthehunter