We are just 3 short days away from the return of HGC with phase 2 2018. With that, it's time to look at where teams stand. Note that these are my subjective power rankings. I will list my Elo result, but Elo scores are not deciding the ordering of these teams.



I will cover all three regions, starting with Korea. South, obviously. Gen.G Tier This tier contains teams that are Gen.G gawds.

1) Gen.G. Esports (Elo: 1932) - Phase 1 result: 12-2 : 37-7 - 1st Place - Mid Season Brawl Champion - Eastern Clash Runner-up. No roster changes.



Gen.G. Esports looked immortal at the Mid Season Brawl until they ran into a resurgent Dignitas in the grand finals. Gen.G escaped with a 4-3 win, needing the bonus game they got from going through winner's to secure the championship. That said, Gen.G. Esports easily disposed of their Korean rivals, going 2-0 over Ballistix and 3-0 over Tempest in what were mostly dominant games. Gen.G. did struggle at the start of 2018, dropping matches to Ballistix and Tempest, but ultimately they are just the better team, and I expect that to show before Blizzcon, even if they stumble early. Sub Gen.G Tier The teams in this tier I think are very close together, and aren't too far behind Gen.G, but they are behind them.



2) Tempest (Elo: 1736) - Phase 1 result: 10-4 32-16 - 3rd Place - 3rd Place Mid Season Brawl, 3rd Place Eastern Clash. No Roster changes



That's a lot of 3rd places up there, so why do I have them second? Tempest is a hard team to place. They have been very inconsistent in 2018. They started the phase 7-0 before Eastern Clash, dominating their region. However, they fell down the standings in the second leg, including a forfeit loss due to a missed attendance. So why do I have them at 2nd? The simple reason is their performance at MSB was stellar. Tempest dominated the group stages, dropping only 1 map in 10. Tempest then dismantled Tempo Storm before losing to the two finalists Gen.G and Dignitas. Moreso, their rise is because of Ballistix fall. We'll get there.



3) Ballistix (Elo: 1653) - Phase 1 result: 12-2 37-10 2nd place - 5th/6th place Mid Season Brawl, Eastern Clash Champion. No roster changes.



Ballistix has consistently been the second place team in Korea since the start of HGC. So why do I think this is the season that changes? Admittedly, recency bias plays a role. Ballistix was simply the worst Korean team at MSB, and it showed in their results. Ballistix went 2-6 against Tempo Storm, who were dismantled 0-5 by the other Korean teams in games that typically weren't close. Overall, both Tempest and Gen.G looked sharp, precise, and deadly. Ballistix looked good, but certainly not great. Whether it was just a single bad performance remains to be seen, but Tempest has been knocking at the door of 2nd place since the start of HGC. I think this is the season they kick it in



4) Team BlossoM (Elo: 1573) - Phase 1 result: 9-5 29-21 4th place - 4th place Eastern Clash, 4th place in MSB Qualification playoffs, losing 3-2 to Tempest. Roster changes: OUT - DDuDDu, Nasang, IN - HongCono, merryday



Last season, Team BlossoM was as 4th place as it gets. They beat all the teams below them, and almost always lost to the 3 teams above them. However, BlossoM easily made the most intriguing roster changes in Korea, if not all of HGC. HongCono and merryday are coming out of retirement, and immediately turn Team BlossoM into a serious contender. We'll have to see if they still have any cobwebs, as BlossoM plays Gen.G. in week 1 and Ballistix in Week 2, but Team BlossoM is easily poised to steal a top 3 slot. Certainly they shouldn't struggle to make top 4 and get at least to Eastern Clash. I've been big on the meteoric rise of Team BlossoM for a while (remember, in 2017 Phase 1, they had to defend their slot in Crucible). This could be a VERY exciting season for this team. Lower Tier These teams have outside chances to steal a spot to Eastern Clash, but would need tremendous improvement to challenge for Blizzcon. Two of these teams will end up in the Crucible barring a complete collapse (read disbanding) of one of the top 4 teams. This tier is kind of a mess because Miracle and Gluck both replaced 3 players. As such, it is difficult to predict. In phase 1, there was a huge gap between 4th and 5th place that I do not see likely to close in Phase 2.



5) Miracle (Elo: 1439) - Phase 1 result: 4-10 17-32 6th place - Finished 5th in MSB Qualification playoff, losing 1-3 to BlossoM. Roster changes: OUT - H82, Gunza, Jaehyun. IN - NaCHoJin, Frankle, Bluebeetle



Miracle entered HGC in 2017 as a favorite many put alongside Gen.G (then MVP Black). Flashforward half a year and something clearly went horribly wrong. Since HGC formally started, Miracle has consistently failed to make international play, and has barely avoided the Crucible. Miracle made massive changes this offseason, replacing more than half their roster. Miracle grabbed Bluebeetle from Gluck and Frankle from Feliz, but the biggest move was bringing former world champion NaCHoJin out of retirement. With these roster changes, Miracle will look to move back into the upper echelon of HGC. I think if any team is going to move up from lower Tier, it will be Miracle. However, as yet in HGC, the team has failed to meet expectations.



6) Gluck a.k.a Good Luck (Elo: 1443) - Phase 1 result: 5-9, 18-34 5th Place - Finished 6th in MSB Qualification playoff, losing 1-3 to Miracle OUT: Relic (suspended), Tseron, Bluebeetle IN: Asgard, Darvish, Kcb



Of the three teams that entered HGC Korea in 2018, Gluck by far had the most success. That said, the top of Korea is just too far ahead of the lower half, and they still finished 5-9. Gluck made massive roster changes for Phase 2. Relic was suspended from the team for poaching, and Tseron and Bluebeetle left the team as well. Gluck added Kcb from Relegated Team Ace, as well as Asgard, who was on Team Ace when they qualified for HGC, but did not place with the team in Phase 1. The most interesting addition is Darvish, who has long been around the Korean pro HOTS scene, but was cut from Miracle and wound up on last place Raven in Phase 2 of 2017. Darvish doesn't bring the reputation of HongCono, but he is at least a proven player that could help Gluck with his experience. Still, I think with Miracle making some better chances, I expect Gluck to fall to 6th place this split.



7) Team Feliz (Elo: 1401) - Phase 1 Result: 3-11, 17-35 - defeated ILLLLL 4-1 in Crucible to remain in HGC Korea. Roster changes: IN - DDuDDu Out - Frankle



Feliz stayed near the bottom of HGC Korea, winning two matches over Team Ace, and getting a forfeit victory over Tempest. They managed to hang on to their spot in the Crucible, but I otherwise don't see a reason to believe they avoid the Crucible in Phase 2. They did add DDuDDu from BlossoM, who is a good player. But I just think Korea is too competitive for them to move up.



8) Supernova (Elo: 1458*) - Supernova's elo is set to the median of all teams to maximize uncertainty. Defeated Team Ace 4-2 in Crucible to replace them in HGC Korea.



Supernova defeated bottom dweller Team Ace to claim their spot in HGC Korea. The only name on the team with HGC Experience is NoCHAT, who played on Team BlossoM in throughout 2017 before being dropped from the team at the end of the year. Otherwise, I cannot find any history of any of the other players. History tells us that this team is unlikely to perform well, but who knows, maybe they could surprise like HHE. I just think Korea is too top heavy for that to happen.







