1. Team Twelve

2. Tempo Storm

3. Team Freedom

For those of you that don't know me, I'm an avid fan of all the regions of HGC. This year I am doubling down on HGC and working on a lot of different stats from the matches so that I can better understand what is going on with these teams and the match ups each week. I plan on bringing that information to you using HeroesHearth with articles throughout the HGC season. As a little plug to HeroesHearth, I love the community here and feel like we will be able to have an open debate throughout the HGC season and I look forward to those discussions in the future.Now let's move on to the real reason that you have read this article. The power rankings. These picks are completely my opinion. Everyone will have their own opinion and I welcome all responses to see how the community feels these teams should be ranked.I have chosen Team Twelve for the top of the list because of the power that this team has. I know they have made some changes to the roster, but when watching GCWC, I feel that this roster has what it takes to be dominant. I know they didn't have the greatest showing at GCWC, but give them time to work out the kinks and I believe they have what it takes to win the region. Justing is one of the best tanks in the region and is on par with tanks from other regions. Add that with Kure and daneski's addition to the team and Team Twelve has only become stronger. The entire roster feels like it covers what is needed and doesn't have any weak points for other teams to exploit.Tempo Storm has gone through numerous changes this off season. Dropping CauthonLuck and Fury Tempo Storm was able to capitalize on a few major free agents in Glaurung and Fan. Tempo has some of the regions best heavy hitters and they leave fans calling them a "super team." I believe Tempo will have some growing pains to overcome with all the personalities on the team and it might cause some early season losses, but the talent alone on this team will keep them in the top three teams. I think Fury would have been the stronger tank to keep but Cattle can hold his own.

I feel that Team Freedom has lost a little bit since last season with the loss of Kure and daneski to Team Twelve but they were able to pull in some good replacements. YoDa has proven himself on previous teams and Lutano was a stand out from the Even in Death roster that is no longer in HGC. Team Freedom was able to bust onto the scene last season during the 2nd Phase and proved to everyone on that they have what it takes to compete on an international level. It's that pure grit that the team has shown through Phase 2 that keeps them so high in the region. Even with the loss of their best player, Team Freedom can still hold it's own.

4. HeroesHearth Esports

Some people might be surprised that I have place HeroesHearth Esports so high on my list. The thing is, any of these teams in the next three spots could shuffle around as they are very close to each other. I placed HeroesHearth Esports in fourth because I believe that this team has something to prove. With a roster of previous HGC players and top end Open Division players, I believe they are going to come out wanting to show everyone that they deserve to be here. This team dominated the Open Division last season and had a strong showing at the Crucible. With the addition of new coach, CauthonLuck, the organization is pulling out all the stops to get the team what it needs. I look for them to surprise some people in HGC this year.

5. Gale Force Esports

Gale Force Esports is a strong team that has been in the Heroes scene for a long time. With the addition of Fury back to the team, I believe Gale Force made the right call in their new tank. MichaelUdall had to essentially unretire so that they could keep a squad going, which makes me wonder how much his heart is going to be in it this year. At first getting two members from Lag Force doesn't seem like a move in the right direction, however, I feel that bigE and bkid had been stifled by their old roster and they will be able to shine with this setup. However, after losing Fan, I believe this team is weaker then it was last season, but they are another one that could impress.

6. SpaceStation Gaming

SpaceStation Gaming showed us some great moments during 2017 but never really was able to prove themselves against the top teams of the region. They released TigerJK and TalkingTrees, probably the best choices to release, and picked up Jschritte and Tomster. It seems that Tomster is going to get pigeonholed into the support role again but with a stronger team I think he will be able to make an impact. I'm really excited to see Jschritte and his impact on the region. His great work ethic and mentality will be a major boost for the SpaceStation team. This team could easily move up a couple spots on the ladder depending on their first few weeks performance, maybe even threatening the top teams, but at the moment I feel that the unproven roster makes it hard to judge how powerful SpaceStation will be compared to last season.

7. Old Gods

I have heard a lot of talk about Old Gods being a sleeper team and possibly ending up in the top tier of NA if they can pull their act together, but I just don't see it based on past performance. I love the combo of k1pro and KingCaffiene, but just over the last few years I feel like their drafts have been outdated and they haven't shown that they can finish. Add in the fact that k1pro will be switching to support and I believe that the roster didn't make many changes that was much of an improvement over the previous Superstars roster, and with the changes on other teams, this is where I feel they will fall in line. I don't see the team being that powerful and as much as I hate to see some of the older pro's being stuck in the Crucible, I just think the region has too much strength on other teams for this team to outshine them.

8. LFM Esports

LFM Esports is one of the weaker teams of the region and that is why they are bringing up the bottom of the list. I believe that they will have a stronger showing in HGC then Even in Death did, maybe even grabbing a series or two throughout the phase, but I don't think they are strong enough to take any of the middle of the pack teams or any of the top tier teams. However they may come out and surprise me.Again I'd like to say that these rankings are completely my opinion and I would love to hear what you think. Just comment below!