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Tournament Breakdown:
Heroes Super League 2015
The nine week run of OGN’s Heroes Super League (HSL) gave us one of the highest level of professional play we’ve ever seen so far. Teams rose and fell through the course of the tournament as some got stronger during the tournament while others failed to keep up. We saw some of the most dynamic shifts in meta too. We saw heroes we thought to be OP get completely shattered due to the rediscovery of different heroes.
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Navigation: Story | Meta Shifts | MVPs | Top Games | Conclusion
The Story
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At the beginning of the tournament, the biggest favorites were Team Snake and Team DK that came back from China. MVP Black and MRR were still considered strong contenders, but most expected Snake and DK to be a class above them based on their previous dominance in Korea. This all changed when MVP Black managed to defeat Snake in a close 3-2 upset at the group stage. DK also seemed vulnerable against MRR for a moment, but they managed to turn it around with a 3-1.
While the top four teams went into the playoffs as expected, RAVE Hots surprised everyone with their solid performance against DK, MVP Sky, and MRR. RAVE HotS was originally considered the weakest team in the tournament, because of an infamous Haunted Mines game in the past where they got crushed in 5 min 55 seconds by Team DK, earning the nickname "Team 555". Although they were not able to make it to the playoffs, RAVE HotS showed great coordination and drafting that could potentially threaten the top teams in the future.
In the playoffs, MVP Black showed excellent performance against MRR. Although the score is closer with a 3-2, the gap between the two teams was much wider than the score suggested as MVP Black dominated the game through hyper-aggressive play with Sonya and Kharazim. On the other side, people expected a close series between Snake and DK given the history of their rivalry, but what we saw was a crushing 3-1 victory by Snake. DK lay helpless against the power of Snake’s Brightwing and Kerrigan.
With Snake claiming that they simply underestimated MVP Black in draft last match, the Winner’s Final between MVP Black and Snake was expected to be another very close game. However, MVP Black defied everyone’s expectations as they chewed through Snake, opening up with a surprise Tychus in Infernal Shrines and closing the series with a 3-0. MVP Black seemed unstoppable, and quickly became the clear favorites to entire tournament.
As the lower bracket matches began, DK’s disappointing performance against Snake made people skeptical about DK, even putting MRR above them. But DK surprised us all by taking down their foes one after another with a 3-1 against MRR and a 3-1 revenge against their rival, Snake, through the excellent use of The Lost Vikings and Tassadar.
While DK’s improvements through the lower bracket were frightening, everyone predicted MVP Black’s victory in the grand final due to how excellent MVP Black has been so far. But DK shattered those predictions when they dismantled MVP Black’s Zeratul in the first two games and rode that momentum home with a convincing 4-2 series that secured their ticket to Blizzcon.
Meta Shifts
One of the most interesting aspects of HSL 2015 was the dynamic shifts in meta we saw throughout the tournament. The time gap between each match pushed the teams to be creative and experiment with various compositions. We saw heroes such as Sonya, Kharazim and Brightwing rise from obscurity, while Zeratul and Leoric plummeted hard as teams figured out how to counter them. Here are the major shifts in meta we observed throughout the tournament.
Week 1-2: Old Patch
Matches: MVP.B vs GaTOP, DK vs RAVE, Snake vs DJ, MRR vs MVP.S.
The first two weeks of Super League were played under the old Butcher/Leoric patch. With all the games being a heavily one-sided 3-0’s, the matches were decided by pure power play from the top 4 teams: Snake, DK, MVP Black and MRR.
Week 3-4: Age of Zeratul, Leoric
Matches: MVP.B vs Snake, DK vs MRR, DJ vs GaTOP, RAVE vs MVP.S.
The weeks 3-4 were when the teams presented their initial interpretation of the Kharazim patch. We saw Leoric and Zeratul being the instant first ban/pick targets in every single game, and Leoric appeared to be the undisputed king of warriors. Initial attempts at Kharazim failed miserably, and it seemed like he wasn’t yet ready for the competitive scene.
One notable trend during this period is weaker prioritization on Uther and heavier emphasis on push power and sustained damage from specialists such as Zagara, Nazeebo and Hammer. This is most likely an aftermath of the results of Nexus Cup, where China’s EDG showed very strong performance against the Korean teams. The Chinese teams were extremely quick in recognizing the consequences of various changes that came with the new patch, and made a powerful impression with sustain-focused compositions based around Malfurion and Hammer.
One notable trend during this period is weaker prioritization on Uther and heavier emphasis on push power and sustained damage from specialists such as Zagara, Nazeebo and Hammer. This is most likely an aftermath of the results of Nexus Cup, where China’s EDG showed very strong performance against the Korean teams. The Chinese teams were extremely quick in recognizing the consequences of various changes that came with the new patch, and made a powerful impression with sustain-focused compositions based around Malfurion and Hammer.
Week 5: Rise of Sonya
Matches: Snake vs DJ, MRR vs RAVE
Week 5 was the conclusion of the Group Stage, and this is when we saw the pivotal moment where we first appearance of Sonya in the Snake vs GameAde TOP match. Sonya was Korea’s answer to the tyranny of Leoric in a 1v1 lane, because her strong damage output and buffed self-heal on whirlwind made her a deadly force. It didn’t take long for Sonya to rise in the Korean meta, and it signaled the beginning of the burst-melee craze that boomed during the Playoffs.
Week 6-7: Fall of Leoric. Supports rediscovered.
Matches: MVP.B. vs MRR, Snake vs DK, Snake vs MVP B., MRR vs DK
In Weeks 6-7, we saw the Sonya hype train come into full motion. Sonya went from last pick position to a strong contender for first pick. With it, we saw the steady downfall of Leoric as his previously 100% involvement rate declined, along with his win rate.
Burst comps augmented by melee assassins became the answer to the sustain and push oriented meta from before, as Kerrigan and Butcher feasted on immobile heroes such as Malfurion, Hammer, and Zagara. The lift on the Abathur global ban also put him right at the top of the priority list, as his global presence and strong synergy with melee heroes made him invaluable.
As expected, the emphasis on burst and melee assassins put Uther right back on the plate for first ban/pick. We also saw a rediscovery of Kharazim and Brightwing when MVP Black’s Merryday and Snake’s kinnu showed how to make these two previously neglected heroes shine. This marked a complete end to the old “support choking” tactic as teams became comfortable branching outside of the three primary healers (Uther, Reghar, and Malfurion).
Burst comps augmented by melee assassins became the answer to the sustain and push oriented meta from before, as Kerrigan and Butcher feasted on immobile heroes such as Malfurion, Hammer, and Zagara. The lift on the Abathur global ban also put him right at the top of the priority list, as his global presence and strong synergy with melee heroes made him invaluable.
As expected, the emphasis on burst and melee assassins put Uther right back on the plate for first ban/pick. We also saw a rediscovery of Kharazim and Brightwing when MVP Black’s Merryday and Snake’s kinnu showed how to make these two previously neglected heroes shine. This marked a complete end to the old “support choking” tactic as teams became comfortable branching outside of the three primary healers (Uther, Reghar, and Malfurion).
Week 8-9: Zeratul Dismantled
Matches: Snake vs DK, MVP.B. vs DK
The last few series of Super League were marked by the complete downfall of Zeratul, largely because the dark templar’s stealth was rendered useless under the eyes of ex-SC2 players on Team DK. We saw Zeratul completely drop out of the instant first-ban position and replaced by Sonya and Uther. With the fall of Leoric, Johanna claimed the top warrior spot.
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Click on an icon for the corresponding role
Best Assassin: Sake
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Raynor, Jaina
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Raynor, Jaina
Although he wasn’t able to bring his team to victory, MVP Black’s Sake was certainly best assassin of this tournament. His positioning and movements were spot-on and he always delivered the damage when needed. His Raynor play in Game 2 of their second match against Snake was one of the most incredible moments of this tournament, where he managed to dance around Johanna and Tyrael to set up a triple kill and walkaway from what seemed like an unavoidable death. He was the first one to demonstrate the power of Jaina’s Ring of Frost, which became popularized and used by other teams. Although he had a couple of weak moments in the Grand Finals against DK, his consistency and the diverse hero pool he displayed throughout the tournament makes him the No.1 assassin.
Runner-up: CrazyMoving
Team: DK Notable Heroes: Jaina, Valla, Sgt. Hammer
Team: DK Notable Heroes: Jaina, Valla, Sgt. Hammer
Best Support: Merryday
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Uther, Kharazim
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Uther, Kharazim
The support who had the biggest impact in the tournament was without question, MVP Black’s Merryday. He played Kharazim in ways unlike any other supports before him, melting incoming warriors and melee assassins with his Seven Sided Strike. His saves and positioning were always on-point, and he showed solid performance on all support heroes. As both support and a shotcaller, he was instrumental in their matches against MRR and Snake in the playoffs and carried the team straight to the Grand Finals.
Runner-up: kinnu
Team: Snake Notable Heroes: Brightwing, Uther
Team: Snake Notable Heroes: Brightwing, Uther
Best Warrior: sCsC
Team: DK Notable Heroes: Arthas, Tyrael
Team: DK Notable Heroes: Arthas, Tyrael
Before Super League, sCsC was already the biggest star of Korean Heroes scene, with the nickname of “Immortal Arthas”. When Team DK stumbled it seemed like the title of “Best Warrior” of Korea would be taken away by others such as duckdeok, ttsst and Sign. But those doubts were soon blown away as his Frostmourne slayed teams one after another and his incredible winning streak with Arthas slowly came to shape. Although sCsC’s Arthas did get conquered once by MVP Black in the grand finals, his final win-loss ratio of 9-1 is the best single-hero performance of the tournament. His Tyrael was the backbone of DK’s victory against Snake and MVP Black, especially his clutch seed steal in Garden of Terror against Snake that saved the team from certain defeat. His ability to flank deep into enemy backline, the pitch perfect coordination with his partner-in-crime, Noblesse, and his instinct to make the moves that are needed to save his team makes him the “gold standard” of warriors in Korea.
Runner-up: sign
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Johanna
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Johanna
Best Specialist: KyoCha
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Butcher, Nazeebo
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Butcher, Nazeebo
The best Flex/Specialist of HSL 2015 is a tie between MVP Black’s KyoCha and DK’s Sniper. If we look at the overall consistency throughout the tournament, KyoCha is definitely a step above Sniper. KyoCha played a total of 11 different heroes through the tournament and was the enabler of MVP Black’s unorthodox compositions. He redefined Nazeebo’s playstyle with the new toad build and mercilessly slaughtered MRR and Snake with his Butcher. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to keep up his performance in the Grand Finals against DK. His Zeratul, Raynor, and Leoric were one of the MVP Black’s weakest links in that series.
Best Specialist: Sniper
Team: DK Notable Heroes: TLV, Sylvannas, Tassadar, Abathur
Team: DK Notable Heroes: TLV, Sylvannas, Tassadar, Abathur
Sniper, on the other hand is, was quite lackluster at the beginning of the tournament, but became the focal point of DK’s victories towards the end. While the rest of DK’s players tend to stick to their core heroes, Sniper is often the one that spices up the composition and shapes DK’s path to victory. As expected from a former GSL champion of Starcraft 2, Sniper’s multitasking on The Lost Vikings and Abathur were a constant threat to anyone facing DK. In their match against Snake, Sniper pulled out his old favorite, Tassadar, to shut down Oreoman’s Zeratul as he danced around the enemy line and to demonstrate the full potential of Tassadar’s kit.
The secondary flex position in Korea fills in as the secondary tank or melee assassin that becomes the main focus of the composition. Because of this, position usually goes to the most mechanically gifted player of the team, making him the “playmaker”. The candidates for this position are Snake’s Oreoman, MVP Black’s Lockdown, and DK’s Noblesse.
Best Playmaker: Noblesse
Team: DK Notable Heroes: Illidan, Johanna
Team: DK Notable Heroes: Illidan, Johanna
My decision came down to overall consistency and the player’s ability to set up plays for the team at critical moments, which is why Noblesse is the best playmaker. Noblesse’s Johanna was an excellent initiator and set up AOE combos for DK. His ability to calibrate damage and bait the enemy into overextending was on-point throughout the tournament, particularly in their match against MRR. He was centerpiece of DK’s Illidan composition. With Illidan, he managed to dismantle MRR and MVP Black by taking mercenary camps constantly in the early game and utilizing his ability to jump in and out of team fights, keeping him alive through a barrage of damage and crowd control.
What makes Noblesse shine isn’t just his individual performance but the synergy with his teammates, particularly sCsC. The coordination between these two players is phenomenal. Noblesse acts as the initiator to tank all the initial damage, setting the stage for sCsC to infiltrate the backline. When sCsC is about to get focus fired, Noblesse would jump right back in to distract the enemy and give room for sCsC to recover. These two players’ ability to exchange enemy focus and distribute damage between each other make them the best frontline of Korea, maximizing the full potential of double-warrior composition.
What makes Noblesse shine isn’t just his individual performance but the synergy with his teammates, particularly sCsC. The coordination between these two players is phenomenal. Noblesse acts as the initiator to tank all the initial damage, setting the stage for sCsC to infiltrate the backline. When sCsC is about to get focus fired, Noblesse would jump right back in to distract the enemy and give room for sCsC to recover. These two players’ ability to exchange enemy focus and distribute damage between each other make them the best frontline of Korea, maximizing the full potential of double-warrior composition.
Runner-up: Lockdown
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Sonya,
Team: MVP Black Notable Heroes: Sonya,
Runner-up: oreoman
Team: Snake Notable Heroes: Kerrigan, Sonya, Leoric
Team: Snake Notable Heroes: Kerrigan, Sonya, Leoric
Top 10 Games
Here are my personal top 10 games (not series) of HSL 2015. Some are very close matches where things go back-to-back, while others are display of superb execution and finesse by one side.
1. Snake vs DK - Game 4 @ Dragon Shire
2. MVP Black vs DK - Game 5 @ Garden of Terror
3. MVP Black vs Snake - Game 1 @ Infernal Shrines
4. MVP Black vs MRR - Game 1 @ Cursed Hollow
5. Snake vs DK - Game 2 @ Garden of Terror
6. DK vs MRR - Game 3 @ Garden of Terror
7. MVP Black vs MRR - Game 4 @ Dragon Shire
8. MVP Black vs DK - Game 6 @ Infernal Shrines
9. DK vs MRR - Game 4 @ Cursed Hollow
10. Snake vs MVP Black - Game 5 @ Dragon Shire (in group stage)
Conclusion
Notable Records/Statistics (source)
- Top Win-rate Heroes:
- Muradin 72% (8B-18W-7L)
- Brightwing 71.4% (4B-5W-2L)
- Arthas 64.5% (5B-20W-11L)
- Uther 61.9% (19B-26W-16L)
- Sonya 60% (13B-9W-6L)
- Sylvanas 54.5% (6B-18W-15L)
- Leoric 53.7% (14B-22W-19L)
- Muradin 72% (8B-18W-7L)
- Lowest Win-rate Heroes:
- Zeratul 20% (51B-2W-8L)
- Rehgar 34.5% (4B-10W-19L)
- Abathur 36.4% (13B-4W-7L)
- Illidan 40% (2B-4W-6L)
- Kael’thas 41.2% (15B-7W-10L)
- Tyrael 42.1% (5B-16W-22L)
- Raynor 42.9% (0B-3W-4L)
- Zeratul 20% (51B-2W-8L)
- No Love: Tyrande, Gazlowe, Nova, Stitches, Diablo, Rexxar, Chen, Falstad
- Balance Breakers
- sCsC’s Arthas: 9W-1L
- kinnu’s Uther: 9W-3L
- CrazyMoving’s Jaina: 9W-3L
- Lockdown’s Sonya: 6W-1L
- Sniper’s Sylvanas: 8W-4L
- Merryday’s Kharazim: 4W-2L (only player with Kharazim victory)
- sCsC’s Arthas: 9W-1L
- KyoCha played total of 11 heroes: Butcher, Leoric, Tyrael, Nazeebo, Azmodan, Zeratul, Raynor, Valla, Kael’thas, Anub’arak, Sylvanas
- Team DK didn't have a single loss in Dragon Shire with a 5-0, living up to their "Dragon Knights" nickname.
Moving Forward
- Although Sonya was the hottest hero of the tournament, DK was the only team in the playoffs that never picked her. Instead, they focused on compositions around Tassadar or The Lost Vikings.
- Team DK (ex-TNL) was the first professional Heroes team in Korea. They reigned supreme during Alpha and early Beta days, but were dethroned by Team Snake during the open Beta and early launch. MVP Black managed to prove themselves to be above Snake in HSL 2015 and signaled the beginning of MVP Black’s dominance, but DK managed to reclaim their position as No.1 team in Korea in the Grand Finals.
- Team DK once again showed how unstoppable they become once they figure out the meta after the patch has settled in. They have been a team that is very weak at adapting to big meta shifts that come from a new patch, which is why we often see them dropping in performance at the beginning. On the other hand, once they learn how to draft and build compositions around the new patch, they become incredibly strong.
- We saw several roster changes after the tournament. MRR disbanded, but duckdeok and Jeongha joined Snake just as Oreoman was leaving. MVP Black and MVP Sky fused together once again to go through another rebuilding phase, although it’s not clear what will come out of it. RAVE HotS replaced their support with CroZover.
- It Heroes Community Open Tournament (HCOT) Season 2 has begun, and looks like it’ll be the only tournament we’ll see in Korea for the remainder of the year. The notable participants that qualified for main tournament are MVP Black, RAVE HotS, Danawa Joker and GameAde TOP for teams we saw in HSL 2015. There is also “내 나이가어때서” (Nothing Wrong with My Age) which is lead by caster aMeBa, and Blackheart Bay’s Silverloon that look promising.
- As for Team DK and the new Snake, they should be participating in Gold Heroes League Season 2 in China, along with other top Chinese teams such as EDG, eStar, and YL. NA’s Cloud 9 has also been invited.
- We will be seeing Team DK representing Korea at BlizzCon 2015, and going up against Tempo Storm and Cloud 9 from NA, Dignitas and NaVi from EU, eStar and YL from CN, and GIA from TW.
- WCA 2015 is another global tournament where we will see the teams collide. Both MVP Black and Team DK managed to go through the Asia qualifier (MVP Black went 2-1 against DK in the finals).
r_gg's Heroes Super League Coverage History
- Group B 2nd Match - MRR vs MVP Sky, about MRR
- Group A Winner's Match - Team Snake vs MVP Black, on Snake's Oreoman
- Group B Winner's Match - Team DK vs MRR, on DK's sCsC
- Group A Loser's Match - GameAde Top vs Danawa Joker + History of KR scene
- Group B Loser's Match - MVP Sky vs RAVE HotS, on RAVE's 555 nickname
- Group A Final Match - Snake vs GameAde TOP
- Group B Final Match - MRR vs RAVE HotS
- Playoffs - 1st Match - MRR vs MVP Black
- Playoffs - 2nd Match - DK vs Snake
- Winner Bracket Semi-Final - MVP Black vs Snake
- Lower Bracket Semi-Final - DK vs MRR
- Lower Bracket Final - DK vs Snake
- Grand Finals - MVP Black vs DK
