EPT
Final Qualifier - The Last Chance
With three grueling qualifiers completed and six out of the eight spots for Katowice already taken, this is the final chance for teams to qualify for the EU Spring Championship in Katowice.In the first qualifier, we saw Team Liquid showing a dominating display of strength and qualifying alongside newcomers GoogleIshetZont. Team Dignitas and Fnatic then went on to prove that they are still major teams in the European scene despite large roster changes in the second qualifier. With the most recent qualifier, Na`Vi and Virtus.Pro cemented their status and proved that major organizations still have some of the most solid Heroes of the Storm teams. The last two qualifying spots are up for grabs now -- who will rise to the challenge and take their place among the big dogs in scene?
Prior to the recent torrent of Heroes of the Storm patches, we saw a lot of stun-and-burst compositions dominate with the most highly contested Heroes being Tyrande, Muradin, and Kael'thas, but this seems to be changing due to the balance updates. The burst heavy compositions are still favored, with Kael'Thas, Falstad, and Thrall being the top Assassins, but what has changed is the lessened focus on securing Warriors or stunlock combos early on in draft. Tyrande and Muradin used to be the must ban/pick Heroes, but have since fallen in drafting priority largely due to recent nerfs. Muradin, in particular, suffered a lot due to losing his basic attack mini-stuns in Avatar form. After the most recent nerfs to Kael’Thas, he may also drop fairly low in priority compared to Jaina or Valla.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/tlMqSHh.jpg)
With picks like Greymane and Stitches being picked new hero comps are starting to emerge.
Reghar saw a huge resurgence after some solid buffs in the latest patch. Reghar gained the Feral Lunge talent as a basic trait, allowing him to charge enemies in wolf form and deal massive damage from the get-go. In addition his Chain Heal, Storm Shield and Earthbind Totem all got a stat increases making his abilities more powerful than before, freeing him from his reliance on healing talents and giving him a chance to explore new talent paths. With the eventual lift on the Li-Ming ban in competitive play, there is little doubt we will see a higher priority in picks and bans on burst Assassins and Support Heroes that can counter them.
The final qualifier for Katowice will be an invitational Ro8 bracket comprised of teams with the highest number of points obtained from previous qualifiers. They will play in a double elimination bracket with Bo3 series, and the top two teams will grab the last qualifying spots for Katowice. According to the ESL, the teams will be as follows.
Team Sandwich Monkeys (TSaM) is currently at the top of the point list with a solid lead over second place contenders Monkeys of the Storm (MOTS). Featuring some of Europe’s strongest players like adrd, bkb, and SportBilly, TSaM is one of the favorites to take a qualifying spot. Another strong team, MOTS has proven they definitely have what it takes to go all the way by coming in third in the previous qualifier. After the clear favorites, we have the Polish team Go, who has been one of the most consistent teams in the qualifiers with three Ro8 placements. Unfortunately for them, consistency is not enough this time if they don’t reach the finals this time. mYinsanity is one of the few large esport organizations that has yet to qualify, and this will be their last chance of doing so. Other than these two, the remaining teams come into the last qualifiers as underdogs and will have to pull quite the upset in order to make it all the way to the Championship. But nothing is yet set in stone for the EU Championship at Katowice. It will be a close thriller as to who can manage to secure the two final spots and who ends up biting the dust.
The last qualifier will take place today, February 13, at 14:00 GMT (+00:00). The games will once again be covered by Khaldor. You can follow the tournament on Liquipedia and the official ESL site.
Follow us @LiquidHeroes to stay in the loop with live tournament coverage and news! We are dedicated to bringing you quality articles and the best Heroes of the Storm news coverage on the web!
A Changing Meta
Prior to the recent torrent of Heroes of the Storm patches, we saw a lot of stun-and-burst compositions dominate with the most highly contested Heroes being Tyrande, Muradin, and Kael'thas, but this seems to be changing due to the balance updates. The burst heavy compositions are still favored, with Kael'Thas, Falstad, and Thrall being the top Assassins, but what has changed is the lessened focus on securing Warriors or stunlock combos early on in draft. Tyrande and Muradin used to be the must ban/pick Heroes, but have since fallen in drafting priority largely due to recent nerfs. Muradin, in particular, suffered a lot due to losing his basic attack mini-stuns in Avatar form. After the most recent nerfs to Kael’Thas, he may also drop fairly low in priority compared to Jaina or Valla.
With picks like Greymane and Stitches being picked new hero comps are starting to emerge.
Reghar saw a huge resurgence after some solid buffs in the latest patch. Reghar gained the Feral Lunge talent as a basic trait, allowing him to charge enemies in wolf form and deal massive damage from the get-go. In addition his Chain Heal, Storm Shield and Earthbind Totem all got a stat increases making his abilities more powerful than before, freeing him from his reliance on healing talents and giving him a chance to explore new talent paths. With the eventual lift on the Li-Ming ban in competitive play, there is little doubt we will see a higher priority in picks and bans on burst Assassins and Support Heroes that can counter them.
Qualifier Format and Teams
The final qualifier for Katowice will be an invitational Ro8 bracket comprised of teams with the highest number of points obtained from previous qualifiers. They will play in a double elimination bracket with Bo3 series, and the top two teams will grab the last qualifying spots for Katowice. According to the ESL, the teams will be as follows.
- Team Sandwich Monkey
- Monkeys of the Storm
- Go
- Elysium Gaming.HoTS
- mYinsanity HoTS
- Bubble Squad
- Pig in Blankets
- Fraternitas.hots
Team Sandwich Monkeys (TSaM) is currently at the top of the point list with a solid lead over second place contenders Monkeys of the Storm (MOTS). Featuring some of Europe’s strongest players like adrd, bkb, and SportBilly, TSaM is one of the favorites to take a qualifying spot. Another strong team, MOTS has proven they definitely have what it takes to go all the way by coming in third in the previous qualifier. After the clear favorites, we have the Polish team Go, who has been one of the most consistent teams in the qualifiers with three Ro8 placements. Unfortunately for them, consistency is not enough this time if they don’t reach the finals this time. mYinsanity is one of the few large esport organizations that has yet to qualify, and this will be their last chance of doing so. Other than these two, the remaining teams come into the last qualifiers as underdogs and will have to pull quite the upset in order to make it all the way to the Championship. But nothing is yet set in stone for the EU Championship at Katowice. It will be a close thriller as to who can manage to secure the two final spots and who ends up biting the dust.
The last qualifier will take place today, February 13, at 14:00 GMT (+00:00). The games will once again be covered by Khaldor. You can follow the tournament on Liquipedia and the official ESL site.
Follow us @LiquidHeroes to stay in the loop with live tournament coverage and news! We are dedicated to bringing you quality articles and the best Heroes of the Storm news coverage on the web!
