After several weeks, we've finally come to the end of the line for NA. Three qualifiers have come and gone, and six teams are already preparing for the competition at the North American Championship in Los Angeles on February 27th. In the first qualifier, we saw how Cloud9 and Bob Ross Fan Club solidified their position as the top two teams after the roster shuffle in the off-season. In the next one, Tempo Storm and COGnitive Gaming proved they were still top teams and easily secured their spots in the regionals, and in the third qualifier Team Blaze and Panda Global claimed another two spots of the main event. Now, there is only one qualifier left to decide the last two spots -- to decide who stays home and who goes to LA.

Qualifier #3 in Review

Uncharacteristically, the third qualifier for the North American Championship took place over several days during the week. Being the last open qualifier for the region, this was the last chance for most teams to secure a spot in the Spring Championship. Of the 42 participants, the NA staples Team Blaze and Panda Global were unsurprisingly the ones to qualify. Panda Global had a relatively easy run without any trouble in their matches, playing against the newly formed King of Blades Epsilon and underdogs Team Nom. Team Blaze had it a little harder, facing off against King of Blades Alpha, a recent newcomer but strong team still yet to qualify to the Championship.

Rehgar was banned often during the drafts this past tournament, which is to be expected when you consider the fantastic buffs he got during he rework. Zeratul was a frequent pick during the tournament as a great tool against the squishy damage dealers. With stun trains less common and high damage Heroes becoming more valued, Zeratul is starting to make his way back into the meta. With the decreased cooldown to Shadow Assault, we may even see that Heroic used effectively in the near future. Similarly, sad Stitches finally found some friends to play with after the Cleanse change was reverted. The Unstoppable feature on Cleanse now prevents big stun trains, but Stitches is able to bypass this by pulling Heroes out of position where they can’t be easily Cleansed. As a result, double Warrior team comps have also seen a resurgence in order to counter devastating pulls. Being a newly released Hero, Li-Ming is banned until the regional Championships in Katowice and Los Angeles, and Greymane’s talent Perfect Aim wasn’t allowed in this competition either due to a bug.

The Invitational Qualifier

The Invitational Qualifier will be played with the latest balance update, so can expect some big changes in how the drafts are executed. Most notably, Kael’Thas received big nerfs to his core kit on both Gravity Lapse and Phoenix. Interestingly, Pyroblast received a considerable damage buff at the expense of an increased cooldown. While many contend that this is a nerf, it may come out of the woodwork as a counter to low HP Heroes like Lunara or Greymane who cannot dodge it. Other top Heroes like Rehgar and Diablo also received slight nerfs. Although we can still expect a burst heavy meta, all of these changes will make the drafts far less predictable and much more exciting. The bug on Greymane's Perfect Aim talent was fixed in the latest patch. Unfortunately, Stitches is now bugged where his hook can cause massive lag spikes in custom (tournament) games, so he is blanket banned for the upcoming qualifier.

Unlike the previous qualifiers, this one will be an invitational featuring the teams that gathered the most points during the previous three qualifiers but are yet to qualify to the North American Championship. The teams participating in this qualifier are faced with their last chance to qualify to the regional event in LA, and for many of them, this is their chance to shine in the spotlight.

• Resurgence
  
• King of Blades Alpha
  
• 2ARC Gaming
  
• Team Nom
  
• oVo Gaming
  
• eLevate
  
• Gale Force eSports
  
• THC White

Team Resurgence and King of Blades Alpha are the frontrunners for this tournament, as their strong performance has shown these two teams have what it takes to get to the main event. Both made deep runs into the semifinals in one of the qualifiers and were eliminated just one match short of getting to the North American Regionals. Resurgence suffered a brutal lag issue (with possible allegations of a DDoS attack from an unknown source) in the last qualifier that prevented them from playing optimally against Team Nom and forced them to drop out of the competition far earlier than expected. If they are cured of any Internet issues in this qualifier, they look like strong favorites.

King of Blades Alpha is a fairly new group of players to the professional scene, making their debut only a month ago at Heroes Rising. Nonetheless, they made a splash with their impressive play, and have since then proven themselves strong contenders in any tournament. Keep a lookout for their aggressive style which allows them to control the pace of the game and punish their opponent’s mistakes relentlessly.



Team Nom, 2ARC, eLevate, oVo, Gale Force and THC White still have a fair chance of advancing, but will have to show a stronger performance than in the past if they want a slice of the pie. THC White has shown a surprising amount of resilience in their play and might be a team to look out for, but the big names of 2ARC and eLevate are likely to be the gatekeepers who decide who moves into the final rounds and who gets left behind. The tables are set and the spotlight is on for the North American Invitational Qualifier. Two teams will secure their chances to face off in LA. Who will it be?


The Invitational Qualifier takes place today, February 14, at 17:00 GMT (+00:00). The action can be watched live on several different Twitch channels. You can also find the bracket here Make sure to tune in and cheer for your favorite NA teams as they fight for the last two spots in Los Angeles!


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