EPT
Heroes Global Championship
Week 2 Recap
By: Emperor and inimical
Patch 22.6
HGC Europe Brackets and schedules on Liquipedia
HGC North America Brackets and schedules on Liquipedia
The games this weekend were overall not that exciting. The hype of HGC opening week coupled with intense matchups like Misfits vs Fnatic or GFE vs Naventic in Week 1 set the bar really high for the rest of the season, but the matches this week couldn't keep up. Characterized by a lot of mid and low tier teams facing off against regional giants, this weekend provided several one-sided stomps as well as several mediocre and rather uneventful games.However, there were a few surprises. Team Freedom's unexpected victory in a hard-fought series against GFE proves that there is still hope for the teams in the lower standings to rise up and put some numbers on the board. Similarly, Playing Ducks had a strong series against their French rivals beGenius and even took a game off Misfits. Teams are finally settling into their relative positions, but there's still plenty of room for upsets as the season goes along.
Friday, January 27
Team Dignitas [3-0] Synergy 
Team Dignitas initially showed signs of weakness again going up against Synergy, but their late game coordination and teamfights eventually led the way to victory. In all three games, Synergy managed to secure an early lead either through soaking or early takedowns. It was only in the later stages of the game that the teamfighting prowess of Dignitas shined. Featuring Ragnaros plays on Cursed Hollow, Void Prison into Ring of Frost combos on Towers of Doom, and a multi-man Mosh with a clutch Cleanse on Tomb of the Spider Queen, DIG turned around every single game to take the series in a quick 3-0.
Playing Ducks [3-1] beGenius 
Going into the series, Playing Ducks and BeGenius were both at the bottom of the rung in HGC. Neither team scored any points in the first week, so this match was an important head-to-head.
Playing Ducks started out the series in dominating fashion on Dragon Shire with an unusual Xul pick to put pressure on beGenius in lanes and secure several Dragon Knights in a row. In a last ditch effort, beGenius assaulted the Core to base race against the last Dragon Knight, but to no avail. The Ducks struggled a lot more on Towers of Doom after several early game victories for beGenius, but the power of global mobility allowed them to keep up on Altars and pull the game back with a three-man Mosh Pit.
beGenius took a page out of their opponent’s book in the third game by picking up Xul and putting pressure on the lanes. Playing Ducks had difficulty contesting and securing the Punishers and despite several good plays from Sportbilly, it was not enough to salvage the game. In the final game, it looked like beGenius was taking the better fights, but the Ducks were somehow always able to secure the tribute and even out the game. In the end, it all came down to a clutch Ley Line Seal from Playing Ducks to steal Boss and win the series. Despite low expectations, the Ducks and beGenius both showed solid improvement in their play compared to just one week ago.
Tempo Storm [3-2] Team Freedom 
Team Freedom looked incredibly shaky last week, but they were out for redemption this week. Even though they lost the series 3-2, Freedom showed qualities that surpassed expectations. They opened up the series by beating Tempo Storm on Battlefield of Eternity in less than 10 minutes. Other than that, most of the maps were incredibly close and came down to late game teamfights—where Tempo's experience and patience ultimately won out.
Tempo Storm didn't play poorly either. Jun, as always, shined on support and allowed his team to sustain through Freedom's pressure. Tempo also showcased their killer instinct by turning several late game fights around due to Fury's ability to punish Zugrug's aggressive positioning, particularly in Game Five on Cursed Hollow. This was a highlight series of the weekend and worth a second watch.
Superstars [3-1] No Tomorrow 
This matchup was a battle between two middle-of-the-pack teams and was expected to be a barn burner since both teams were evenly matched—but it ended up falling flat. While Superstars ended up winning 3-1, the games revealed a flaw within both teams: confident and decisive when ahead, timid and indecisive when behind.
Superstars opted to play a triple warrior composition in Game One on Dragon Shire but lacked control in teamfights; No Tomorrow won without losing a single structure. In the following three games, Superstars had complete control. No Tomorrow didn't grab their first fort in Game Four until the 17:00, and even as they began to claw their way back into the game, Superstars forced a teamfight that changed everything. Erho hit a great Mosh Pit that was followed by Sanctification, but it simply wasn't enough to win the fight.
Saturday, January 28
Team Dignitas [3-0] Tricked eSport 
If any team in the HGC had a rough start, it's Tricked eSport. Already in the first week they had to go up against favorites like Fnatic and Team expert. Despite playing well, they simply could not keep up with the powerhouses, and against Dignitas they fared no better.
In the first game on Infernal Shrines, Tricked got two takedowns and managed to secure the first Punisher for a small early game lead, but the war machine named Dignitas booted up afterwards. Securing both the second and third Punisher, Dignitas snowballed with the power of Sylvanas to take the first win. Tricked attempted a unique chain stun combo on Cursed Hollow featuring Uther’s Divine Storm, but it didn’t work out. Dignitas hammered in the final nail in the coffin on Towers of Doom after securing a significant early lead and riding it out to the end.
Misfits [3-1] Playing Ducks
Misfits was expected to dominate the series against Playing Ducks based on their gameplay from Week 1, but the Ducks defied expectations and took a game off the undefeated German team.
Misfits first picked Chromie, so Playing Ducks simply drafted around her and secured the perfect counter composition. Playing Ducks stayed ahead using their superior waveclear from Dehaka, Valla, and Xul and secured multiple Webweavers to push their momentum and end the game early. In the following games on Dragon Shire, Sky Temple, and Cursed Hollow, Misfits went back to their bread and butter compositions with heroes like Ragnaros, Malfurion and Dehaka. Playing Ducks could not keep up with Misfits once they were on their comfort picks, and the series quickly went back in favor of Misfits.
Tempo Storm [3-0] B-Step 
Tempo Storm has often struggled to close out their series, but Tempo Storm fans were relieved to have them take this series in a quick 3-0. They didn't really fall behind or struggle in the early game and relied on their late game clutch teamfighting, as they did against Team Freedom, to win maps.
B-Step looked better than they did in Week 1, but there is still room for improvement. McIntyre played Chromie—an uncharacteristic flex for him—in the third game and didn't really show the mechanical prowess we've come to expect from him in the first two.
Team Naventic [3-2] No Tomorrow
Naventic, in typical Naventic fashion, didn’t show up for the first two games of the series. They prioritized map pick over first pick in draft, but they gave up Ragnaros in both games. Casanova punished them by showcasing his playmaking ability on the Fire Lord. Later on, he also made huge plays on Artanis with monster swaps. Unfortunately, even with Casanova’s plays, No Tomorrow couldn’t close out the series.
Naventic turned it on in Game Three, much as they did against Tempo Storm last week. They went back to their first pick prioritization while banning out Ragnaros while No Tomorrow switched to an Artanis/Varian composition; Game Three was a bloodbath. Naventic eventually stole the Varian for themselves in Game Five and let Zuna loose on Tracer. While Casanova was my MVP vote for the series, his playmaking ability on Artanis wasn't enough to carry No Tomorrow to their first series victory. The series win was necessary for Naventic; since they're serious about contending for the top three, their series win helped mitigate the 0-2 deficit they found themselves in after week 1.
Sunday, January 29
Fnatic [3-0] Synergy
The most straightforward series of the weekend goes to Fnatic against Synergy. Outside of Synergy busting out the Vikings on Cursed Hollow in Game Three, there were few noteworthy moments. Both teams played very well, but Fnatic was a tier above their opponent. Every mistake from Synergy was punished, and any moment there was a chance of closing out the game, Fnatic pounced on it.
Team expert [3-0] beGenius
If there were an award for the most improved team so far, it would undoubtedly go to beGenius. Both teams played well on Sunday, but Team expert always possessed the ability to make plays and net wins.
beGenius took the early lead in the first game on Tomb of the Spider Queen after securing their first Webweavers, but expert was quick to strike back with takedowns and Webweavers of their own. The second game on Infernal Shrines was no different. After being behind all game, expert pulled off a Gust that prevented the retreat from beGenius and won a solid teamfight. The last game ended in a quasi base race where Team expert opted for a four man defense against a late game Punisher while Illidan solo’d the core; after a full team wipe on beGenius, Illidan was able to win the game all on his own.
The only game where no crazy plays were made was on Battlefield of Eternity. Team expert simply managed to stay ahead after securing the first Immortal and eventually closed out the series.
Team Freedom [3-2] Gale Force eSports 
While Freedom's Week 1 showing was suspect, Freedom brought it to Tempo Storm and Gale Force eSports this weekend, proving they should be in the conversation for top four teams in NA. Up 2-1 in the series, GFE attempted a Lost Vikings cheese on Warhead Junction, but Freedom completely shut it down and forced a final game. Gale Force took an early lead on Infernal Shrines after securing level 10 first and almost grabbing a keep at 7:00 with their triple sustain comp (Zarya, Medivh, Rehgar, Gul'dan, Ragnaros), but Freedom's surprise Nazeebo pick ended up carrying them to victory in the late game.
Team 8 [3-0] Superstars
Team 8 and Superstars were sitting comfortably at #3 and #4 respectively in HGC standings, and this matchup was to determine the next 3-0 team in NA. Team 8 has been on a roll, only dropping one map in their first two series, and the domination continued; Team 8 shut down Superstars with a quick 3-0.
Superstars attempted to play standard in the first two games, only to be mechanically and strategically outclassed by Team 8. In Game Three, Superstars gave up on the conventional approach and broke out an old Cho'Gall/Auriel cheese—a favorite of former COG players Faye and cattlepillar—on Braxis Holdout. It didn't take long before Team 8 pounced on Cho'Gall, took the experience lead, and closed out the game with ease.
Week 3 Preview
By: Emperor and inimical
With the Western Clash right around the corner, this weekend is a big weekend. Teams will be struggling to accumulate points and break into the top three to secure a spot at IEM Katowice. Team expert, Misfits, Fnatic, and Dignitas lead the pack in Europe while Team 8, Tempo Storm, and Gale Force eSports have pulled out ahead in North America. Up until now, Team 8 and expert—teams we admittedly underestimated—have shown that they can dominate lower tier teams with ease, but they haven't played against the titans in their region yet, so this weekend will be especially trying for them.
Meanwhile in the lower spectrum, teams will just be trying to put some numbers on the board. Tricked eSport, beGenius, No Tomorrow, and B-Step have hit rock bottom after their first two weeks, and the only way to salvage the situation is to get some wins in before mid season. There's still a lot of time left before the end of the season, but Week 3 will be pivotal in deciding who goes to the first Clash and where the standings will be headed for the rest of the season.
Europe
Friday, February 3
- Playing Ducks vs Tricked eSport
- beGenius vs Fnatic
Saturday, February 4
- Synergy vs Misfits
- Team Dignitas vs Team expert
Sunday, February 5
- Fnatic vs Team expert
- Tricked eSport vs Synergy
Next week should make for some really close games. Both Tricked eSport and Playing Ducks have shown promise but still lack results, and their matchup is going to decide who struggles for survival and who joins the middle of the pack. Synergy will face off against Tricked as well, a match which should be close judging by their games so far. Contrary to what the results indicate, Tricked should not despair. They show great promise, and with three out of the four EU titans out of their way, chances are Tricked will have a better time in the weeks to come.
After breezing through the first two weeks, Team expert will finally test their worth against Team Dignitas and Fnatic. Their results will either prove whether they can clash with the best or if they’ll miss out on their opportunity for the first LAN of the year.
There are still a few underdog narratives next week as well. beGenius has shown much growth in the last two weeks, but going up against Fnatic, it's hard to imagine an upset. Synergy is also going against the powerhouse Misfits, the number one team in Europe. Truthfully, Synergy will need a miracle to emerge victorious. The common denominator in Misfits’ wins in HGC as a whole has been Ragnaros, and despite his insane win rate, no team has prioritized banning him yet. It might be that therein lies the key to victory against Misfits.
North America
Friday, February 3
- No Tomorrow vs B-Step
- Superstars vs Gale Force eSports
Saturday, February 4
- Team Freedom vs Team Naventic
- Tempo Storm vs Team 8
Sunday, February 5
- Gale Force eSports vs Team 8
- B-Step vs Team Freedom
This is the week for No Tomorrow and B-step to step up. Both teams are 0-3 and begin the week playing each other. B-step will also face Team Freedom, who looked amazing in Week 2. B-Step feels like a team who is still trying to find their identity, but hopefully these two weeks have been a learning experience for them so they can put a few wins on the board.
Team Freedom, on the other hand, will look to continue to ride the wave of success after taking Tempo Storm to Game Five and beating GFE 3-2 in Week 2. Freedom will be up against Naventic, who have shown a penchant for dropping the first two maps of a series. It is very possible this matchup will go to Game Five, as both teams are scrim partners and have a lot of information on each other.
The big story this week will be the matchup between Tempo Storm and Team 8. Both teams have yet to lose a series, but Tempo dropped a map, giving Team 8 the #1 spot in the standings. This series should go all five games, but Tempo Storm has notoriously struggled in the early game; if Team 8 exploits this weakness, Tempo could be in a world of trouble.
Gale Force eSports will also be playing this weekend, and after their upset loss to Team Freedom, there are definitely questions about where exactly GFE stands. Team 8 will be a big challenge for GFE, but akaface and Fan will have to carry hard since the "four flex players" strategy has not been working out. GFE will also play Superstars, and this match could actually determine which teams settle in fourth and fifth places. Superstars' performance against Team 8 in Week 2 was underwhelming, and they'll have to pick themselves up here in Week 3.
