1. Misfits

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After an undefeated run through HGC Europe, Misfits go into the Western Clash as the clear favorites. They not only have good teamfight execution but also possess the ability to shoot down any gimmicks or cheese coming their way, as displayed in their match against Team Expert. The short preparation time for the Lúcio patch is also a huge boon for Misfits. They have always been one of the best teams in the world at adapting to new metagames quickly. However, their one critical flaw that cannot be overlooked is the lack of results. Outside of Europe, their performance has often been overshadowed by their regional success. They didn’t do spectacularly at the Spring and Summer Championships, and didn’t even make it to BlizzCon after falling to Fnatic and Team Dignitas at Gamescom. Will they finally find some success on the international stage? Judging by their performance, it certainly looks like it.

2. Fnatic

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After narrowly losing the series against Misfits during the first week of HGC, Fnatic proved they are still a contender for the best team in Europe. However, Fnatic’s primary opponents during the Clash will be from North America. Assuming all goes well for the American teams, Fnatic will have to go through Gale Force eSports and Tempo Storm to get to the finals. Having placed second at BlizzCon, Fnatic is looking to once again prove their worth at the big stage. Fnatic certainly has the bracket to get to the finals, but they’ll have to overcome some of the other European giants if they want to win it all.

3. Team Dignitas

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With the newest addition to their team, Zealia, Dignitas had some growing pains at the start of the year. However, Zealia started meshing well in the later rounds and bringing some insane playmaking potential with Zeratul. With this in mind, Team Dignitas is a team no one can take lightly. The biggest obstacle for Team Dignitas will be against regional rivals Misfits. Last time they played, Misfits dominated and took the series 3-0, but Dignitas is ready for some revenge. For this to even be a topic of discussion though, Team Dignitas will have to first beat the North Americans on Team 8. Despite a tough bracket, DIG will no doubt be a contender for first place.

4. Team 8

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Team 8 went through some classic esports drama just before the HGC began, with popular streamer Chu8, who formed the team, dropping out to focus on streaming rather than playing competitively. Former Superstars player Pristmaticism joined in his stead and surprised everyone by setting up huge plays game after game. They rapidly gelled and looked like a team that had been playing for months rather than weeks, finishing 6-1 in series and 20-6 in maps, the best overall score in the region. At first, the team was characterized by individual skill and calls led by the experienced Glaurung that saw them through, but as HGC has progressed, they have become more and more in sync until becoming arguably the most impressive looking team in the region. Justing’s solid frontline, the support of Buds, and Glaurung’s playmaking and shotcalling ability are an excellent core for them. Expect them to bring a few more surprises to the table in the Western Clash.

5. Tempo Storm

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Tempo Storm, formerly Astral Authority, formerly Murloc Geniuses, may have gone through many name changes in the past few months, but they have remained firmly established as North America’s number one team. All five of the members have continuously improved their individual skills over the past months and looked impressive again in the HGC. Their drafting was solid, their synergy was apparent, and for most of HGC, they looked like one of just two teams in the region that could play at an international level. They weren’t perfect, but expect them to come to the Western Clash looking even more refined and polished. There will be even more motivation for Fury to continue showing Gale Force what they missed out on, particularly after the latter swept Tempo Storm in the final week of HGC. Look out for Jun’s support play in particular, as he has quickly established himself as one of the top supports outside of Korea.

6. Gale Force eSports

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It is fair to say that Gale Force eSports hasn’t looked like a regional-winning team for a while. Although they were still able to outmatch the lesser teams in NA, they lost games due to a variety of mistakes with poor drafts, weird decisions, individual errors. The flexibility of players like MichaelUdall and Khroen seemed more like a hindrance at times than a strength, as roles were continually swapped and the team struggled to find their feet. Many believed that B-Step would take the final North American spot in the Western Clash. However, coinciding with the patch change in last few weeks, GFE began to look like their old selves again, capping off their comeback with a 3-0 sweep of Tempo Storm in the final week to secure their spot. Perhaps Tempo went easy knowing their spot was already guaranteed, but it is undoubtedly true that GFE took it up a notch and finished with the highest average kill count in North America. Their drafts, talent choices, synergy, and individual play were amped up, and if they bring that kind of form into the tournament, they can easily be contenders—it remains to be seen which GFE will turn up.

7. Nomia

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Nomia is the reformation of Reborn, Australia and New Zealand's representative at BlizzCon 2016. Although ninja and Daspurtz have gone their separate ways, the core team of Benjamin94, robadobah, and Arcaner remains. Australia & New Zealand has always had trouble with quality practice due to ping and lack of player base, but early 2017 is perhaps one of the lowest points in the region since alpha in terms of competition. Nomia's 3-0 victory at the regional qualifier was an empty one against a casual team. Stepping onto the world stage is going to be an impossible challenge for the minor region team, but they'll at least get in some good practice while they're at IEM.

8. Infamous Gaming

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The final team at IEM Katowice will be Infamous game, an eclectic group of Latin American gamers backed by the Peruvian organization. Although Latin America's powerhouse team Burning Rage (formerly Big Gods) disbanded last year, popular Brazilian streamer JSchritte set out to qualify once again with a new team. The team barely beat pontaL—a team which featured beto and Vieira, two other former Burning Rage players—in the regional finals, and the games were far from pristine. Surprise had some visa issues, so former Burning Rage player Typhex will be playing in his stead; unfortunately, Typhex has been playing Overwatch full-time for the last three months, so there's no doubt he will be a bit rusty. The non-Brazilian members of the squad don't have any international experience. Infamous has zero chance of making it out of the first round.

Predictions

The first match of the Western Clash will feature the European titans Misfits against the underdogs from down under. Nomia is a reformed version of Team Synergy who dominated the ANZ region last year, but despite being at the top of their region, they are ultimately a big fish in a small pond. Compared to the competitiveness of Europe, ANZ has little to show for their regional success.

Australia & New Zealand’s competition is at an all time low as well. The ANZ finals ended in a completely one sided 3-0 stomp in favor of Nomia, so unless they have some secret high level scrim partner, it's hard to imagine them getting the preparations needed to compete on the same plane as Misfits. In a similar vein to how Nomia crushed their local opposition, Misfits should dominate the first round of the bracket with ease.



The match between Europe’s third seed and and the second place from North America should be a real nailbiter. Team Dignitas has always been one of the powerhouses of Europe, but Team 8 has had surprisingly good results for a new team.

Both teams have great playmaking potential and fantastic teamwork. Zealia and Glaurung, in particular, have mastered heroes like Zeratul and Medivh in order to swing fights in their favor, respectively. The series can go either way, but with all the LAN experience and consistency Team Dignitas possesses, they are expected to take the series.



Fnatic come into the tournament off the back of a second place victory at BlizzCon, a feat unlikely to be matched anytime soon against the Koreans. Without a doubt, Fnatic is one of the favorites to take the entire tournament.

Being on European soil is a huge advantage for the Swedes. Fnatic always ramp it up a level at live events, fueled by the hype of the crowd and the home field advantage. GFE won’t be an easy opponent by any means, and the games may be close if GFE can weather Fnatic’s early game pressure, but Fnatic are the clear favorites. Fnatic are strong in the late game where GFE have looked vulnerable, so GFE will have to show the level of play they demonstrated against Tempo Storm in Week 5 to have any hope of advancing in the winner's bracket.



The Latin American representatives, Infamous Gaming, head into the tournament as the seventh seed. Latin America showed some fight during the Summer Championship, but the mostly untested roster of Infamous will have their work cut out for them trying to avoid a clean sweep.

Tempo may hide some strategies here and save them up for a more dangerous opponent. Infamous may bring some surprises to the table in an attempt to upset the balance, too. Expect a fun series.