1. L5

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Korea has been interestingly diverse since the beginning of Heroes of the Storm. While the top Korean teams are pretty widely regarded as the best in the world, the gulf in quality between the top 4 and the rest of the teams in the region is far more substantial than the gulf in NA or EU. L5 seemed to establish a similar gulf between them and their immediate rivals so far in 2017, putting up immaculate series results. They 3-0'd MVP Black and dropped just the one game against Tempest. L5 is at the top because their roster stayed secure while the others changed. They look downright terrifying when they're on their game, but even when they're not, they look formidable. If they ever fall behind or lose a game in a series, they bounce back stronger, fueled by their passion to win. They are the sure favorites for first place at the Eastern Clash.

2. MVP Black

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MVB Black first established a period of dominance in late 2015 that became unshakeable in the first half of 2016. The roster of Rich, Sake, Merryday, KyoCha and Sign went on the most epic win streak in the history of Heroes and set all kinds of other records. When their rivals L5 and Tempest finally began to overthrow them, Black’s squad always seemed like they would stick together, work things out together, and come back stronger—at least, that's what we hoped. When Rich, arguably the most individually skilled player in the game, decided to retire, it led to a huge shift in rosters across the Korean scene. MVB Black waved goodbye to Sign and picked up the duo of Ttsst and Reset from their sister team, MVP Miracle. Black looked good in the HGC—but not quite as good as last year. Black still looks like a world champion roster, but they have a long way to go before they can again make a convincing stand against L5.

3. Tempest

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Tempest had the most surprising change during the Korean rosterpocalypse. Their main front line, HongCono and Dami, left for MVP Miracle to fill the vacancies left by Ttsst and Reset, and Sign and ModernLife were picked up to fill their places. ModernLife hadn't seen any professional play in Heroes of the Storm and only started playing in winter of 2016. Signing a player who has barely even been seen in the pro scene before was quite the bold move from Tempest, and it has yielded mixed results so far. They were inconsistent during the first few weeks, at times looking like potential champions, at others looking like they were barely deserving of finishing in the top 4. Despite a few glaring issues in synergy and communication, Tempest is currently the team with the most potential. How they'll do at the Eastern Clash is up in the air, but they can definitely give MVP Black and even L5 a run for their money on a good day.

4. eStar

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The winners of the Gold Series in January (the last major tournament we have seen the Chinese teams involved in), eStar have to be considered the favorites in their region. The core of Tiger, Tumi and XingC have been together for almost two years, and Top and Savage having almost a year’s experience under their belts in the team. Former captain xia0t stepped back to a management and coaching position almost six months ago, and since then the quality of the team has suffered. As a result, played uncharacteristically poorly during Gold League Summer and failed to qualify for BlizzCon, but they seem to have shaken off the rust and gotten back into form. eStar was one of the few teams who could make a dent in the Rich-era MVP Black; here's to hoping they still have what it takes to go toe to toe with the Korean titans.

5. Zero Gaming

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Another team with a large and established roster, Zero Gaming is in a similar situation to SPT: they don't have much to lose, and they've got plenty to prove. They've had middlish results in China, and for the last six months, they looked like most consistent team in the region. However, they've yet to prove themselves on the global stage. MelodyC is probably the most important player on the team. When he plays well, it rubs off on the others. Zero looked dominant in the group stages at the Gold Series Grand Finals in December, but they fell to eStar when it mattered for a second place finish. They will be as hungry to get revenge on their compatriots as they will be to prove themselves against Korea.

6. Super Perfect Team

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Super Perfect Team (SPT) is a truly unique team. Their first premier league performance was Gold League 2015 Season 2, where they finished with a miserable 0-5 record and dropped out of the tournament early. While they still maintained a presence in online qualifiers and a few regional tournaments, they didn't make a big splash until Gold League 2016 Summer, where they beat both eStar and Zero to make it to the finals. The last time SPT were seen internationally, they were soundly beaten by MVP Black at the Gold Club World Championship. The roster has remained somewhat stable, so SPT should be coming into the Eastern Clash strong. qianxiao and misaka have always stood out for their flexibility and playmaking potential. They don't have a lot going for them, but if they've proven anything over the last few months, it's that they shouldn't be underestimated.

7. Team Face Check

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Wait, what happened to Please Buff Arthas? After a surprisingly successful performance last year, the members of PBA went their separate ways, and Team Face Check (TFC) emerged as the newest competitor from the upstart minor region. Though they've only been around for six months, they have consistently made appearances in the qualifier brackets before getting shot down by teams like PBA. This time around, however, they managed to beat team ACE—a reformed version of 2015's GIA—in the finals and secure their spot at the international competition. Do they have what it takes to wrestle with gods? Probably not, but it wouldn't be the first time Taiwan has surprised us....

8. Resurgence

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Resurgence formed in late 2015 as the top contender to Relics, then the dominating force in Southeast Asia. Though the team has undergone extensive changes, one thing still remains: their will to make a mark on the world stage. Realistically though, SEA has been a weak region for a long time. In all of the international competitions, they have always gone out in the group stages, and they have never taken a single game off a major region team. Like ANZ, SEA has some issues with ping and consistent practice, and it manifests in off-kilter and unrefined aggression. They're being thrown in the deep end here with the Korean and Chinese teams, so it's sink or swim for them this weekend.

Predictions

The Western Clash taught us to never count out the underdogs from the minor regions (hello Nomia!). But Singapore’s Resurgence will have to pull out all the stops to even hope of standing against L5.



This will probably be the most even match of the first round. It may be a little harsh to predict a sweep, but Tempest is likely going to be focusing very hard; they aren’t going into the tournament as winners, so they won’t play complacently or underestimate their foes. Zero will give them a good run, but it won’t be enough.



eStar have drawn the Taiwanese team in the opening round. There's no doubt eStar will look to be aggressive and lay down a warning for the other teams that eStar is not here to mess around. Please Buff Arthas has proven us wrong before, but the TFC roster is almost entirely unproven, while eStar have years of experience under their belts. In the end, that will be the key difference.



Like ZeroPanda against Tempest, SPT will put up a far better display than they did last year against Black. This Black roster isn’t as strong, but they will want to set an example and show the world that they are just as scary as they used to be. SPT will be spirited resistance, but it is unlikely they will be able to hold the Koreans off for long.