MVP Miracle [3-0] Raven      

Miracle is playing like a team transformed. Throughout Phase 1 they seemed to be lacking motivation, but in Phase 2 they’ve rediscovered their spark. HongCoNo in particular looks like a different player playing with his old signature aggression and Muradin play.

Raven started out well enough on Battlefield of Eternity, sneaking out immortals despite Miracle’s pressure to gain a structural lead. But once CMoving completed his Incendiary Elixir quest, things quickly fell apart. Raven’s decaying synergy and communication couldn’t hold against Miracle’s after a botched Void Prison/Apocalypse timing that can only be described as tragic. Even when the combo worked, Miracle was clearly the superior team. Raven committed to the Diablo and Zeratul plan even into the next game, but the gimmick could not overcome the gap in team skill.

Late in the third game, Raven found some signs of life, winning teamfights after 19:00, but the moments came too late to stop the oncoming tide as Miracle swept the series away.

GG [3-2] Team BlossoM      

Despite vastly different records in the standings, GG and BlossoM’s previous engagement in Phase 1 was a drawn out fight between equals, and the rematch proved much the same. GG took a dominant first game, using an exciting mix of Diablo’s Shadow Charge and Leoric’s Entomb, but BlossoM took the second game just as easily with their double globals.

After testing each other in the first two games, the third match on Dragon Shire was much more even. The teams traded heavily throughout teamfights, leaving each other too weak to end, though GG slowly won the trades over time. BlossoM’s Lunara pressure in the fourth game was incredible; throughout the game, GG would win teamfights over tributes only to find themselves dead to poison after the tribute was claimed. Unable to capitalize as the deaths piled up, GG fell.

GG took a significant lead on Towers of Doom, able to keep BlossoM away from the objectives. As the game went into the later levels, BlossoM won enough teamfights to make the teams still look close, but even after the comebacks the deficit in Core health was too great to overcome.

MVP Black [3-0] Mighty      

Black remains unstoppable, but Mighty continues to give fearless fights against the top three teams. Mighty’s first draft for Braxis Holdout was a bold and creative use of Probius and Gul’dan that could zone out the beacons or quickly clear the Zerg waves, but MVP Black fought with even greater confidence. Reset’s Tyrande was the star of the game, instantly deleting the Zarya on which Mighty relied.

This series was the most one-sided in recent memory, but for all that, it was still chaotic. Secure in their confidence, Black freely gave kills and objectives to Mighty with reckless calls. It was never enough to matter, but it kept the games varied and interesting despite being total stomps.

L5 [3-2] Tempest      

When these teams last met, it looked as though the third-place Tempest was as outclassed against L5 and MVP Black as the rest of the league. That is no longer true.

L5 may remain undefeated, but Tempest nearly clawed their way to victory. L5 won the first game, but Tempest was already showing the ferocity that would keep the whole series resting on a razor’s edge. As the second game moved well past level 20, the teams walked a tightrope that could have gone either way at any time. The match finally ended after 34:00, turning momentum in Tempest’s favor.

Even after their defeat, L5 was undaunted; the series would never reach the marathon length again, but each game was just as equally matched. To the very last, all five games showed that Tempest is on the same level as their rivals, and that this tier of play is beyond anything else in the world.

MVP Black [3-0] MVP Miracle      

MVP Miracle’s renewed form faced its greatest test so far this split against their dominant sister team MVP Black. Although the set was a clean sweep in Black’s favor, Miracle established multiple level leads in both the second and third games and showed signs that they are almost ready to contend with the best teams.

Miracle picked a strong teamfighting composition in Game One on Battlefield of Eternity but were consistently out rotated by the savvy Black, who refused to get drawn into fights. Black maintained tight control throughout and were able to end the game with an early Immortal push thanks to the use of their area control Heroic Abilities including Void Prison, Mighty Gust and Sanctification.

Games Two and Three were a far different story. In both, Black showed very little control over the games until the late game. In the second game, Miracle opted for a “protect the Valla” composition which gave Black some difficulty. HongCoNo showed a return to form on his trademark Muradin and generated a multitude of early game picks to give Miracle a two level lead. However, a crucial play by KyoCha turned the game around and allowed Black to stall for level 20. Reset’s Nazeebo completed Vile Infection and was able to pour out more damage than all of Miracle’s heals and shields could keep up with.

Miracle were perhaps even more impressive in the early and mid game during the final game on Towers of Doom. dami returned to Greymane and put on a monster performance on his best hero despite having only a Kharazim to support him. However, Miracle were unable to close out the game again. Ttsst’s Varian had a major impact on Black’s late game and allowed them to secure kill after kill. Renewed with confidence, Black took down their rivals once again in a 3-0 sweep.

Mighty [3-0] Raven      

Mighty far outclassed Raven in this series. Along with Arthas and Tyrael, Mighty picked up Artanis in Game One to take it away from Raven’s renowned Artanis player H82. Combined with Lucio’s speed boost, the composition worked wonders, and Mighty steamrolled their way to victory.

Raven responded to the loss by cloning Mighty’s exact team composition—except for having Malfurion in place of Lucio—in Game Two on Cursed Hollow. However, it quickly became evident that Lucio was a vital piece of that composition as Raven’s tank line struggled to chase down Mighty’s back line. The change in battlegrounds also made an impact on the composition. Mighty picked several sieging heroes like Sgt. Hammer and Nazeebo and were able to inflict heavy structural damage in the early game while Raven searched fruitlessly for ganks. The game was heavily one sided and showed the danger of trying to shoehorn a composition in response to a loss.

Mighty returned to an Arthas and Lucio composition in Game Three for an easy shutout. NaSang’s Lucio was a standout throughout all three games, showing why the team is starting to prioritize Lucio over Malfurion.

CE [3-1] RPG      

The weight of RPG’s schedule is beginning to show. The young, promoted team has performed well in their season, but the first four weeks have pit them against the top three teams. Despite their faltering record, RPG again showed they can put up a challenge and even outplay CE in a teamfight. CE held on with some desperation plays in the late game, but RPG successfully delayed CE from backing while two members moved in to finish the Core.

CE found their momentum in the second game. Repaying RPG’s teamfights with wins of their own, CE took control of the second game thanks to Wind and Paradise holding the front line. Once CE found their stride, RPG had trouble regrouping. Games Three and Four went CE’s way with little effort, especially after RPG allowed CE to draft the holy trinity of Tassadar, Valla, and Auriel in the last.

HotS Lady [3-0] Start Over Again      

This series went as expected. SOA is an inferior team to HotS Lady, both on the battleground and in the draft lobby. HotS Lady drafted the same comp in the first two games with Illidan, Arthas, Greymane, and Rehgar. SOA allowed HotS Lady to draft Tassadar in Game One, but took it themselves in the second game. But HotS Lady simply replaced Tassadar with Abathur for a similarly devastating effect.

For the second time that day, the series came down to a losing team ceding the Tassadar/Valla/Auriel combo in draft without stopping it. If SOA was hoping to build momentum after their first series win last week, they needed to try much harder than this.

Super Perfect Team [3-0] Keep It Simple      

The one-sided matchups spilled into the next day, with one of the top three teams facing one of the bottom two. It says everything about the skill discrepancy between the two that in the first game, SPT sloppily fed KIS kill after kill—and still maintained a three level lead.

Despite the one-sided series, SPT remains a creative and entertaining team to watch. No matter the opponent, they always stick to their unique style. Game Three on Tomb of the Spider Queen stood out due to a composition built around percentage damage. A brutal Entomb, Cursed Bullet, Drain Hope, and Seven-Sided Strike combo adding up to 109% of a target’s HP could easily destroy a single person in moments. Even when outclassing their opponents, SPT is never boring to watch.

eStar Gaming [3-1] Xteam      

eStar seems to have made some shifts in strategy by focusing more heavily on defense and sustain. TiGer returned to the team this week, playing supportive roles throughout the series with XingC taking over Falstad duties. Not content with mere double support comps, eStar drafted triple Support in Game One. Xteam answered triple Support with triple Warrior, and the control offered by the heavy front line was enough to lock down targets despite all the healing. As the game went on, RTTTTTT’s Varian reduced the healing eStar could receive, trivializing the support comp further and handing Xteam a decisive victory.

The series continued to look even at first, with Xteam remaining aggressive and hungry on Cursed Hollow. But eStar kept to their own tempo. Xteam began to look shaken while eStar stayed confident. Missed ultimates and continual misplays squandered away Xteam’s advantages and cost them the game. Xteam never stopped being aggressive, even into the next two games, but it increasingly turned to desperation and caused them to throw games. Under pressure, Xteam became another gem for eStar’s crown.