Masters Clash Championship is the longest standing LAN event in the Heroes of the Storm competitive circuit. Since 2019 the French tournament has lured the best European teams to Paris to fight for their trophy and the glory. The first stage of MCC has just finished and we already know three of the four teams that will be traveling to France. Who will claim the fourth spot?

The Chosen Ones

The top three teams from the 8-team group stage automatically qualify for the Paris LAN event. The cores of these three teams are the same rosters that qualified for the finals last year, though they now play under different tags. This season we’ve seen a huge gap between this top 3 and all the other teams. In fact, Chilly Mountain—which was the champion of the group stage—had already secured its spot two weeks before the stage ended.

1. Chilly Mountain

They are the current MCC champions and they’re willing to keep their crown. The team formerly known as Wurst and Homies has dominated the league. With 12 wins and 2 draws, they haven’t lost a single bo2 series during the whole season. However, this same roster has already bled at CCL, where they fell against Oxygen. That defeat might have been a great reminder for them to keep pushing until the MCC finals arrive in July.

2. Bang Bush

Bang Bush is the only non-CCL roster that has already secured a ticket to Paris. Lauber and Henn1ng have—once more—put together a Swedish superteam to fight for the Parisian trophy. They’ve been quite consistent during the season and they’ve shown they can defy every other team. While Chilly Mountain and Oxygen will be playing at CCL, Bang Bush presumably won’t have any official matches until the MCC finals. Will they lack training or will they be able to hide their secret weapons?

3. Oxygen Esports

The Hardos has been one of the strongest European teams in the post-HGC era. By now they’ve played countless finals against Wurst And Homies, but most of them ended with a victory for the French-German roster. Now they’re representing Oxygen Esports and they have CavalierGuest’s mastermind to help them cover their flaws. They already won Masters Clash Beyond against their rival. Will they defeat them again?

The Contenders

These five teams are a step below the top 3, but they’re quite close between them. Despite the difference in their scores, anything can happen when these teams play. To claim the final spot at MCC they’ll need to become the champions of a ruthless gauntlet. We’ve seen many times how the teams coming from the lowest part of a bracket have extra training and motivation that make them quickly step up. These are the five candidates for the MCC miracle run:

4. Rage & Quit Gaming

The name Rage & Quit Gaming has been around for a while. An ever-changing roster, it has become kind of a haven for CIS players, a team where they can try the competitive side of Heroes of the Storm. Its current iteration has improved the team’s results, and that’s why they’re sitting on the top of the gauntlet. They’ll only need to win one match, but no matter which team becomes their opponent, they’ll have to play against some very experienced players. Will they perform in that clutch situation?

5. Granit Gaming

Old Fnatic’s second coming is being a bumpy one. We watched some sparkles of their old magic, but they’re far from their peak level. However, they’re still good players who shouldn’t be underestimated. And they definitely know how to deal with pressure. The pressure of the gauntlet might be just what they need to get back to their HGC level: the rush of do-or-die series, having their backs against the wall and the promise of playing in front of a crowd.

6. Masters Clash Academy

Masters Clash Academy was a project created by the MCC tournament organizers to help French rookies into the competitive scene. And that’s just what they did. Nagrom and PandaColada have been playing in NA for 30k Violet and under that tag they won the Champion of Champions stage of HR:CS. They still have much to learn, but they have a really promising trajectory. The opportunity of playing in front of their home crowd will be a great incentive for them in this gauntlet.

7. 3 Legged Cat

The European scene has always counted with some mixed-teams that appear here and there in some tournaments. Some of them stick together and become proper rosters. In fact, that’s how most of the teams worked before having the stability of CCL organizations. 3 Legged Cat might be one of those teams. Before qualifing for MCC, they earned a spot at X-Cup Winter, where they finished in 5/6th position. Starting at the bottom of the gauntlet, they have much to win and almost nothing to lose.

8. Inting for Ruby

Last but not least comes Inting for Ruby, one of the oldest teams in the current European scene. Despite being far from the top teams of the region, they’re the cause of some upsets every now and then. Odds aren’t good for them, but anything can happen in the upcoming bo-5 series of the gauntlet.