EPT
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/shiroiusagi/herosofthestorm/hotsproscene.jpg)
Introduction
With the announcement of a Heroes of the Storm tournament at Blizzcon, there is a certain rising interest in the existing competitive scene in Heroes. In this article we outline the best teams and players in the scene right now, so that people who are interested in knowing how competitive the scene is have a background when watching VODs or streams. Hopefully this article sheds a little light on what's been happening during Alpha.
Symbiote Gaming
The Rising Champions
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
~William Ernest Henley
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
~William Ernest Henley
The team's core of Dreadnaught, Kaeyoh and Arthelon were part of the "original" Symbiote Gaming, formed off a recruitment post on Reddit. The original team consisted of those three plus, Efx, Spadewar and Kittenofthestorm, were the original founders of the team. Eventually Efx, Spadewar parted ways with the team, as they were not quite compatible with their teammates, but Kittenofthestorm remained in a management position, from where she has remained a positive influence on the team. After the parting of the ways a focused period of searching lead to Madtimmy and So1dier who have been part of Symbiote Gaming ever since. Competitively, Symbiote Gaming is one of the strongest teams in the Alpha, winning ECS after going 11-1 in groups, and posting generally strong results in every tournament they have participated in.
Dreadnaught - Dreadnaught is the team captain of Symbiote (and you can read our interview with him here), and one of the major elements of their success. Dreadnaught usually plays the tank for his team, serving as the cornerstone in most teamfights.
Kaeyoh - Kaeyoh is one of the carries for Symbiote, and a strong one at that, his positioning is indisputably strong and his ability to properly maneuver in a teamfight is one of the elements that really makes Symbiote terrifying to engage in a five on five fight. Of particular note is his Tassadar play, which can only be categorized as excellent
Madtimmy - Madtimmy is Symbote's main support player, a role often overlooked in these situations. His impact however is undeniable, with very clutch ultimates from his Rehgar being a key element in many a ECS game for Symbiote. Madtimmy is always punctual with the heals and his movement never fails to impress, making him a player not to be neglected.
Arthelon - Arthelon plays the second carry role on Symbiote, favoring Tychus as his carry of choice. Arthelon is a former League of Legends player who played the mid role, and who has managed to transition into heroes of the storm smoothly. His professional background is clearly visible in the way he plays and handles map movement.
Sold1er - Sold1er plays the initiator role for his team, his showings as Arthas and Sonya being particularly terrifying for the opposing team. Many a teamfight has been won on the back of his strong initiation and patient yet decisive engagements.
As a team, Symbiote Gaming seems to be made of strengths, their drafting is meticulous and well researched, specifically seeking to bring down strong strategies the opposing team might be after in order to beat them down with straight up strong play. Their map movement and coordination in teamfights is also incredibly impressive, they often manage to be several levels ahead of their opponents early on by virtue of strong map movement. The only concern Symbiote might have is going up against teams that are bringing entirely unseen strategies up against them, or who may have strategies designed to bring down their fairly predictable picks. Still, Symbiote is very strong team, and one who's play is worth studying for anyone who wishes to understand what strong, careful and intelligent play looks like.
Team Snowflake
Riding the Storm
There may be chaos still around the world,
This little world that in my thinking lies;
For mine own bosom is the paradise
Where all my life’s fair visions are unfurled.
Within my nature’s shell I slumber curled,
Unmindful of the changing outer skies,
Where now, perchance, some new-born Eros flies,
Or some old Cronos from his throne is hurled.
I heed them not; or if the subtle night
Haunt me with deities I never saw,
I soon mine eyelid’s drowsy curtain draw
To hide their myriad faces from my sight.
They threat in vain; the whirlwind cannot awe
A happy snow-flake dancing in the flaw.
~George Santayana
This little world that in my thinking lies;
For mine own bosom is the paradise
Where all my life’s fair visions are unfurled.
Within my nature’s shell I slumber curled,
Unmindful of the changing outer skies,
Where now, perchance, some new-born Eros flies,
Or some old Cronos from his throne is hurled.
I heed them not; or if the subtle night
Haunt me with deities I never saw,
I soon mine eyelid’s drowsy curtain draw
To hide their myriad faces from my sight.
They threat in vain; the whirlwind cannot awe
A happy snow-flake dancing in the flaw.
~George Santayana
Snowflake is a team formed around popular former professional Starcraft players IdrA and LzGaMeR that instantly vaulted to the top of the Heroes of the Storm scene. At the time of the team’s creation, very few high level teams existed and the fact that Snowflake consisted of players who had the experience and work ethic of progamers created excitement about Heroes’ prospects as an esport. Despite numerous roster switches throughout the Alpha period, Team Snowflake has consistently been talked about as one of the premier teams in North America based on both their impressive play in scrimmages between teams and in tournaments. Recently, Snowflake made yet more roster switches, picking up Chillatech as a replacement for Sheth. Team Snowflake recently placed second in the ESV Championship Series with this new lineup.
Chillatech– Chillatech is the most recent acquisition for Team Snowflake, being brought on to replace Sheth. With him comes increased team communication and more decisive map movement, as he has become Snowflake’s main shot-caller. Chillatech has alternated between playing tank and support heroes, depending on the team’s composition.
LzGaMeR – One of the core members of Team Snowflake, LzGaMeR has been known to singlehandedly change how certain heroes are valued. He played Tyrael consistently when most perceived him as weak, and now Tyrael is played in almost every game. He recently played Chen in both games of their Grand Finals series against Symbiote Gaming, so be on the look out for more of him in the future.
Faye – Faye was another somewhat recent pickup for Snowflake, and she brings a lot of utility to the table. She plays a variety of different roles, and can play a vast number of heroes at a high level in order to suit the needs of her team. Her skillshot accuracy and teamfight play are nearly unequaled in the scene, and she is a huge asset for Snowflake.
Keylax – Keylax has been a consistent piece of Snowflake’s puzzle as roster swaps happened constantly around him. Also known to switch up his role to suit the team’s desired composition, he focuses on map movement and does a great job protecting his team’s carries while dishing out damage himself.
IdrA – Last but certainly not least is IdrA. The most recognizable player on the team, IdrA plays a carry role for Snowflake. He positions very well in teamfights and with the help of his team can become an unstoppable killing machine come late game. His background in Starcraft 2 has doubtless contributed to his success both mechanically and in terms of his work ethic, and it shows in his play.
Snowflake is a wildcard. They have shown very strong performances in just about every tournament they’ve entered and every match they’ve played. No matter what roster or composition they bring to the table they always seem to make it work for them. That being said, one can’t help but wonder if a little consistency may be all this team needs to take their play to the next level. That consistency may be on the horizon. On the popular show “Studying the Storm,” IdrA talked about the team’s focus on improving as a unit and becoming the best team they could be in preparation for a potential Heroes tournament at Blizzcon. One thing is for sure, if there is a Blizzcon tournament, Snowflake has earned their place as one of the favorites.
ESV Wildfire
The Fires of Passion
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
~Dylan Thomas
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
~Dylan Thomas
A team that's fairly new to the scene, they've still managed to get some impressive results. It is composed of players that are individually regarded as strong and as a team they display quite a bit of synergy. They played together for a little while as a nameless team before they came together as ESV Wildfire a little before the beginning of ECS. Their best posted results so far are making it to the semis of ECS, but they're definitely one of the contenders for any tournament they enter, being only really bested by extremely strong teams like Symbiote Gaming. It seems very clear that as more competition opens ups, Wildfire's fire will only burn brighter.
Pickles - The team captain, his particular role fluctuates depending on the teams needs, as depending on which of their two most notable strategies they run, he is needed in one role or another. Some of his strongest showings are on Zeratul.
Poom - Usually found in the tank role, poom plays a very adept Tyrael, and generally serves as his teams damage sponge. A player that shows a lot of potential, he certainly has the ability to turn around games based on his play. While tanks aren't necessarily the flashiest role, his ability to survive with slivers or health is sometimes as crucial as a big initiation or as securing an objective.
Bimbz - The other player on the team that often switches up what role he plays depending on his teams needs, Bimbz often takes over the Fladstadt role in the "Mass CC with Faldstadt" strategy that Wildfire occasionally plays, where his deft handling make for really scary games for the opposition.
Wargreymon - The assassin player for ESV Wildfire, Wargreymon plays high dps assassins, most notably Valla and Tychus, his skill at the role making those heroes quite scary. Of note is that Wargreymon seems to favor the positioning reliant assassins, having also had showings on Faldstadt and Raynor.
Iakona - Perhaps the cornerstone of the team, Iakona plays support, a crucial role, as well as serving as the shotcaller for his team. His Uther guide is highly recommended. His Malfurion play has been crucial to ESV Wildfire's success.
ESV Wildfire has two dominant strategies that have strong results so far, the first is a mass CC strategy, usually involving Uther, that traps the enemy team in Faldstats heroic ability, shock and awe, for a lot of damage. The second is an "unkillable" two tank lineup that runs Malfurion as their main healer, making the team really hard to take down. The issue with these strategies is that they can fall apart in the drafting phase, which is how Symbiote Gaming dismantled ESV Wildfire in the semifinals of ECS. This begs the question, can Wildfire conceive of other brilliant synergistic strategies? And are they capable of winning even when these strategies are denied? We believe the answer is yes, but only time will tell if ESV Wildfire is truly one of the giants.
Clairvoyant Gaming
The Dark Horse
Just like moons and like suns,
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
~Rudyard Kipling
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
~Rudyard Kipling
Clairvoyant is a team that has flown under the radar compared to the big names of Symbiote and Snowflake, but nonetheless have been a solid and consistent player in the scene. As a teamfight-oriented team, Clairvoyant picks heroes with strong synergy and great combo potential. They reached the semifinals of the ECS before having their run cut short by Snowflake, but they have shown that they can compete with the best. They were the only team to take a game off of Symbiote throughout the entire season of ECS, showing that they are a dark horse contender in any tournament.
notoriousDIG – The support player for Clairvoyant, notoriousDIG likes to have a high impact in teamfights. Using heroes like Uther and Rehgar he can singlehandedly turn a fight around with a well-placed heroic. Often times he finds himself in a solo lane early against an enemy carry, and he does well to shut them down in lane.
Dissent – Not to be confused with Team Dissent, Dissent plays a variety of tanky, engage-centric heroes to get Clairvoyant’s teamfights off to a strong start. While playing as heroes such as Tyrael or ETC, he dives onto the enemy carries and locks them down with powerful crowd control and area of effect damage. When a fight breaks out in a Clairvoyant game, expect to see Dissent on the front lines.
Hocfoo – Hocfoo’s role can change drastically from game to game, as shown in Clairvoyant’s semifinal series against Snowflake when he played Sonya and Sargent Hammer in back to back games. Depending on the team’s composition, you may see Hocfoo diving onto the enemy’s back line or dishing out serious damage from afar.
Marche – Marche is one of the assassin players for Clairvoyant, using squishy yet powerful heroes to great effect to clean up teamfights. Falstad is a popular pick for Marche, which Clairvoyant uses to set up the popular “wombo combo” with crowd control being used to set up a powerful Shock and Awe.
Tsuki – Lastly there’s Tsuki, who plays a mix of assassin’s and specialists to suit the team’s needs. Tsuki plays innovative and off-meta heroes and makes them work, showing a few games on Nova and Nazeebo throughout the season in the ECS. Along with Marche, Tsuki brings a lot of ranged damage to the table for Clairvoyant.
Clairvoyant came into the ECS being called a “sleeper pick” to win the championship, and they have proven to be one of the top teams in North America. While they were knocked out in the semifinals, they can compete with the best and always show exciting games and series against them. With their strong teamfighting and tendency to pick unorthodox heroes, they are a fun team to watch and a dangerous team to face.
Glorious! Gaming
The Veterans
Rejoice, friends! that we are alive
And that we're young and vigorous.
Never has there been a year like this,
And never has youth been so blessed
For we can stand and we can march
Where the morning dawns and the evening sinks.
The greatest of all epochs
Puts its mark upon our young hearts.
And no matter what may befall any one of us
He shall have seen this proud year.
-Bruno Frank
And that we're young and vigorous.
Never has there been a year like this,
And never has youth been so blessed
For we can stand and we can march
Where the morning dawns and the evening sinks.
The greatest of all epochs
Puts its mark upon our young hearts.
And no matter what may befall any one of us
He shall have seen this proud year.
-Bruno Frank
Glorious! Gaming is a team that has been around essentially since teams began cropping up in Heroes of the Storm. Despite the youth of the game as a whole, members of Glorious! Are looked up to as pioneers for the competitive scene and as experienced and skillful players. Featuring one of the most popular Heroes streamers ZPs, as well as the innovative terran player from the early days of Starcraft 2 CauthonLuck, Glorious! leverages their experience and solid play to score numerous tournament victories.
ZPs – As mentioned before, ZPs is one of the most popular streamers for Heroes of the Storm on twitch.tv (check him out here ). Aside from bringing his large fan base to the table, he plays the role of tank for his team, initiating teamfights and soaking damage for their standard double assassin comps.
Soma – The lone support player for Glorious!, Soma plays heroes like Uther on a regular basis in order to suit his team’s gank-heavy style. While he may be the unsung hero of the team, he provides crucial crowd control and healing to secure kills and keep his carries alive.
Glaurung – After a brief stint with Team Snowflake earlier in the ECS season, Glaurung has found a new home in Glorious! gaming. He plays high damage heroes focused on ganking and snowballing games, and his synergy with ZPs is best shown when they run their Kerrigan/Diablo combo to secure multiple early kills.
Syracuse – The first of Glorious! Gaming’s assassins, Syracuse deals devastating damage from the backline to any heroes who come too close. Oftentimes Syracuse will be absent from the early game battles, but after soaking up enough experience expect him to come up big in the mid and late game.
CauthonLuck – You may remember this name from the early days of Starcraft 2, when CauthonLuck was known for creating interesting terran builds that became wildly popular during the beta. Now he’s back as the second assassin player for Glorious!. His signature hero is Tychus, and you’ll often see him using the infested skin and ripping through the enemy team.
Glorious! Gaming entered the ECS as a veteran team that most expected to do well, but not make the finals. Unfortunately, they fell to third in their group with a 6-6 overall record after a tight battle for second went the way of ESV Wildfire. Despite this, their experience has allowed them to maintain a place as one of the best teams in the alpha, and it would be unwise to count them out of future events based on this one result.
Honorable Mention: The Europeans
At this point it is difficult to say exactly how good the European Heroes teams really are. This is largely due to the fact that they’ve played fewer casted games, and the pool of competition is so small. That being said, here are a few European teams to keep an eye on, as they could potentially be as good or better than any other team on this list.
Team Empire – A recognizable name from both the Starcraft and Dota 2 scenes, Team Empire picked up a full Heroes roster on May 28th. The Russian organization has had decent results over the past few months, but hasn’t quite been able to really shine. With a mediocre start in the Heroes Premier League, they’ll need to step up their performance to remain a top contender in Europe.
El Nexo – Featuring the Durán brothers Lucifron and Vortix, known for their involvement in Starcraft 2, El Nexo recently won the mYi-Versasphere EU Invitational with a clean 4-0 over mYi themselves in the finals. They currently look like they could be one of the strongest teams in Europe, but one should note that Vortix is still a full time Starcraft 2 progamer, and this likely limits the team’s ability to practice as a group consistently. Only time will tell if this will hurt their potential to grow as a premier competitor on the world stage.
mYinsanity – mYi as an organization has been known to make bold roster moves, and on August 7th they announced that Team Moon would now be playing under their banner. Since then, the team has taken the European Heroes scene, well, by storm. Featuring a collection of former LoL and Guild Wars 2 pros, mYi has been near the top of the GosuGamers Team Rankings since their acquisition. Aside from their loss to El Nexo in the VersaSphere Invitational Grand Finals they have looked like the best team in Europe, and the most likely to continue to be a force to reckoned with in the future.
Author’s (Yorkie's) Note: These are the teams I felt had played enough tournament games to merit a mention here. To be honest I don’t think Empire is all that good (1-2 start in HPL) and there are several other teams not mentioned here who are beating them. The problem is they’re new and I can’t really write something about a team like SK Gaming who has played three games total. El Nexo is also not even playing in the HPL, which is the main tournament for Europeans right now, so I’m not sure what’s going on there. It’s possible that El Nexo dropped out to allow Vortix more time to practice for his WCS matches, since the league started on September 11th. TLDR: The European scene is obviously very new and still rapidly changing. Only mYi has been consistent.
Team of Interest: Team No Limit
Currently the only "big" Asian team, we haven't seen much from Team No Limit, but we just have to include a note about them because of the names currently on the team, all of Broodwar and Starcraft 2 fame. The team roster consists of none other than, Ace, Crazymoving, Kong, Noblesse and Sc, all players who's names will be familiar to those of us who have been around long enough. We haven't really seen the team play yet, but if they're practicing hard then we can expect to see them emerge and carve a path of destruction sooner rather than later. So keep your eyes peeled, because with all that potential, their name couldn't be more appropriate
At least the TL-team is not a "one-time" thing. 
