Dorazion
1st place: Denial eSports
2nd place: Naventic
Denial eSports is in that warm spot of just being signed and headed to their first lan event as a new organization. Not only are they hungry to make a name for them self and make their new sponsor proud, but the team is a who’s who of Heroes Lan experience. The combined NA meta knowledge and experience of Glaurung, Kingcaffeine and k1pro will push the team over the edge and I predict intelligent player specific bans and drafts from this team. I don’t think any other team wants this win as badly as Denial eSports.
As for Naventic placing 2nd? Something happens to the team at LAN events that I can’t explain. The team either performs out of their mind, or loses to lesser ranked NA teams, like during the 2nd NA regional when they lost to Gale Force eSports. Was it cockiness that made them give both Falstad and Li-Ming to Gale Force eSports, or did they not remember that they are both signature heroes of GFE’s star players?
As NA’s highest ranked team, the most common criticism of Naventic is their dependency on individual playmakers and not a cohesive team strategy. If Naventic avoids tilt and doesn’t underestimate any of their opponents, they might easily take 1st.
H20
First Place: Naventic
Team to watch: Vox Nihili
Naventic are the old guard of the NA scene with a proven track record. It’s not flashy to pick them as winners but having a proven track record and offline experience can mean a great deal in heroes. How many times have seen promising new teams fall to nerves or make a bad play and lose a vital game. Naventic are not immune to this but I think this tournament their ability, experience and hard work will combine to give them the number one spot.
Vox Nihili is my team to look out for. I’ve watched a lot of them recently in Heroes United and then in the fall qualifiers and they have always impressed. It took Crescendo (now Denial Esports) to beat them in a close series to stop Vox Nihili qualifying in the first qualifiers and they smashed through the second. I don’t tip them to win it as their lack of offline experience may see them not get out of their groups. I am mentioning them as a one to watch as I feel if they can stay together they have the ability to place well and can challenge every other NA team.
Snuf
First Place: Gale Force eSports
Team to Watch: Denial eSports
GFE is my top pick to win the Burbank Regional. I don't think their performance during the Summer Championship is representative of their true skill, considering all of the issues they faced before finally getting to play. They're a really strong team with a powerhouse roster, and I can easily see them taking a win in Burbank. They've proved they can do it before, and I expect them to come out trying to prove it again. Any team who lets Khroen pick Li-Ming is simply not giving respect where it's due. Assuming they come out and perform at the top level they're able to play, there's no question in my mind that they can beat any NA team.
Denial eSports is definitely the biggest team to look out for. They have another really strong roster with some players who have been around for a long time and competed at the highest level possible, so them being “new” won't impact their performance. They've also got something to prove considering they've just been signed, and I can see them coming out strong and giving all of the top teams a run for their money. The trick for Denial will be playing together in a LAN environment, which is very different from qualifiers. If they can avoid the tilt of playing a LAN together for the first time I would guess they'll be one of the top contenders in Burbank.
Fenix
First Place: Gale Force eSports
Teams to Watch: Denial eSports and Vox Nihili
Most Disappointing Team: Team Naventic
Gale Force eSports was one of the strongest NA teams during the Summer season, defeating Team Naventic 3-0 to advance to the Summer Globals. To the surprise of many, they were eliminated by Please Buff Arthas. However, they are still one of the strongest teams in NA, and they will have a lot more LAN experience as a team than some of their newer competitors, which is why they are the pick to win this first regional.
Denial eSports features some of NA’s biggest names in k1pro, KingCaffeine, and Glaurung and is widely expected to contend for the title. But the team that will be the talk of the tournament is the less well known Vox Nihili, whose strong performances in the qualifiers and Heroes United may not be known by more casual Heroes fans. But other top NA teams certainly won’t be sleeping on these guys - anything less than their best, and Vox Nihili will beat them soundly. Ask Denial eSports about them.
Team Naventic has always seemed to be one of NA’s top teams, yet it has been a long time since they have truly impressed. Swapping Mcintyre (who was playing warrior for the team) for Tomster, a non-warrior player, isn’t going to help matters. Zuna is capable of playing warrior, but he doesn’t seem to like the role, as he constantly itches to play a role he feels he can carry on.
If history is any guide, I just don’t see this ending well.
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