In a rematch of the Summer Global Championship finals, MVP Black once again battled against their rivals Tempo Storm.
Another Super League series went the distance as MVP Black avenged their losses to Tempo Storm, triumphing 3-2. The back-and-forth series demonstrated that Korea's spots at BlizzCon are up for grabs as each of the last four Korean teams remaining has a plausible chance to win the entire tournament. Both Tempo Storm and MVP Black displayed remarkable skill on Medivh, Greymane, and Zeratul. While Tempo Storm impressed, MVP Black refused to lose another series to their Korean rivals.
In their last two matches, Tempo Storm (formally Tempest) defeated MVP Black in last season’s Super League finals and in the Summer Global Championship finals. The only two losses MVP Black suffered this year have been to their rivals, Tempo Storm.
However, since their last match, MVP Black has performed more consistently than Tempo Storm. After the Summer Global Championships, MVP Black has yet to lose a match. In Super League's group stage, MVP Black emerged as the #1 seed of group B. Tempo Storm, in the meantime, suffered losses to L5 and MVP Miracle. In group A, Tempo Storm experimented with unorthodox drafts and team role swaps.
The team has yet to appropriately adjust to the recent patch changes that have reduced the significance of team fighting. Consequently, Tempo Storm fell to the #2 seed of group A after losing to MVP Miracle. Despite their struggles, Tempo Storm went into the match with the confidence of being the only team to defeat MVP Black this year.
Game 1
In game 1 on Battlefield of Eternity, Tempo Storm hearkened back to the last game they played against MVP Black by drafting a Greymane-centered composition:
- They complemented Greymane with Tyrael, Rehgar, Tassadar, and Thrall.
- Once again, Dami played Greymane and selected the Wizened Duelist talent. In a moment of déjà vu, Dami's empowered Greymane obliterated MVP Black.
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Game 2
After losing game 1, MVP Black took the series to Towers of Doom:
- This time, MVP Black would not allow Dami to play Greymane as they drafted him for themselves along with Abathur and Medivh.
- Despite a very competitive game, MVP Black’s Medivh constantly saved his teammates with timely Force of Wills and controlled team fights by disabling portions of the enemy team with Ley Line Seal.
- Moreover, Tempo Storm could not deal with the burst damage of MVP Black’s Greymane and his Abathur clone.
- With the close victory, MVP Black tied the series 1-1.
Game 3
In game 3 on Infernal Shrines, Tempo Storm took a page out of L5’s playbook by drafting Sgt. Hammer.
However, Tempo Storm did not share the same success as L5:
- In the back-and-forth game, Tempo Storm attempted to kill a lone Greymane just as the bottom shrine spawned. Despite expending multiple heroics, they were unable to secure the kill.
- In the ensuing team fight at the bottom shrine, MVP Black took advantage of their opponents’ lack of heroic resources and eliminated Tempo Storm’s Thrall.
- The kill allowed MVP Black to secure the Punisher and eventually end the game.
Game 4
Now only 1 game away from losing the series, Tempo Storm made some draft adjustments in game 4 on Sky Temple:
- MVP Black, a team that generally favors Rehgar, Uther, and Kharazim as their primary healers, oddly selected Brightwing as their support for the first three games.
- In response, Tempo Storm took the faerie dragon for themselves and completed their team with Muradin, Li-Ming, Zeratul, and Lunara.
- In response, MVP Black took Kharazim and Tyrael. Tempo Storm countered MVP Black’s use of Tyrael’s Sanctification with impressive Void Prisons.
- Zeratul’s Void Prisons set up Tempo Storm to win several critical team fights, which led to their eventual victory.
Game 5
Like their match in the Summer Global Championships, the series would be decided by the final game:
- For the last game on Cursed Hollow, Tempo Storm once again took Brightwing along with Zagara, E.T.C., Arthas, and Li-Ming.
- MVP Black, on the other hand, drafted Muradin, Abathur, Greymane, Rehgar, and Falstad.
- Similar to game 2, Tempo Storm’s Dami played E.T.C. Unfortunately, like in game 2, his E.T.C. play was less than stellar, especially in comparison to his remarkable Greymane and Zeratul performances.
- In the deciding team fight, Tempo Storm postured at the bottom boss. Although they captured the boss, MVP Black secured one kill and thus secured level 20 to Tempo Storm’s 17.
- With the level advantage, MVP Black nearly wiped the entire Tempo Storm team, allowing them to destroy Tempo Storm’s core and finally secure vengeance on their rivals.
Unlike in North America and Europe, Auriel did not make an appearance in the series. However, Brightwing, who is not as prevalent in Korea, appeared in every game. Both North American and European players noted the two teams’ unusual emphasis on Brightwing.
The Rematch
With the victory, MVP Black will face L5 in a rematch of their five-game series in the group stage. The winner will secure one of Korea’s two spots at BlizzCon. Similarly, Tempo Storm will have to avenge their loss to MVP Miracle to keep their chances of defending their championship alive. Although MVP Black and MVP Miracle won the first of these matches, the rematches will occur on Tuesday’s upcoming patch. Thus, strategies and drafts will likely be drastically different. Tune in to OGN Global on Tuesday, September 13 at 12:00 CEST to see whether MVP Black or L5 will punch Korea's first ticket to BlizzCon.
You can view the most current results of Super League here.
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