With the future of ATLC 2 uncertain, ESL are coming to fill the niche of Hearthstone team leagues in the west.
Some of the biggest franchises operating Hearthstone divisions will take part in a seven-week team league starting some time in January 2017, ESL has announced. The majority of the league will be played online with the best teams advancing to a live final in March at the Burbank studios of the esports company.
CompLexity Gaming, Virtus.pro, Tempo Storm, Cloud 9 and G2 Esports have been confirmed through various channels to take part in the event. With eight teams in total to take part in the league, three more are left to be confirmed before the tournament begins, with big brands such as Luminosity Gaming, Team Liquid and SK Gaming being strong, theoretical candidates for these spots.
The league will use a best of 11 Last Hero Standing format where each team submits nine decks (one of each class) for each match and then bans two of their opponents’. Teams are also said to have constant in-game communication between their three players, putting focus on collaborative decision making.
This will be the first opportunity for western teams to compete in a major team league since the Archon Team League first explored this market in 2015 to great success. With ATLC 2 still under question mark, ESL’s so called “Trinity Series” remains the best opportunity for Hearthstone rosters for the foreseeable future. The Trinity Series also marks ESL’s return to major Hearthstone projects since the brand ran IEM Katowice in March this year.
