Base races, backdoors and stunlock supreme were the name of the game in today's qualifier.
Despite heavy resistance from Vox Nihili, Murloc Geniuses has managed to take first place in the Enter the Storm NA qualifier #2. In one of the closest best of threes to date in HoTS history, both teams showed ruthless aggression in drafting, and gameplay. Kerrigan, Tyrael, E.T.C., and Sonya were all highly prized picks between these two heavy hitting teams, resulting in fast paced, but highly tactical teamfights.
The biggest surprise of game #1 was Vox Nihili's devious backdoor strategies with Abathur and Zeratul. Able to gain an extremely impressive amount of map pressure with the two, Murloc Geniuses was always forced to play on the back foot, cleaning up what they could. With the constant push against them, MG finally found the time to move out, but by then there were no structures left. As Tassadar stayed back to ensure MG couldn't B back to base, the rest of Vox rushed to the core and easily destroyed it.
Game #2 was a disaster for Vox, as Srey constantly played Johanna as if he didn't know her limits. Death after death allowed MG to gain a substantial lead, grabbing both camps and Dragon Knight alike. While a comeback did look possible for a time, a vicious team wipe allowed MG to rush the core and take the game for themselves.
But neither of these games can hold a candle to game #3. Base races in HoTS are rare at best, especially one to end up so close. After a brutal loss when MG pushed too deeply into Vox's base, it looked like the Murloc's were done for. But the respawn timers were just short enough to hold the core at around 50%. After reverse wiping them, a hopeful MG rushed to the enemy core to take it down. Nobody expects the E.T.C. stage dive backdoor though, and he leapt into action. It was not enough, however, and MG was able to win the game with 14% core left.
If you missed today's action, there's plenty more to come. The next ETS NA qualifier will take place on November 20th and you can catch all of it live at twitch.tv/khaldor. With their victory, Murloc Geniuses now has the most qualifier points at 18, Bob Ross Fan Club sits at second with 16, and Vox Nihili is third with 12. The eight teams with the highest scores will be invited to the main event where they'll compete for a $5000 prize pool.
This tournament is open to everyone and you too can sign your team up. Check out na.ets.gg for more information.
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