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Heroes8 years agoGosu "GosuGamers" Gamers

Nature reclaims North America as Lunara sees more and more competitive play

Team Blaze and Panda Global have both qualified for LA, in no small part thanks to Lunara.

LA Regional Qualifiers coverage hub

Unsurprising to all, North America's favorite underdogs have qualified for the regional qualifiers. Team Blaze has built their reputation on eschewing the meta and going with the comps that work well for them, and this qualifier was hardly the exception. Pulling Lunara, Chen, Lili and even Gazlowe from their mixed bag of tricks, Team Blaze more than earned their spot, not dropping a single game.

So why exactly would Team Blaze draft these crazy picks? They could have been saving strats, or messing around for a few of them sure. Picks like the Lunara could be chalked up to pure comfort, they just feel solid with the character, if not for her rising popularity. With a few minor adjustments she has become something of a staple for many teams due to her great late game damage and relative safety. That aside, look at a draft like this:

And it actually makes complete sense. Stitches acts as a separate front line threat to relieve pressure from Cho'Gall while Jaina pokes from the flanks or backline. In response, oVo picks a lot of heroes who can chunk Cho'Gall and Stitches down. Leoric is an excellent tank killer, Sonya loves smashing healthbars, and Raynor with giant killer is a ranged wood chipper. 

With a Lili: Raynor, Sonya, and Lunara are severely impaired and you can even hinder Rehgar's Feral Lunge. To allow Cho'Gall to do what he does best (cause chaos) a Lili is a surprisingly effective dive buddy. So could it be that Team Blaze is just putzing around in games that they're sure they'll win? Or do they know something that we don't?

On the other end of the bracket, Panda Global had an equally successful campaign. Michael Udall might be most well known for his fabulous hair, but  underneath that product and style lies one of the most skilled HotS players in North America. 

As Jake and Cooby said, Michael Udall was hands down their MVP of this event. In the right hands, Falstad's Mighty Gust is one of the most terrifying ults in the game. It's low cooldown and great utility can set up combos, picks, disengage for your team and save lives. This time, it was definitely in the right hands.

If you missed the games, VoDs and replays can be found in their respective sections on the site once their available. The next (and last) qualifier will be on February 14th and you can find out more information here.

Follow us on Twitter @GosuGamersHotS for more Heroes of the Storm esports news.

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