The top two seeds of the first qualifier triumphed to join Astral Authority and Denial as the first four teams in North America's HGC league.
Although the competition was fiercer on day two, Gale Force eSports and Team Naventic’s victories showed that the North America competitive landscape has not changed much. With the first qualifier completed, Astral Authority, Denial eSports, Naventic, and Gale Force secured the first four spots in the HGC 2017 league.
Gale Force eSports v. Chu8 my Hotdoge, 2-0 – Quarterfinals
While Chu8 my Hotdoge impressed on day one, they were no match for the experienced Gale Force team. In game one on Cursed Hollow, Gale Force dismantled Chu8’s team with three global abilities in Illidan’s The Hunt, E.T.C.’s Stage Dive, and Falstad’s Fly. In game two on Braxis Holdout, Gale Force employed a solo Zarya tank composition. While Chu8 my Hotdoge fared better in game two, Gale Force still comfortably triumphed.
Vox Nihili v. Gust or Bust, 2-0 – Quarterfinals
Vox Nihili edged Gust or Bust 2-0, bringing out Arthas in game one and Li Li in game two. In game one on Infernal Shrines, Gust or Bust led for the majority of the game. However, despite losing the final team fights, Vox Nihili secured the Punisher. Gust or Bust decided to attempt to rush the core, but their attempt was unsuccessful, so Vox Nihili’s Punisher ended the game. In game two on Sky Temple, Vox Nihili won a much more convincing game to move onto the qualification match.
Naventic v. Grandmaster Jackets, 2-0 – Quarterfinals
Naventic has not had a dedicated tank player since they removed erho from the team. McInytre, Jason, and Zuna tried to fill the void, but none could fill the role. Now, however, Naventic acquired one of the best North American warrior players, bkid. With their new tank player, Naventic obliterated Grandmaster Jackets, 2-0.
Dumpster Tier Superstars v. No Tomorrow, 0-2 – Quarterfinals
No Tomorrow (formerly Barrel Boys) defeated Dumpster Tier Superstars in a very competitive matchup. After McInytre left team No Tomorrow to join Denial, the team picked up erho to replace him. In game one, No Tomorrow won on a core race. Game two was close as well, but No Tomorrow once again emerged victorious in the final team fights.
Naventic v. No Tomorrow, 3-1 – Semifinals (Qualification Match)
In game one, Naventic drafted a single-target burst composition with Tyrande, E.T.C., and Rexxar. No Tomorrow responded with Tyrael and Greymane. Earlier on, Naventic had trouble picking off enemy heroes, allowing No Tomorrow to control the map and the Webweaver altars. No Tomorrow won a convincing team fight near the end of the game, eliminating three of Naventic’s heroes. However, No Tomorrow's ensuing core rush failed as they could only whittle Naventic’s core to 11%. As a result, Naventic quickly recovered and eventually triumphed in the next major team fight, allowing them to successfully complete the comeback.
While Naventic won another close game two, this happened.
Despite Zuna’s mistake, he landed a critical Void Prison to effectively end the game.
While game one and two were close, game three was a massacre. No Tomorrow destroyed Naventic with a draft of E.T.C., Kerrigan, Jaina, Malfurion, and Alarak. By the end of the 13 minute game, No Tomorrow led in the kill count 22 to 1.
Despite the lopsided loss in game three, Naventic rebounded with a dominant victory in game four. Naventic took Tychus and Li-Ming and banned Valla and Jaina, limiting No Tomorrow’s ranged assassin selection. In addition, Naventic drafted Johanna, Rexxar, and Lt. Morales. No Tomorrow’s Falstad and Kael’thas had very little impact. As a result, Naventic easily dominated the 4 on 4 laning fights. With this victory, Naventic secured their slot in the HGC 2017 league.
Gale Force eSports v. Vox Nihili, 3-0 – Semifinals (Qualification Match)
In the first game on Infernal Shrines, Vox Nihili allowed Gale Force to take Kerrigan. Vox Nihili tried to counter push with their Sylvanas, while Gale Force grabbed each Punisher. However, Gale Force’s Kerrigan continued to secure kills even in the later portions of the game, which allowed Gale Force to triumph.
Gale Force drafted Illidan, Sylvanas, and the Lost Vikings, while Vox Nihili responded with Dehaka, Zeratul, and Brightwing.
With the Lost Vikings and Illidan, Gale Force controlled the map and the mercenary camps. Vox Nihili, despite having three strong counters to the Lost Vikings, could not keep up with Mike Udall's constant Viking pressure. As a result, Gale Force took a 2-0 lead in the series.
In game three, Gale Force dismantled Vox Nihili by exploiting the three global heroes they drafted: Brightwing, Falstad, and Dehaka. At the end of the game, Gale Force won 32 to 0 in core health with a kill score count of 14 to 0. As a result, Gale Force joins Naventic in the HGC 2017 league.
China’s GCWC begins soon
Four more spots remain in both the North American and European HGC 2017 leagues. In addition to North America’s qualifiers, Europe will continue to host their own qualifiers. Europe’s second qualifier runs from November 26-27 at 2:00 PM CET. Meanwhile, China’s international event, the Gold Club World Championship (GCWC), will begin on November 26. Top teams such as Ballistix, MVP Black, Team Dignitas, ZeroPanda, eStar Gaming, and Astral Authority will battle in the prestigious event.
Follow us on Twitter @GosuGamersHotS and on Facebook for more competitive Heroes of the Storm news and coverage from around the world.
