| SBHL Semifinals | ||
 Stay Green |  Lions eSports |
Going into the game it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the hot team of the recent weeks in Stay Green would march all the way to the finals. After the series all eyes were wide open with Lions eSports upsetting the three-time and reigning Diamond Division Champion to get a spot in the Grand Finals of the event.
In the first game Lions eSports had a smart draft with Soul Reaper getting early farm on the safe lane, in combination with all the other team members tanking up early. By that strategy they took away some of the scariness of the burst potential of Pebbles and weren't afraid of initiation all too much. Lions jumped to a big lead early on with 5k Gold and 7k Experience after 16 minutes and even extended that lead further with tower pushes. sG tried to stay in the game by trading structures and farm up, while avoiding team fights. Still once Lions grouped up and were determined to push, Stay Green couldn't hold them off and had to admit defeat.
On the second map Lions went for a similar approach by picking up Monkey King, Bubbles and Nymphora again, but the crucial element in the heal of Soul Reaper was missing. In a slower paced match the reigning Diamond Division Champions took control of the game and jumped to a big lead after just 18 minutes played. The game actually was like a mirror image of the first one with Stay Green having the upper hand and Lions eSports pushing towers with avoiding heavy engagements. Unfortunately for the Swedish squad the result was also the same as the earlier game. Stay Green had the advantage, they took charge after killing Kongor and marched into the base demolishing Barracks on their way. It all came down to the third and final match.
Right after the picking stage the first monumental eye opener took place with Superkge playing a Devourer. Swindlemelonzz commented on that pick with the word "ballsy", but in the end the hooks and the tankiness of Devourer proved to be effective. Superkge facilitated hero kills, helped team mates out in tricky situations and was a huge part of the success Lions eSports had in the game. It was not only the Devourer pick, but the risky strategy paid off and Lions eSports grabbed the first ticket for the Grand Finals of the SoundBlaster Heroes League.
| SBHL Semifinals | ||
| compLexity Gaming |  Trademark eSports |
The old rivalry renewed, the countless battles these two teams fought over the last seven month in Heroes of Newerth have been instant classic - now they met again. With compLexity Gaming playing in their "home tournament", having not conceded a single map loss the favorite role was not clear in the game. After the recent incidents in HoN Tour coL was fueled up to redeem themselves, while Trademark eSports was focused on getting out of the slump - only compLexity succeeded.
The first match had a rarity in a HoN match with a Firstblood occurring after the 20 minute mark - turning into a Genocide right away. Not often you see that type of a fight including Firstblood and Genocide within a minute. Judging by the time stamp the game was very slow paced, but had one major element in it: The Moon Queen. One of the most feared carries of the recent history made her presence felt, being controlled by Haxxeren. He managed to get absolutely great farm on the Queen, being the anchor in the storm his team was in. Despite several Trademark eSports team fight victories, compLexity always had a new or an old trick up their sleeves with Moon Queen farming out of control. In the end the Ultimate and the pure damage of her were too much to handle for the players and the base of Trademark eSports.
That set up a second map in which Trademark eSports had their backs against the wall already. Still compLexity Gaming had a better game plan, better execution and was more poised this evening to take that victory home. In a great outing by the re-emerging force out of North America, the team around captain bkid took control of the match. A constant stat lead, good pick offs and great team fights the squad came out on top.
This will set up a match between other rivals with Lions eSports being compLexity Gaming's Kryptonite. So the unexpected Final will not only have the thrill of a completely new pairing in a Grand Final, but also thrive off the storyline that is connecting these two teams.
