DreamHack Winter is, both statistically and in terms of name recognition, the most stacked tournament in Hearthstone eSports to date. With a strong mix of invites and possibly the strongest open qualifiers we've seen, this tournament is the litmus test for many of the top players to show their skills and prove just where they stand in the pecking order and compete for a share of $25,000.
Rather than a traditional format with groups of four, DreamHack have opted for four groups of eight where each group will compete in a seperate double elimination bracket. The two winners from each bracket will go through to the playoffs on the final day, where there are no second chances.
In this article, I'm going to look at four of the big stories to keep an eye throughout the event.
Photo: Helena Kristiansson / ESL
1. Firebat looks to maintain his dominance
It can be lonely atop the mountain, but Firebat sits at the summit of Hearthstone eSports right now as the deserved World Champion. After being vocal both before and after his win about not feeling he got the respect he deserved when tournament invites were handed out - something that is hard to argue with - it seems that becoming World Champion has meant that tournament organisers can ignore him no longer. As such, Firebat will travel to his first DreamHack tournament as the man to beat in the tournament. Any player able to take a victory over the World Champion has to be considered a very good player indeed, making Firebat very much the measuring stick among the pros right now.
While there are no easy groups in such a stacked tournaments, I would wager that Firebat could have had a more difficult path in Groups B or C than he has in Group A. Firebat will open the tournament with a match against Greek open qualifier Marzito, and his major competition in the group is likely to come from StrifeCro, Xixo and Darkwonyx. We do know that the new Team Archon team mates have been training together, and that means there is the potential for an interesting clash between Firebat and team mate Hosty. I like Firebat's chances to advance to the top eight, with the big names in his group like StrifeCro struggling for form in LAN tournaments.
2. How far will the open qualifiers go?
As if the invitee list wasn't enough to prove just how stacked and competitive this tournament will be, the eight open qualifers include a number of players who have significant tournament experience and will be no pushovers whatsoever.
For an example of this, look no further than Neirea. Now a free agent following the dissolution of Innovation but affiliated with Team Liquid for the NEL season, Neirea went into the EU World Championship qualifier as one of the top two seeds in the region with Kolento. Despite coming into that tournament on the back of good results in VGVN and Prismata tournaments, Neirea will have been disappointed to go home early after two straight losses followed by a disappointing performance in the Autumn NEL. Neirea will open against Dog in Group C, another open qualifier.
Faramir will be another open qualifier worth keeping an eye on. Making his first LAN outing under the IHEARTHU banner following the purchase of Team DKMR, Faramir will be looking to improve on his DreamHack Bucharest performance where he failed to qualify from the gruelling open bracket. Going one better this time and making it into the tournament proper, Faramir will want to prove he belongs at this level. With a good track record in online cups and qualifiers, Faramir also made it through an online qualifier for the Viagame House Cup earlier this year. Faramir has possibly the toughest route to victory of any open qualifier however, with an opening round tie against Amaz. If he were to beat the Archon team captain, he will then face the winner of Rdu and Forsen.
3. Former Tempo Storm team mates collide
For many, the pick of the first round ties is an open and shut case - it has to be the mouthwatering clash between former Tempo Storm team mates Reynad and TidesofTime. Tides shocked the Hearthstone scene when he made the jump from Tempo Storm to rivals Cloud9 just one month ago, amid rumours of disagreements within Tempo Storm related to travel expenses and content for their website. While these are all absolutely just rumours, on our own HearthCenter Cloud9 captain Gnimsh confirmed that the TidesofTime signing was not planned and happened very quickly.
Aside from the gossip and intrigue, the match up itself will be intruiging. Tempo Storm shared decks and strategies to a certain extent. How much modification has Tides done since leaving the team, and what new tech has Tempo Storm come up with in that time? Tides will be the heavy favourite in the clash, as one of the most successful Hearthstone players to date, but the related drama and intrigue may well prove to be an x factor.
4. Is Rdu able to regain his previous DreamHack form, and get back on track?
eSports is an ever evolving and shifting world. Nowhere is that more clear in Hearthstone than looking at the fortunes of Rdu. Just a couple of DreamHacks ago, Rdu was sitting atop the pile and the GosuGamers rankings following a somewhat controversial victory over Amaz at DreamHack Summer. With good showings at WCA 2014 and IEM Schenzen as well as winning a number of prominent online tournaments, Rdu battled with Tides, Kolento and StrifeCro for the top rankings spot for a number of months. However, it would be fair to say that Rdu's recent form has been well below what we had come to expect from the Romanian prodigy. Excluded from Blizzcon due to regional rules, Rdu has somewhat faded from prominence at the highest level and has posted disappointing results at DreamHack Masters Bucharest, Heroes of Cards #2 and #3 and this past weekend at the ESL Matchday.
However, the recent Masters not withstanding, DreamHack has always been a good tournament for Rdu. Memories of that infamous victory at Summer will not be too far from his mind, and with school winding down for 2014 Rdu will likely be able to focus more on his Hearthstone. A first round clash with training partner Forsen is just the kind of match up Rdu needs to get him fired up, as he looks to avenge a loss to Forsen in the Viagame House Cup. The group will be tough for Rdu, with Amaz, ek0p and Kolento also vying for the two spots in the playoffs, so Rdu will need to be on his game to make it through.
