‘Heroes of the Storm’ tournaments kick off Pinoys’ Road to BlizzCon 2015

 

Asiasoft Online, the publisher of “Heroes of the Storm” in Southeast Asia, is celebrating the release of Blizzard’s newest game with a series of international e-sports tournaments that will culminate in an epic showdown later this year at BlizzCon 2015.

 

Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of seminal franchises “Warcraft,” “StarCraft,” and “Diablo,” launched their online team brawler, “Heroes of the Storm,” this June 2, 2015. The release came after a lengthy Alpha and Beta phase that saw millions of participants playtesting the game for bugs and possible areas of improvement.

 

Some of those playtesters included Philippine’s own e-sports teams – many of whom will now be vying for the honor of representing the country at the aforementioned BlizzCon 2015.

 

“It’s a chance for Filipinos to represent their country in BlizzCon,” said AsiaSoft Community Manager for Blizzard Entertainment titles, Marlino Guilatco. “It doesn’t come often that you get to represent Philippines in BlizzCon. We’re giving every Filipino a chance.”

 

For 16 of those teams, their journey to BlizzCon 2015 began this June 6, at Mineski Infinity Taft, where they participated in several hours of grueling combat.

 

A clash of storms

 

The June 16 qualifier saw teams such as Tribo ni William Lee, Well Played, Team Pichi Pichi, and PSISTORM Templar competing for top spot. Many of these teams have extensive experience in e-sports, having previously participated in local and international “Dota 2” tournaments.

 

Viewing high level play between such competitive e-sports athletes was like watching a clash of storms; their unparalleled concentration, precision, and coordination only served to demonstrate their dedication to the game. As in any conflict, however, there could be only one ultimate victor. In this case, the supreme champion arose in the form of team Bibingka.

 

Second place went to Wargods, a professional “League of Legends” team, while third place went to Southwind.

 

 

When asked how they were able to attain the level of skill required to win the tournament, Bibingka team captain Oliver Cu Chan, a.k.a. cZz, replied with three simple words: “Practice, practice, practice.”

 

He added: “It never stops since Day 1. Learning to play the game is one thing, learning how your team plays is another (e.g. timing, communication, play style).”

 

Despite their win, Chan remained humble. “To be honest we don’t even see ourselves as pros,” he said. “We are still ‘noob’ compared to other international teams.”

 

Because of the intense pressure the game was giving them, “where one mistake can turn the tides so easily,” Chan is unable to remember a favorite moment in the competition aside from destroying the enemy’s core.

 

But the whole team does remember their most worrying situation. “That was in the late game, during our first attempt to take the core down,” said Chan. “We miscalculated, and one by one our heroes were taken down until our team got wiped.

 

According to Chan, a small mistake that gets the leading team wiped out isn’t that big a deal in other competitive games. “But in ‘Heroes,’ even if your team is 5 levels up, one small mistake can cost you everything. But with luck on our side we managed to get our feet together and finish the game.”

 

Bibingka team members Neil San Juan (Vyy), Giovanni Ong (Hyskoa), and Raizo Ichikawa (Harharrr) have been playing games such as “League of Legends,” “Assault Fire,” and “DotA” on a professional level for years. On the other hand, Arnel John Pasamonte (Haneo), and Chan himself are new to the scene, the June 6 event being their first major tourney.

 

“Game play changes between games, but the concept of team play doesn’t,” said Chan, who also remarked that they will keep on playing “Heroes of the Storm” until they tire of it.

 

Road to BlizzCon 2015

 

 

The June 6 event was but the first of four qualifying rounds. On June 20, another 16 teams will do battle in Mineski, Cebu. The third and fourth rounds will be held on June 27 at Katipunan, Metro Manila, and July 4 in Davao, respectively.

 

The champion and runner-up of each of the four qualifying rounds will proceed to compete in the National Finals on July 25. The victor will be awarded Php 200,000, and flown to Thailand where, on August 8, they will battle the Singaporean, Malaysian, and Thai champions in the Grand Finals.

 

Whoever wins at this stage of Road to BlizzCon secures the title of Southeast Asia champion, and receives receive USD 20,000. More importantly, they will be awarded the opportunity to represent Southeast Asia in the North America qualifier. The final two teams left standing will then duke it out in BlizzCon 2015 for the honor of ultimate global champion.

 

 

Heroes of the Storm – a means to building a better local e-sports community

 

Part of Guilatco’s obligations as Community Manager is to develop a local “Heroes of the Storm” scene that is equal parts competitive and friendly. And playing a role in the overseeing of the Road to BlizzCon tourneys is just one aspect of that responsibility.

 

The other aspect is providing gamers an atmosphere that is inviting as well as encouraging.

 

The international MOBA community is notorious for its toxicity. More often than not, passion for the game is transformed into something shameful, with players hurling insults and even threats of violence at each other.

 

Blizzard is full aware of this issue, and have taken steps to ensure that “Heroes of the Storm” will be anything but toxic. For one thing, that game lacks a built-in voice chat function, preventing players from verbally harassing others with childish name-calling. Blizzard representatives such as Guilatco are also making the extra effort to convey to their respective communities the importance of maintaining the spirit of camaraderie and good sportsmanship.

 

Many members of the growing local “Heroes of the Storm” scene are actually veterans of other MOBA titles, which they left behind to escape the toxicity of their communities.

 

“We have many players who have been playing (“Heroes of the Storm”) since Alpha,” explained Guilatco. “A majority of them are here (at the June 6 qualifier). Some of them are really willing to help grow the community. They have been inviting their friends, and people from other games and from other schools to play the game. As of the game’s opening on June 3, more and more people have been pouring in daily.”

 

They’ve also been busy introducing “Heroes of the Storm” to younger gamers – an effort that has been a source of frustration for some. It’s only natural that someone born in the late ‘90s or early 2000s wouldn’t know characters like Thrall and Arthas; but for kids to claim such characters are rip-offs of certain “League of Legends” champions is, of course, jarring to someone who grew up on “Warcraft.”

 

Still, Guilatco is confident that “Heroes of the Storm” will appeal to everyone, both young and old. The teams participating in the qualifiers – a collection of individuals from college students to surgeons and businessmen – are already proof of that. Guilatco himself is an avid player of the game, who enjoys peppering his enemies with crossbow bolts as Valla the Demon Hunter, or turning fortresses to rubble as the siege specialist, Sergeant Hammer.

 

When asked which “Heroes of the Storm” heroes Filipinos preferred the most, he answered, “For assassin types, Zeratul or Nova. For tanks, Diablo and Tyrael. For specialists, Sylvanas and Sergeant Hammer. But since there are patch changes every few weeks, some heroes get nerfed, some get boosted; the meta-game changes every now and then. Nothing’s permanent. It’s going to change at some other point in time.”

 

Expect more “Heroes of the Storm” and Road to BlizzCon news from GMA News Online. — TJD, GMA News