BlizzCon 2015 crowns eSports champions

 

For many eSports fans, BlizzCon 2015 was a whirlwind of excitement as their favorite teams battled for supremacy. For the athletes themselves, it was the ultimate shot at glory.

 

The annual Blizzard convention, which took place on November 6 and 7 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, gathered some of eSports’ greatest stars for the “StarCraft II,” “Heroes of the Storm,” “Hearthstone,” and “World of Warcraft” World Championships.

 

 

StarCraft II World Championship Series

 

Round 1 of the StarCraft II World Championship saw 16 players competing on November 1, 2015. Eight emerged victorious to proceed to the quarter finals, which was held on the first day of BlizzCon 2015.

 

In the November 7 semi-finals, Life (Zerg) defeated Classic (Protoss) 3-2, while sOs (Protoss) overpowered Rogue (Zerg) 3-0.

 

The final round was a best-of-seven series.

 

 

In the first six games, Life and sOs proved evenly matched, taking three victories each.

 

Early in the seventh match, Life amassed an army of zerglings and banelings, then rushed the Protoss base. But sOs managed to fend off wave after wave of attacks. Life’s resources spent, he was unable to build more powerful units to defend against sOs’ retaliatory force. With a final tally of 4-3 in his favor, sOs won the StarCraft II WCS Global Finals, taking home the $100,000 grand prize and the title of ultimate “StarCraft II” champion.

 

Kim “sOs” Yoo Jin is a professional “StarCraft II” Protoss player. Like 14 of the other candidates, he is from South Korea. David “Lilbow” Moschetto was the only player from another other country – France.

 

 

Heroes of the Storm World Championship

 

Four of the world’s best “Heroes of the Storm” teams found themselves in several hours of grueling combat in the Heroes of the Storm World Championship.

 

In the November 7 semi-finals, Cloud9 defeated Team DK 2-0, while Team Dignitas bested Natus Vincere 2-0.

 

On the same day, Cloud9 and Team Dignitas participated in the final round, which was a best-of-five series.

 

 

Cloud 9 won the first two matches.

 

In the third match, they picked the following heroes: Abathur, Uther, Valla, Sonya, and Leoric. Team Dignitas selected Muradin, Kael’Thas, Brightwing, E.T.C., and The Lost Vikings. The Garden of Terror was their battleground. Early in the game, things were looking good for Team Dignitas. They were the first to summon the Garden Terror and destroy an enemy fort. Cloud9 quickly recovered, however, and from then on, it was downhill for Team Dignitas. Cloud9 won the match, dominating the competition with a final score of 3-0 in their favor. This means they not only took home the $200,000 cash prize; they’ve also earned the prestige of being known as the first ever “Heroes of the Storm” World Champions.

 

North American eSports organization Cloud9 boasts a variety of teams. Its “Heroes of the Storm” team is currently composed of Derek “Drunktrain” Arabian, John Paul “King Caffeine” Lopez, Kun “iDream” Fang, Keiwan “k1pro” Itakura, and Fan “Fan” Yang.

 

 

Hearthstone World Championship

 

On November 6, 2015, the Hearthstone World Championship began with the quarter-finals, in which eight players clashed for the right to move forward in the competition.

 

In the November 7 semi-finals, Ostkaka defeated Thijs 3-2, while Hotform vanquished Kno 3-2.

 

Ostkaka and Hotform entered the final round on the same day.

 

 

Ostkaka won the first two matches against Hotform in the best-of-five series.

 

In the third match, Hotform pitted his druid against Ostkaka’s oil rogue. Ostkaka made things difficult for his opponent by using Violet Teacher to summon a deluge of minions onto the board. Hotform eventually managed to destroy this small army by casting swipe, but it wasn’t enough; Ostkaka had already established a lead, and he used that to win the game. The final score was 3-0 in favor of Ostkaka, who took home the championship and the $100,000 grand prize.

 

Sebastian “Ostkaka” Engwall is from Sweden.

 

 

World of Warcraft Arena World Championship

 

The World of Warcraft Arena World Championship began with the semi-finals on Day 1 of BlizzCon 2015. SK Gaming knocked Cloud9 out of the round with a score of 3-1, while Skill Capped EU beat Tempo Storm 3-1.

 

On the second day, SK Gaming and Skill Capped EU advanced to the final round, which was a best-of-five series.

 

 

The first four matches were a back and forth battle of strategy, bravery, and resilience. Both SK Gaming and Skill Capped EU proved worthy rivals to each other, winning two games each.

 

In the final match, however, SK Gaming trounced their foe. With a final tally of 3-2 in their favor, SK Gaming went on to place first and win the cash prize of $120,000. 

 

Professional eSports organization SK Gaming is from Europe. Their “World of Warcraft” team presently consists of Simon “Boetar” Heinks, Fabio “Fabss” Nardelli, Joseph “joefernandes” Fernandes, and Rene “Swapxy” Pinkera.

 

 

2016 Heroes of the Storm Global Championship Circuit

 

Blizzard has huge plans for “Heroes of the Storm” in 2016, including pushing the game into the eSports scene through the 2016 Heroes of the Storm Global Championship Circuit.

 

Three Global Championships will be held next year: the first one in spring, the second in summer, and the last during fall. Each will feature 12 teams from the following regions: Australia/New Zealand, China, Europe, Korea, Latin American, North American, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan.

 

“Regional competitions will function independently from one another, with unique formats and structures, so that each region can determine the absolute best teams that they have to offer,” explained Blizzard Entertainment.

 

“Additionally, in order to help feed players and teams into regional competition, we’re going to not only hold open qualifiers, but will also partner up with major tournament organizers to run sanctioned third party tournaments as part of the Global Championship Circuit.”

 

Blizzard aims to build a sustainable “Heroes of the Storm” eSports scene by providing “stronger support systems” for established and aspiring athletes.

 

“By supporting third party tournaments and open qualifiers in each region, we hope to create in-region infrastructure and competitions that will offer teams from all over the world the chance to test their mettle in the Global Championship Circuit,” Blizzard stated. “We’d also like to create even more epic moments throughout the year, where viewers can watch and cheer on their favorite teams as regional champions battle each other in the Nexus.”

 

The competition will commence this coming January, with the first Global Championship taking place towards the end of spring. The prize pool will amount to $500,000. — TJD, GMA News