For the last year HoN Tour has promoted competitive play at all levels, and in all parts of the world. While each region has their own localized competitions, the worldwide season has been leading up to one thing - the crowning of a World Champion. The upcoming HoN Tour World Finals will showcase talents from the three main regions; four teams from Southeast Asia, three from North America and Europe, and the pride CIS region. Over $150,000 is on the line in the three day event, so lets meet the teams competing for the largest prize pool in Heroes of Newerth history.

Achievements

1st - HoN Tour CIS Final, Kiev
1st - HoN Tour CIS (Cycle 1)
1st - HoN Tour CIS (Cycle 2)
1st - HoN Tour CIS (Cycle 3)
1st - G1-Winter 2024
1st - G1-Autumn 2024 (GSL13 Qual.)
1st - G1-Summer 2024 (DHW12 Qual.)
1st - G3-Series July
2nd - G1-Summer 2024
2nd - G1-Spring 2024 (DHS13 Qual.)
2nd - G1-Spring 2024 (DHS12 Qual.)
2nd - G3-Series June
3rd - Garena Invite Cup #1


Roster

`Shyla - Captain/Suicide - Russia
Quai - Jungle/Support - Russia
GuessWho - Support - Russia
Artmeister - Mid (also known as Love`N`Stuff) - Russia
FF - Carry - Kazakhstan


Road to Thailand

The CIS region is still looking for that first glimpse of international success. All three of their DreamHack appearances ended in disappointment - twice in last place and with no notable victories. Cats Gaming themselves have never been on the receiving end of such a no-show on LAN, having made the best out of their two opportunities abroad. Back in DreamHack Winter 2024, a tournament that some regard as the most competitive DreamHack to date, the Russians had good showings against Gary Johnson 2024, compLexity Gaming, Orange eSports and even defeated the Brazilian team, paiN Gaming.

Right after that the Russian flagship set sail for the shores of Thailand, trying to make a run for high placement in the Garena Star League 2024. Initially, hopes for that goal were high, as they looked to be one of the few teams to march directly through groups and into the upper bracket. Unfortunately their momentum stopped short when the team crashed and burned with losses against Open House Party and Trademark eSports. With only three victories and two losses the team was caught up in a three-way tie with Turtle Master and Open House Party - a situation they found themselves on the losing side of. After being dropped into the lower bracket, the CIS representatives survived two rounds, edging out Ra1d and Invasion eSports. A good showing, but not enough to get into relevant placements, as they lost in the third round to Neolution eSports.MRR after a crazy match lasting more than 70 minutes. 9-12th place was the result in the end, a somewhat bitter pill for the pride of CIS to swallow.

Ups and downs, departures and returns were the dominating factors of the next couple of months, as CIS rivals iTS gained momentum and Cats Gaming once more wiffed on an opportunity to go to Sweden. That harsh defeat motivated them to get back in shape and put the squad in position to go on a streak in the CIS HoN Tour that was unheard off in every other region.

The flagship team won each of the three HoN Tour CIS cycles, without dropping many matches either. Three regular season titles, three postseason championships, and a offline Grand Finals slot that was already clinched after the two thirds of the HoN Tour spectacle. During the playoffs the team around the returning star GuessWho and long-time captain `Shyla never went to the lower bracket, avoiding any possibility of ending the streak by flat out dominating the opposition.

Even off the server Cats Gaming was demolishing their adversaries. They acquired CIS star Love`N`Stuff directly from rivals of iTS, a move that sent the latter into a depression and ultimately the Silver Division. All-in-all, the Cats looked more than dominant throughout the season, except in the month leading up to Thailand. Once the high-pressure situation of the HoN Tour cycles came to an end, the focus within the team seemed to drop. After a formidable outing at the first CIS Invitational with Bad Monkey Gaming as one of the challengers, the team went into a bit of a slump..

That dip in performance led to a loss at the hands of SWAG in the Invitational,as well as on the big stage in Kiev for the CIS Grand Finals event. The losses tarnished the unbeatable aura that Cats had built up, but they weren’t beaten just yet. They ultimately rallied back, rolled through the lower bracket, and pitched a shutout in the Grand Finals, demolishing SWAG on the big stage.

Can the CIS team get back to their winning ways and get ready for the big test in Thailand? It’s not just another tournament with international teams coming along - it will be the biggest spectacle in Newerth. This event gives the CIS region the unique opportunity to start over again, and turn the perception of a proud region.


In Thailand?

As is natural for the CIS region, Cats Gaming is heading to Thailand with a bag of surprises and unorthodox heroes, counter to the current meta-game. They have been seen running Blacksmith every once in a while, and a look at their stat sheet reveals a Lodestone, a hero fallen from grace, in their top four played heroes. The unusual draft is sometimes is seen as a strength of the CIS region, as being unpredictable can be a boon to a team’s chances; against the gathered elite from North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia it might not be the case.

Seasoned captains like swindlemelonzz, Handsken, or Peter_Yedss have played against these hero combinations and hero roles. The flagship team from the CIS region have not necessarily made their game plan a secret, making strategizing against the unpredictable at least somewhat easier. The saving grace for the four Russians and the lone Kazakh might be their individual skill and cohesion as a team. Ever since Love’N’Stuff joined the squad, the veterans like GuessWho and `Shyla stepped up to the plate, shooting the team’s success rate through the roof in the CIS HoN Tour competition and other smaller cups. If they want to have a chance to advance in Bangkok and make some noise, they have to stand as a unit, while allowing great individual talents like FF and Love’N’Stuff to work their magic.