After the wildcard kicked off the action in Thailand on Friday, the real spectacle, featuring the eight best teams in the world, started early Saturday morning. NA/EU veterans stayGreen, Sync eSports, and Bad Monkey Gaming had to carry the burden of the unrivaled favorites for the group stage and overall the entire event, coming from the region that dominated HoN for the last four years. The end result is that the NA/EU hopefuls all remain just that - hopeful. They have taken home the top spot from each group places and the runner-up spot in Group B, but the path of the top dogs was filled with obstacles and tough challenges.

Especially Sync eSports as the new and unproven team in the tournament had to overcome a rough and rocky start, giving away a map against Thai wildcard team Turtle Master right off the bat. The Turtles used their momentum from yesterday and the day before, sweeping the entire competition in the qualifier, to get the dream start on their home turf. All-star xSinez led his team to that quick start into the group stage, before his squad fell off dramatically the longer the tournament lasted. Sadly for the Thai fans and Turtle Master as an organization and team, the early success didn’t build up to something more shocking; It led to a giant losing streak. Forced back into their shells by their biggest Thai rival Made in Thailand.Sorry Sorry and Swedish powerhouse Bad Monkey Gaming, they ended the group with only one point, also ending their tournament with just this one point. Sync eSports on the other side recovered decently with a 2-0 slugfest against home crowd favorite MiTH.s2y, securing themselves a spot in the playoffs already, even before the contest with European rival BMG. Those fellas around SuperKGE and Handsken put them to rest quite easily, which ultimately put them into the rare air of undefeated teams - sharing that spotlight with only two other teams.

The Neo.MRR squad formulating the draft that would put their name in the spotlight

One of those teams was the surprise of the entire first day, bringing joy to the entire audience. Neolution eSports.MRR once again showed their spot on preparation for the big moments. Countering the early setback of a draw against CIS competitor Cats Gaming, Chitawan`X and his crew rallied back against the big green giant from North America and Sweden, almost making them fall completely. In the end sG only stumbled, but recovered in Game 2 to at least gain one point out of the contest and not lose in their field of expertise right away - the LAN setting. The match send eruptions through the BITEC Convention Center, the construct of the tournament and everyone’s opinion at home, seeing a Thai team pushing the almighty legends from stayGreen to the brink of a defeat. The statement was made, ADN had no chance against MRR in this hyped mode and the Thais advanced to the big playoffs with the third highest score of any team. Only sG and BMG gathered more points, only sG and BMG were undefeated as well.

Last in Group A to advance with the big two was wildcard team ADN Gamer, formerly known as Orange eSports. The boys from Malaysia couldn’t win against either sG or MRR, but dominated the CIS flagship team of Cats Gaming to get the necessary points. Overall the best ranked team from SEA HoN Tour was a disappointment though, barely edging out Nok 2 Hua yesterday and then having little to no chance against sG and a competitor like Neolution eSports.MRR, who they beat twice in the Grand Finals of consecutive G-League cycles.

The scene from the production booth as ADN battled in the quarterfinals

So it was not a big surprise that the Malaysian flag got eliminated from contenting for the World Championship straight away in the Quarterfinals, meeting the roughed up, but determined squad of Sync eSports. The aggressive tactics of ADN didn’t pay of in either game, the ganks they landed had no significant impact on the game and every team fight went in favor of the newly founded Sync eSports organization. A beautiful Rhapsody song, a Soulstealer ultimate and a missing Hag in a crucial team fight were the breaking moment of ADN in Game 1, a farmed Moon Queen the one in Game 2. Not even standout kiDDO` could save his team with individual big plays on the initiator role, making nice moves with Magmus and Dampeer in the contest, since the team as a whole fell behind too far too early in most cases.

Sync eSports with comeback kid m`ICKe therefore has now clinched a spot in the top four of the entire HoN world, silencing some of the doubters, spelling doom upon the project after the departure of probusk just a few days before Thailand. So far the risky, but necessary move for the team’s sake has paid off, but the real challenge is awaiting them in the Semis now. There it’s going to be a DreamHack Winter 2024 Grand Finals rematch, as stayGreen is waiting patiently for new prey to show up. The reigning HoN Tour and Garena Star League 2024 champs could make their second appearance on the main stage for the big dance in Thailand - they are only one step away. The shock moment against Neolution eSports.MRR might even be beneficial for the team now, serving as a wake up call to take the competition serious. Another blunder is out of the question for the proud team around vocal leader swindlemelonzz, as it is do or die time now.

Sync eSports player KheZu looks to secure his second title in Bangkok

The other semifinal is going to be the main attraction for the home crowd though, aside from the allegiance they might have with either the Asian kid m`ICKe and his team or the champions around Chessie. The hometown team of Neolution eSports.MRR are the last SEA hope left in the tourney and with the confidence boost they gathered against stayGreen, nothing is out of the question. In the Quarterfinals they got the demons off their back, finally beating their longtime nemesis of Made in Thailand.Sorry Sorry, the team they lost to in the Garena Star League 2024 Lower Bracket Round 5, in the Thai HoN Tour Grand Finals, in the SEA HoN Tour Grand Finals and in the Cycle 1 Grand Finals of G-League. That on their minds and the tie against the proven champs of sG, they might have just enough momentum to overcome the Bad Monkeys from Sweden. The excitement of the crowd, the eagerness to prove every expert wrong and the internal readyness of every single player might create huge problems for SuperKGE and company. At least the Swedes are warned now, the surprise factor is gone, but the skill of Neo.MRR remains. Can the Thai fairytale continue or will the Nordic wind burst the bubble of Chitawan`X and his team?

All the answers will be given on the main stage, in front of a roaring crowd at the BITEC Convention Center, and of course brought to you at home by Honcast. The entire coverage team will be on there to bring you the insight, the analysis, and the emotions from the Thai capital, as the search comes to an end for a HoN Tour World Champion. Be sure to not miss the action starting at 9 AM local time (4 AM CEST* / 10 PM EDT) and witness the world’s best Heroes of Newerth.

*Summer time begins in the CE(S)T timezone today


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