For more information, vods and results go to World Finals portal.

What started out as a shaky tournament for the big favorite, turned into a showcase of dominance on the main stage. Once against stayGreen holds the big check, the trophy, and the big Doombringer in the BITEC Convention Center - defending two titles simultaneously. The journey to that trophy and the epic sword started out with a tie against Thai sensation Neolution eSports.MRR, was almost finished by the young guns of Sync eSports, but peaked with a triumphant victory over their Swedish rivals,, Bad Monkey Gaming.

For the entire HoN Tour season in North America and Europe these two teams have battled it out, meeting each other in countless upper bracket Finals and a total of eight Grand Finals. After splitting up the Diamond crowns at five apiece, the evenly matched teams had shown the same success, so it was quite fitting to settle the score in front of thousand enthusiastic fans, with the entire HoN world watching.

In the end the contest to rule them all turned into a one-sided affair, because stayGreen’s near perfect execution in every stage of the game. Captain swindlemelonzz showed his prowess not just as a team leader with brilliant drafts and tactics, but also as an individual player, with brilliant games on Pharaoh in the two early matches. The all-star lineup of stayGreen just rolled over the Swedish powerhouse, with powerful performances by Limmp on his beloved Kraken, ZfreeK fighting for the MVP with some game saving Rhapsody tunes, Mynuts as the bait and the ultimate Tempest player, and Chessie wrecking face with his carries as usual. The entire team stepped up to the plate and delivered their masterpiece, winning a fifth title in their fifth consecutive major LAN event. On the other hand, Bad Monkey Gaming showed nerves with the big spotlight shining on their heads, ending a terrific tournament in a massive disappointment.

BMG entered the Grand Finals with momentum and confidence, but experience proved more important

Until the Grand Finals the result sheet of the Swedes was flawless with a 6-0 group stage and a decisive victory against Neolution eSports.MRR to secure the Grand Finals berth. The change of power on top of the international Heroes of Newerth scene seemed to be finally within reach, as stayGreen had stumbled their way into the Grand Finals, while BMG had their marching boots on. Both teams showed different faces in the big game and the outcome had to have been shattering for SuperKGE and company. The Swedes were quite vocal in interviews before the showdown and before the actual event - their goal was to take out stayGreen. They emphasized their extensive preparation and focus on just that goal, and support standout Sealkid even put out the bold statement of supremacy in a talk with Breaky mere minutes before the clash. The result was much different than the Swedish warriors expected, and the flight home to North Europe has to be filled with hanging heads and disappointment after blowing the prime opportunity to finally beat their nemesis in one of HoN’s biggest LAN moments.

For stayGreen this event means a plethora of things - mainly the defense of their GSL crown and HoN Tour trophy. Both titles were on the line in a way and both honors go once again to the great American-Swedish mix. Second in the order of importance might be the historic aspect of this victory. With their fifth trophy, the team surpasses fnatic.MSI on the list of all-time great teams in terms of sheer numbers. The glorified team around former HoN stars like n0tail, Fly, or NoVa gathered four consecutive DreamHack titles, making them the pinnacle of HoN dominance for the longest of times. This standard has now been raised by swindlemelonzz and his crew, getting to the milestone of five. This certainly won’t stop the debate between stayGreen fans, fnatic.MSI nostalgics, but in terms of the pure title count, stayGreen has been elevated to the most successful team to ever play the game.

stayGreen brings home their fifth LAN win and a real Doombringer to add to their World Championship win

While this is the storyline of the day and the entire tournament, the spotlight can’t be directed on stayGreen all alone. A number of teams stepped up, showcased their talents and brought excitement to the HoN Tour World Finals. Leading the charge in that category was Neolution eSports.MRR, who closed the contest as the fourth place team, losing to Sync eSports in the best-of-one fight for third place. The expected result of all three NA/EU teams on the podium held true, while the performance of some of the Thai squads left a mark on viewers’ minds, regardless of placement. Neolution eSports.MRR almost pulled off the biggest upset against stayGreen in the group stage, and then in the quarterfinals the squad got revenge against their longtime Thai nemesis, Made in Thailand.Sorry Sorry. On the other side, Turtle Master came from the wildcard to take a map away from the celebrated young team of Sync eSports, an early shift of the momentum that affected Sync throughout the event. Even Swindlemelonzz showed his appreciation and admiration for the SEA skills, praising them and predicting their rise to the status of top contenders in every tournament if they are able to improve with consistency and international exposure that a future season of HoN Tour may provide. With the regional restriction that might only be a nice thought, but perhaps more tournaments with the greatest teams from the around world are coming in the next months - the World Finals definitely sparked the desire for just that.

World Champions stayGreen surrounded by HoN’s multinational talent

Final Standing HoN Tour World Finals

1. stayGreen - $55,315 USD
2. Bad Monkey Gaming - $35,315 USD
3. Sync eSports - $27,315 USD
4. Neolution eSports.MRR - $21,189 USD
5.-6. ADN Gamer - $13,189 USD
5.-6. Made in Thailand.Sorry Sorry - $13,189 USD
7.-8. Turtle Master - $8,188 USD
7.-8. Cats Gaming - $8,188 USD

Fantasy out! <3