The next round of HoN Tour competition kicks off today with eight matches in the Lower Bracket, ultimately determining which 16 teams will grace the Diamond Division in the first cycle of top-notch competition.
Widely considered the number two in the current HoN scene, they had a rather uneventful journey to the Diamond Division, facing off with unknown teams in the process. This, and the fact that tdM has been playing on a very high level for months now, led the team to a flawless record without any maps lost so far.
The only real challenge came in the Round of 16 when they squared off with Shit Happens, a team that played in the Destination DreamHack tournament prior to HoN Tour. Still, tdM powered through the and clinched a shining Diamond spot with ease.
Their path was very similar to that of their nemesis, Trademark eSports. Up until the Round of 16 match they played their way through the bracket without facing any tough challenges for the top competitors from America and Oceania.
Then they had to overcome the upset team of the Round of 32—UV Gaming (formerly Prestiqious). They did so in typical Tt eSports fashion, with Moiravus and sLiCKz playing prominent roles in those victories. Now they will have to meet QsQ in the Quarterfinal, a possible preview of an important matchup in the Diamond Division as well as a match that we will see in Jönköping, Sweden.
The European powerhouse that emerged about four months ago is going strong as well. As opposed to the other two top teams, QsQ actually saw strong competition on the road to Diamond. It is impressive that they maintained a flawless record despite facing teams like Fortune Bakery, with the former Clan Milk players Kookiez and Mookiez, and Experience Gaming, with the MOBA legends Akke and Loda. They dismantled Fortune Bakery and outplayed Experience Gaming in order to get to the Quarterfinals in this competition. Their matchup against Tt eSports marks the highlight of the Quarterfinals.
Gary Johnson 2024
The red-hot team in Heroes of Newerth today, riding the wave of current success and momentum all the way to Sweden and to the Diamond Division. This team of stars like swindlemelonzz, KheZu, Sender, Zfreek and NASL-Champion Skyzoe has made fantastic progress after storming onto the scene in the Destination DreamHack tournament.
Some might still question the consistency or the stability of the team, but the bottom line is the campaign of Gary Johnson is running full-speed ahead, not for presidency, but to be Kings of Newerth.
Pikachu
A talented team, but a team that has gone through frequent roster changes over the last two months. First they split up with swindlemelonzz and Zfreek, and they recently parted ways with probusk to get chuckniggest as a tryout into the team.
Now the question is if those recent changes will be beneficial in the long-run as the current results indicate a strong team once again. They edged out Call It Karma to get into the Diamond Division, losing only a single map on the way. Now they will have to go through Trademark eSports if they want to advance into the Semifinal of the Upper Bracket.
Another team that underwent a little bit of a roster change with PhilMcHunt, Playride and Hoggi` leaving the lineup, making space for Sealkid (formerly BunkerDown), Handsken and Krebsen (also known as noobF). The new lineup proved to be a force to be reckoned with after marching through the bracket and defeating the strong team of Fack You Kurdi very decisively 2-0. They missed the opportunity to attend DreamHack to fight on their home turf, but HoN Tour could become their event.
Can a team with very little practice, unique lineups and huge individual skill become a Diamond Division team in their first try? Apparently it is possible, as Domain of Pain is proving this time around. According to the support player Fittske, the team has not scrimmed together for quite some time and is relying on their individual skill, team spirit and drafting for the most part.
It might not be enough to win the Diamond Division or the Qualifier event for that matter, but reaching Diamond is already a success for the new team in HoN without having refined their tactics in practice.
It was the DreamHack Online Summer Championship when Vitriolic Gaming first made a real splash on the competitive scene with players like Zetpro, Darkwonyx and Emperor (Brized) in the lineup. They made it to the playoffs—defeating Tt eSports in the process—and suddenly became a prominent team in the community. Now, three months after that initial success, the team is once again on top with exciting victories over Arena Online eSports and the new BetterLookingThanYou team.
New players like Bitchzlapped, Parakletos and FearTheZap combined with veterans ZaxiroK and miikeys, using innovative strategies and hero choices, make this team very difficult to deal with. Next in line for them is Domain of Pain—the first meeting of former companions Brized, miikeys and ZaxiroK.
Eight spots are filled and the rest is yet to be determined with teams like compLexityGaming, BetterLookingThanYou, Dendis jungldevos, Fack You Kurdi, Call It Karma, Fortune Bakery, Experience Gaming, UV Gaming, One Trick Pony, Pencils and Arena Online eSports still competing for the final spots in Diamond.
This Thursday we will find out who is in, who is out, and who is moving one step closer to winning the lion’s share of the $10,000 USD prize pool for the Qualifier.
- Sören "Fantasy"
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[BCSx]D3xter
Invite me in a team :P
Posted about 10 months ago
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