This Saturday, the fifth Cycle of the HoN Tour Diamond Division will officially start and there is a big emphasis on change in the top division. A lot of teams that are fighting for the top are coming out of the gates with changed rosters or changed attitudes. This promises to be a great Cycle and HoN fans should be prepared for a great ride over the next two weekends.

Some of the most major transitions are going to happen in [TteS]Tt eSPORTS, who are not only adding two members at the last minute, but are also featuring a new captain in LeonBlack`. Still, the confidence of the squad is high, as they feel like they have picked up “two friends” to play with them. Two players that fit their style, goals and attitude to help unleash their wrath over the Diamond Division. Words can only say so much though, as actions will have to follow on the battlefields of Newerth in order to prove themselves.

The next big team in transition is [coL]compLexityGaming, but they did not only change their roster but also went back to a very strict scrim schedule to prepare for the tasks ahead. Ever since they won the major tournaments leading up to DreamHoN Winter, the team has taken it a little bit lighter on practicing together, which might have lead to the somewhat disappointing results in recent history. Now they get that “fresh blood” that Haxxeren talked about with Riser_ and they are looking strong, passionate and dedicated to putting together another surge to the top. Skill wise, they have been among the elite teams since their formation. Now they have to show that they can work as a team to climb back to the top once again.

Speaking of working as a team, there’s a brand new team that has “appeared” in the Diamond Division called [TFR]The Fire Rises who replaces the disbanded Domain of Pain. Anchored by their captain iNsania and mixed with all-stars from past and present, this team is looking strong on paper but has a lot to prove in-game. With the German Kebap returning to HoN, Skyzoe and LezzQQ back in action and the veteran fan favorite presence of shamsz, the anticipation is high. The expectations for the team are high as well so they hope to avoid a cold start in this hot division.

While we are on the subject of high anticipations and expectations, one can not ignore the changes that have happened with one of the favorites to win the fifth Cycle – [sG]Stay Green. This Cycle marks the first official appearance of their new jungler, Chessie, while all the other players have arrived in their new team house in Miami, Florida. With Chessie soon to join them, the entire environment of the team is geared towards a practice and preparation for HoN Tour. The move doesn’t only have a positive impact on practice but the ping of the star player sLiCKz as well. They were a tough opponent for [tdM]Trademark eSports in the last Cycle and they are going to be an even tougher one this time around.

The last team featured here individually is [OTP]One Trick Pony, who didn't go through changes in their roster, but had some bold words to say after their early exit in Cycle 4. ArchiTigeR went out and said that the team will compete for fourth place in Cycle 5. That statement was attached to a massive increase in scrimming activity to back it up, but that spark in the activity has not happened. Now One Trick Pony will need some surprisingly fantastic play to even come close to that. Currently, the top six places of Diamond Division feature very strong and dedicated teams competing, not even including the wildcard that is iNsania's new team.

Of course, not every team has gone through some changes and most of the stable teams have done their share of practicing and preparing as well. This list of teams is led by the three-time and reigning champions Trademark eSports, who have been scrimming quite a lot during the week and are looking as strong as a champion can look. Second on this list is [LION]Lions eSportsKlubb, coming off the best HoN Tour Diamond Cycle in their team history. They have finally beaten compLexity Gaming, taking down the top tier squad twice to secure a spot on the podium of Cycle 4. Slowly but surely, they developed themselves into a formidable candidate for the Grand Finals with a strong scrim ethic and a commitment to a stable roster. They will be a force to be reckoned with for all the Cycles to come.

Other than those teams the rest of the Diamond Division has been rather quiet in improving themselves and teams like [oo7]We Are Spies, [Dmsn]AnotherDimension, [aL]Absolute Legends, [MlST]Team Mistral, [YoIo]CutForBieber and [PNIS]Pencils are not to be triffled with. They all have the capability to take a major contender out of the Upper Bracket. Not only will the battle for the championship be interesting, but also the fight to survive and stay in Diamond will be fierce and entertaining to watch.


- Sören ”Fantasy”
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