After three weekends of intense matches, the HoN Tour Qualifiers have officially finished and all the Divisions have been populated with hopeful teams. The last four match days, starting last Tuesday, followed by Thursday and then the whole weekend featured 12 teams desperately trying to make it into Diamond Division, with only the top two making it in the end. So even though the number of teams playing was down, the intensity was way up due to the stakes in every match. Let's take a look at these matches and see who made it in the end.
[EvAc]Evil Activities vs [FIFA]Germany were the first in the bracket to play each other on this day. Both teams had caused quite a stir in the previous matches, so anything was possible here. But like the Mannschaft in the World Cup, [FIFA]Germany showed no weakness nor mercy in this match and finished it with relative ease after two games, forcing Evil Activities to do their business in the Gold Division in Cycle 1. [C]Crave and [Ryss]Vodkagaming took a bit longer to decide the outcome of their match, going into game three after the first game was won by Vodkagaming, followed by a dominant comeback win by Crave. The last game was fought over very hard by both teams and it took a whole hour to finally find a winner, which turned out to be Vodkagaming in the end, dropping Craven to the Gold Division.
The third match of the evening offered plenty of entertainment when [iRex]Instant Reflex faced [SolC]The Solaire Club. Instant Reflex were able to win both games, but to get there, they had to overcome a very good opponent. The Solaire Club may still be somewhat new and they have much left to learn, but by coming this far they have secured a well deserved spot among the Gold Division teams. In the meantime, Instant Reflex were on their way to Diamond Division and were looking pretty good at this stage. Final match of the day and pretty much also the match of the day was [Adde]Adrians Familj versus [FnoH]FROG No HIPPO, which turned out to be a feast for all Heroes of Newerth lovers on Honcast. Neither team held back and a very entertaining three game match erupted, that ended with [Adde]Adrians Familj making it to the next round. Four teams were out now, and four advanced, ready to face new challengers on the next match day.
Thursday Winners & Losers Bracket
And this day came quickly, just two days later, both Brackets played out the next round. In the Winners Bracket, two top amateur teams faced each other, both well known by now and looking good to go all the way to Diamond. [MOE]Moes Tavern, the older and more experienced of the two teams seemed to be the favourite in this match, but [Dawn]Dawn had everything under control in this match and defeated Moes Tavern soundly in two games, both won by quite a margin, moving Dawn into the Winners Bracket finals and showing just how much this team has grown, from a little footnote in the Amateur Division to the favourite to make it to Diamond and earn some proper money in the coming Cycles of HoN Tour Season 3.
Moes Tavern now had to deal with this defeat and hope for the Losers Bracket finals, they still had a chance to go forward, but the easy way was blocked now.
Second WB match was [Null]Blue Dingleballs versus the returning and strong as ever [KNX]REXXARS. The first game started out well for the REXXARS, getting them an easy win. In the second game, the Blue Dingleballs came back with a vengeance though, making the score even and forcing a third game. And this third match was exactly what they needed, a hard fought 35 minutes later, the REXXARS realized that they had lost and conceded, making Blue Dingleballs the second team to enter the WB Finals.
The first LB match featured [FIFA]Germany and [Ryss]Vodkagaming playing against each other. Vodkagaming were one of the surprised of the Qualifier, being basically completely unknown and making it all the way to this point. And the same could have been said about team Germany. So with this clash here, one teams dream would go on, while the other ended. After two rather short and one sided games, team Germany emerged victorious and was getting closer and closer to the finals, a natural teams for all teams called Germany. Vodkagaming will play in the Gold Division now and will have to prove themselves in the coming Cycle. But if they can manage to pull through the first match day in Cycle 1, they look good to become a decent team that might surprise us all - again - one day.
Last match of the day was between Instant Reflex and fan favourite Adrians Familj. Both teams had much to prove and showed great ambition so far, but only one was allowed to go on. The first game was a bit too one sided to really call it a game, Instant Reflex was behind the whole time and did not seem to find any way to fight Adrians Familj. 20 minutes into the game, it was already over, putting Instant Reflex in a difficult situation. And the situation deteriorated further in the second game, they were now able to fight back and get a few kills, but they were still outmatched in this game, which led to an even shorter game in total. After 19 minutes, they conceded and allowed Adrians Familj to continue towards Diamond Division, while they themselves only made it to the upper Gold Division. For now.
Saturday - Winners Bracket Finals & Losers Bracket
The Winners Bracket Finals offered some really fine gameplay, fit to be called a final. Both teams gave it their all, but Dawn seemed to be in a better condition, showcasing Bloodhunter in the first and Tremble in the second game. Blue Dingleballs did everything to fight against the increasing pressure in both games, but were eventually overcome, with a stellar Tremble play in the second game, which was so impressive that this hero will probably banned every time a team plays against Dawn in the foreseeable future. This two game victory made Dawn the first team to qualify for Diamond Division and caused the Blue Dingleballs to drop down to the Losers Bracket, where they would have one more chance to get into Diamond.
Three matches were played in the Losers Bracket that day, the first two were the survivors of the previous Losers Bracket round against the new arrivals from the Winners Bracket. Here, Germany was set to play against the REXXARS and Adrians Familj faced Moes Tavern, so two very intense matches were happening in the early evening. The first, Germany versus REXXARS, had a very close first game where the REXXARS had to use all of their ressources and experience to win, as team Germany proved to be an able opponent. Once beaten, they seemed to not be able to fight the next game at full strength though, or maybe the REXXARS found their weak point, no matter what, the second match was much easier for the REXXARS, as they were able to win this one in under 20 minutes, moving on to the next round while team Germany will now roam in the upper levels of the Gold Division in Cycle 1.
The second match, Adrians Familj versus Moes Tavern also only took two games to be decided, but both games took much longer. Especially the first took a long time to finish, with both teams showing that they are quite able and certainly belong here. Moes Tavern were able to secure the win in both games, but both wins were earned by hard work, as Adrians Familj refused to lose without a hard fight at every opportunity. And they will certainly continue to be this good and determined in the Gold Division, where they are now, hoping to make it to Diamond in the next Cycle perhaps, they have proven that they have the skills for it. Moes Tavern however moved right on to the next and last match of the day, facing the REXXARS in the last round before the Losers Bracket finals. And just like the games before, the first game was a tough and long game, with both sides having good chances and scenes, while the second was much shorter and more decisive. And while both teams deserved the win, it was REXXARS who pushed through eventually, keeping themselves in the Losers Bracket, while Moes Tavern will have a chance to go Diamond in the upcoming Cycle 1 of HoN Tour Season 3.
Sunday - Losers Bracket Finals & Grand Finals
After losing in the Winners Bracket, the Blue Dingleballs were now facing the strong and eager REXXARS in the LB Finals. The last chance for both teams to make it to Diamond Division directly, this match was fought hard. It took indeed three games to decide this match, and the first game did not look very good for the REXXARS. While they were leading in gold and experience almost all of the game and by quite a margin, they were unable to finish off the opposing team, resulting in a turnaround and loss of the first match for the REXXARS. While this would have been quite a blow for any team, the REXXARS were able to recover from it quickly, making the second game a decisive win for themselves, leaving the Blue Dingleballs no chance to get into the game at all.
Game three now had to decide the game, and after 40 minutes of hard fighting, the REXXARS were able to finish off their opponents this time, making them the second team to qualify for Diamond Division, while the Blue Dingleballs can continue their roll in Gold Division.
The following Grand Finals between Dawn and the REXXARS were only played to decide who would be in spot #7, so nothing too serious was on the line. Which was lucky, because in the middle of the first game, while everything was still possible for both teams, immense lag set in and caused quite some issues. Eventually this was cleared up, but the damage was done and Dawn came out ahead a little easier than it should have been due to the lag. The second game was more of a fun slaughter between the two teams and it ended with Dawn also taking this one, putting them in the seventh position in the Diamond Division, which might make their survival a little more likely, as their first opponent will be [SynC]Sync eSports and not [BMG]BadMonkeyGaming in round 1 of Cycle 1. Maybe it will help, maybe not, we’ll see about it in a few days, when Cycle 1 starts. Congrats to both teams for qualifying for Diamond Division!
Cycle 1 Begins!
HoN Tour Season 3 is now ready to start and this will happen this Saturday at 12:00 EDT | 18:00 CEST[/URL] for all Divisions, be it Diamond, Gold, Silver or Bronze. Speaking of Bronze, you can still sign your team up for the Bronze Division, so if you feel like testing your strength against other teams in a competitive environment and want to see if you are good enough to earn money with your hobby eventually, wait no further, register now!
Good Luck and Have Fun to all teams!
About the author: Blaze
