Cycle 2 of HoN Tour Season 3 has arrived and even before the official start, there was action'o'plenty! After the first Cycle came to a close with [SynC]Sync eSports defeating [BMG]BadMonkeyGaming in a close 3-2 in the Grand Finals, BMG announced some significant changes to their lineup, saying goodbye to their top players and reforming their roster to the current lineup. This new lineup seems weaker than before, but you never know with these guys; they are some of the best players, so don't count them out just yet. The whole procedure also serves as a wakeup call for all the other teams out there: one giant down, one to go - time to step up and claim the throne for yourselves!

With this said, Sync eSports still rules supreme at the top and it will be a hard journey for the other teams to even reach them. In the last Cycle, sync eSports did not drop a single game until the Grand Finale, which shows just how strong they are at the moment. Aside from the new BMG, two other teams look like potential challengers to syncs rule: [Rea]Reason Gaming and [tree]willowkeeper. Both teams performed as expected in the last Cycle, taking out their opponents in the first round, losing to the big teams in the second, then once more taking out the opposing teams in the Losers Bracket and finally facing each other before getting another shot at the big teams. It seems that they are destined to become arch rivals for the succession of the crown, and while willowkeeper had the advantage last time, taking Reason out with 2-0, this might change again this Cycle. Both teams practice hard, motivated by money, points and bragging rights, so don't expect either of them to eventually roll over and be content with less than first place.

And while we are at expectations, two more factions should be counted into this succession war: the [KNX]REXXARS and [Dawn]Dawn. Sure, they did not make it that far last Cycle, but they were set up to play against the big teams from the start and later at least made it through the first LB round, securing their position in the Diamond Division. And when they play this Cycle, they have better chances to make it through the first round, as their opponents will be willowkeeper and Reason Gaming, rather than sync and BMG. This gives them at least a chance to push through and upset the competition. The REXXARS also have the necessary experience for an upset win like that, as they have been in the game for quite a while and surprised many. Dawn on the other hand is still somewhat fresh, but what they lack in experience they make up by amazing plays, displaying a high level of skill that
may lead them to greater glory sooner or later.

Finally we have the two new arrivals from the Gold Division: [W0P]WOP WOP, previously known as Moes Tavern and [Null]Nullstone Gaming, the Blue Dingleballs of last Cycle. The WOPs have been around for ages and finally made it to the Diamond Division, so for now, their concern will be survival, which will be hard, given that their first opponent is Sync eSports. But the team is used to ups and downs, so they have mentally prepared to learn a lesson in the first match and then focus on the Losers Bracket and whoever will be their opponent there. Nullstone Gaming has already arrived in the Losers Bracket. Their match was rescheduled to an earlier date and they lost to the new BMG without dropping a single game. In fact they were kind of destroyed in both games, a statement by BMG that they might not have the players they once had but still are good enough to take out any challenger. For Nullstone Gaming this means waiting for the next opponent on Sunday, which will either be willowkeeper or the REXXARS. Both will be a tough challenge, so it is very likely that they are on their way back to Gold Division, but anything can happen, so let's wait and see what they can do.

All in all the new Cycle seems to be even more amazing than before, we might have a clear favourite for the first place, but second place and below are all up for grabs and there are several competent teams eager and willing to do everything to claim the second place. Matches will begin as usual on Saturday at 12:00 EDT | 18:00 CEST with the RO8 and followed by the RO4 in the Winners Bracket, while the Losers Bracket matches will start on Sunday at 12:00 EDT | 18:00 CEST and continue with another round just 3 hours later. Honcast will be covering the matches live, so grab some drinks, make up an excuse for the girlfriend and enjoy a weekend full of high level HoN - you deserve it!

About the author: Blaze