By Blaze
It was a long and glorious two weeks, newcomers and seasoned veterans alike trying to get as far as possible in the Season 3 Playoffs. Each trying to make a name for themselves and looking to build a bright future. But now that the dust has settled and the Final Four have been decided, it is time for the expected big teams to battle it out and decide who gets to fly to Thailand. Let's take a quick look at the four contestants and then get ready for three amazing matches that are going to be played this weekend.
[Mint]Fresh - #5 Seed
This team had an excellent time in the Playoffs. They did very well in their first match against [NR]Night Raid, which ended with Fresh winning both games and sending their American opponents to the Losers Bracket without too much effort. The second match they had to play, the Winners Bracket Finals, was something else. Here they faced [tree]willowkeeper and even though willowkeeper seemed to be the favourite to win this, Fresh managed to come back after losing the first game, eventually winning the other two and with this qualifying as top team for the Final Four. Now they are bursting with confidence and will be quite the challenge for any of the other top teams to go up against them.
[Null]Nullstone Gaming - #4 Seed
The only North American team left in the Playoffs, but certainly one of the strongest teams worldwide. Nullstone had a good but not perfect go in the Playoffs so far, having to work for most of their victories and having to go through the Loser’s Bracket. Their first match in the Winner’s Bracket was indeed a tough one, as their opponents, [Ogr]Shrek is Love, got pretty close to winning the match themselves. And followed by that was their encounter with [Rea]Reason Gaming in the Winner’s Bracket Finals, that was even more work for them and ended in favour of their opponents. Down in the Loser’s Bracket, they had to play against a surprise team that made it this far, [Hoo]Team Who. But this time Nullstone were on their A-game and finished off their opponents in two games, not allowing Team Who to continue and advancing to the Final Four themselves. Nullstone Gaming are now going up against a challenging opponent and need to be on their A-game once again if they want to advance further.
[tree]willowkeeper - #2 Seed
Oh boy, did willowkeeper have a ride in the Playoffs. Considered by many to be the unchallenged favourite in the tournament, willowkeeper had a hard time from the very beginning, giving their opponents in the first match a game and a good bit of hope before finally defeating [C00L]CoolIo. Their second match in the Winner’s Bracket Finals was just as much of a tumble, as they allowed [Mint]Fresh to come back after being in the lead, ultimately leading to their drop to the Loser’s Bracket as Fresh managed to win the third and final game as well. And in the Loser’s Bracket Finals they faced their earlier opponents again: CoolIo. This time it went a little more in trees favour though and they only needed two games to win the match and secure their spot in the Final Four. Moving on, willowkeeper will face their nemesis of recent weeks and biggest contender to the tickets to Thailand right away: Reason Gaming. This should be a very tough match for both teams, but even more so for willowkeeper as it seems they will be in an uphill battle, dealing as much with their opponents as they have to deal with their own issues.
[Rea]Reason Gaming - #3 Seed
When the Playoffs started, Reason Gaming was one of the favourites to make it at least to the Final Four, now that the Group Phase is done and they did as well as they did in their matches, they can be considered to be the biggest favourite to go to Thailand. They indeed had a great last week, first defeating Team Who with an easy 2 game victory, followed by an exciting and very impressive 3 game victory against Nullstone Gaming, where they showed just how good they have become. Adding the good last two cycles in Season 3, this team in on a roll and facing their biggest rival in the Final Four right away is more of a blessing for them. They only have to win two games and have huge momentum on their side, while willowkeeper are struggling to stay alive.
As you can see, big matches are ahead of us. On Saturday at 12:00 EST | 18:00 CET, Fresh and Nullstone Gaming will start off the Final Four in a BO3 match, followed by the match of the day, willowkeeper versus Reason Gaming at 15:00 EST | 21:00 CET. The winners of these matches will then fight for it all on Sunday at 12:00 EST | 18:00 CET in the Grand Finals in a BO5. The Winner of this will go to Thailand, the loser will be really sad. Heaven or Hell, All or Nothing, this weekend is where it's happening. Don't miss out on any of the matches, Honcast will cover all of it for your viewing pleasure. Good Luck and Have Fun to all four teams!
BlahC is a senior Hontour.com writer focusing on the NA/EU Diamond and Gold Divisions. After making a name for himself in the Dawn of War 1 scene, he began his career in journalism at DawnOfWar.de. As one of the first HoN Tour writers, BlahC has focused on the less known teams, bringing their name to the forefront. When he isn’t writing about HoN, BlahC enjoys playing RPGs, writing fiction, and listening to Metal, Avantgarde, and Neofolk music.
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