By Blaze
Group A
[SynC]Sync eSports
The first team to be set here, Sync eSports is not only the champion of many of the cycles in HoN Tour Season 3, they are also pretty much the favourite for this Tournament as well as the Thailand event at the end of this month. They might be a little rusty after they were allowed to sit the frantic Playoffs out, but they kept busy with practice outside of tournaments and will use this to get back into things in style.
[Rea]Reason Gaming
Reason lost their semifinals in the Final Four of the Playoffs in a close match against willowkeeper and it is to be expected that they are out to redeem themselves now. So this tournament seems to be the perfect place to do that, as they are going to face willowkeeper with a very high probability after this week’s Groups Stage. But for that they have to work hard in this group and should not make any mistakes, there are two more teams that are just waiting for that to happen.
[Null]Nullstone Gaming
The other team, whose dreams of Thailand were crushed before the Grand Finals of the Playoffs. And now they are set against the big Sync eSports, their rival Reason Gaming and the surprisingly strong newcomers of The Solaire Club. This won't be a cakewalk for the American team, but they have proven before that they can survive in tough spots and will certainly do everything to stay in this as long as possible, maybe even win the whole thing and cause some girlish cheering in the USA.
[SolC]The Solaire Club
The Club has certainly got the tougher of the two groups, but being here proves that they have also climbed the ladder pretty high in competitive gaming and are now in a position to upset the powers that be. It is not likely that they will win this, even getting to the next round is unlikely, but maybe they can win that one game and shock their opponents, as that will probably cost them their advancement. And even if they lose all games, at least they got some practice with the best teams out there.
Group B
[tree]willowkeeper
The trees are the second team going to Thailand in a couple of weeks and they have surprised everyone with a rather dominating win in the Grand Finals of the Playoffs against Fresh. This win has shown that the team is currently in their prime, stronger than ever, and it is quite likely that they will go all the way here, eventually meeting Sync eSports along the way, perhaps in the Finals, and give us a preview of the glory that will be the International Finals.
[Mint]Fresh
Getting into Group B with willowkeeper after the sound defeat last weekend in the Playoff Grand Finals may seem as a cruel thing, but it is probably for the best, as the team can at least get a little payback if they manage to play more like they did in the earlier Playoffs, where they defeated willowkeeper in an exciting series. Also it is good to just try again after a defeat, use what you learned from before and overcome your limits, and players from Fresh are clearly good and experienced enough to do that.
[Ogr]Shrek is Love
The Ogres worked hard in the Playoffs, but were not rewarded in the end, probably being quite disappointed with themselves at the end there, getting so close to the Final Four but being defeated by a lesser known team. But this is in no way a reason to count them out, everyone knows what happens when you poke an ogre: you get clobbered. And this is exactly what Shrek is Love plans on doing, giving their all once more and stepping on toes with all their weight.
[Hoo]Team Who
"Who?" was probably what many people thought when they watched the events of Group B in the Playoffs and witnessed Team Who getting just one step short of the Final Four, even defeating Shrek is Love. But the team deserved to be there, as they have been working hard, constantly improving and simply outplaying their opponents. In this group they may seem to be the weakest of teams, but considering recent events, they might actually be a candidate for advancement. Always bet on Who?
These are the teams and Groups, starting this Tuesday at 15:00 EST | 21:00 CET the BO1 matches of the Group Phase will start, beginning with Shrek is Love versus Team Who, followed an hour later by Reason Gaming versus Nullstone Gaming. One Thursday at the same time, Sync eSports will teach The Solaire Club a Lesson and willowkeeper and Fresh will face each other once more. Finally the rest of the Group matches will be played this weekend, you can check the exact matchups and times at the Onslaught Portal. And don't forget to tune in to Honcast who will be covering the event live as usual. Good Luck and Have Fun to all teams and players!
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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