By Fantasy
There is the meta, then there is outside the box thinking. Most of the heroes that add intricacy to a match are from the second category, heroes undervalued and underused, that come off the bench and dazzle the crowd for a game or more.
This cycle those odd characters were from every aspect of the game. Some were blasts from the past, some were undervalued from the inception of HoN, some were just K-Pop memes shouting “Bubble Pop”.
Especially for Tundra and Wildsoul it was a renaissance this cycle. Both heroes used to be top picks in different stages of the meta, now they returned to the spotlight. For Wildsoul it was players like zai` and KheZu terrorizing the suicide lane with perfect control of the bear, while Tundra used to be a staple pick for the midlane - made famous by none other than Moonmeander. They both got to see some playing time in the Forest of Caldavar this cycle, making HoN veterans go crazy on nostalgia, while providing a fresh and entertaining take on lineups for the newer HoN fans.
Rounding out the poll are two alternative carry heroes with Magebane and Arachna, as well as everyone’s favorite bubble girl Pearl. All three don’t usually see a lot of playing time, all three were on and off in certain metas of the game. Magebane had his time to shine in the past, Arachna never quite took off, Pearl had the tag of “OP” soaped to her head for a while. Now that is all in the past and all heroes can engage in combat together and against each other, making Heroes of Newerth and it’s competitive HoN Tour side entertaining for everyone.
Which one was your favorite? Do you dislike magic and think blinking around is fun? Do you like spiders and their webs? Is charging opponents and having little critters to help you enjoy your game right up your alley? Is a bubble bath just the kind of relaxing thing you want to do? Or is your best friend a bear that first-hit roots everything that comes close? The choice is yours, vote now.
HoN is one of the most demanding team games in the eSports landscape. The coordination and teamwork required to be on top of HoN Tour is off the charts. Every Diamond Division team knows about those demands and every once in awhile a normal and routine game in the highest division turns into an epic and dramatic instant classic between the best of the best.
This cycle four games stood out to the expert panel, warranting a nomination for the Best Game Of The Cycle. Only team with two games on display is Cycle 2 Champions Fresh from their Group Stage adventures. In back-to-back days the team around popular veteran probusk engaged their opposition in epic slugfests, both in contention due to very different set of reasons. Against Panny’s Boys on Day 3 it was the play of Massera on Pebbles transcending the game into a higher echelon, while their bout with new Reason Gaming on Day 4 a back-and-forth blow-for-blow war captivated casters, players and fans. One game only 30 minutes long, the other passing the one-hour mark - simply showing how different a HoN game can be to be one of the best of the cycle.
Not only the group stage produced quality games after all, as the other two games nominated took place in the Relegation bracket, as well as the Grand Finals. In one match the teams fought for their survival in the highest division, in other the biggest prize in HoN’s competitive scene was on the line. Mystery Gang versus Rexxars Reborn from the relegation match had everything a HoN fan can possibly desire. With the stakes high, both teams gave it their all to remain a part of the Diamond Division, pulling out all the stops, playing aggressive to no end. A total of 76 kills in an under 58 minute game tells you everything you need to know. Engagements, ganks, fights and skirmishes were on the menu.
Last but not least, the Grand Finals match, the opener of the series between Bad Monkey Gaming and compLexity Gaming. A game featuring Oogie, Pearl, Plague Rider, Cthuluphant and Kraken. A game showcasing that the slightest mistake at an unfortunate time can cause a game to completely end a game. On paper the 80 minute clash looks even throughout with only a 4000 gold difference, only a 8000 experience gap and in the end a kill score that reads 32:31 with the 32 kills going to the losing team. On top of that, how often do you get to see a Doombringer in a competitive game anymore?
Which one was your favorite? Vote now!
Now to the individual awards in this great team game. Five statlines are nominated, but only four players are eligible for the award. For the first time in the history of these awards had a player two impressive performances worthy of a nomination for the “Best Individual Performance” award. compLexity’s carry Formless is the one to achieve that feat. His first nomination comes with Doctor Repulsor against Evil Corporation, getting 20 kills by flying around the map. His second one comes at the mobile enigma Magebane with formless not dying once, taking 15 kills and getting close to the century mark in GPM. When the final “GGs” came from Panny’s Boys, the Magebane sat at 933 GPM which is by far the most GPM recorded by anyone this cycle.
The awards are not just the Formless show though, as three other players have recorded outstanding performances as well. First of this gang is Evil Corporation’s German carry Imbaboy. Him and his Arachna play haunted compLexity Gaming in the Group stages, posting the impressive numbers of 9/0/4 with 603 GPM to his name. The impact performance guided ECx to the top spot in the groups, on their way to the Grand Finals.
Another standout this cycle comes from Bad Monkey Gaming, is a World Champion of HoN and listens to the name of baltazar. In the group stage he slashed and dashed his way through Panny’s Boys on Swiftblade. 14 kills, 8 assists and 572 GPM made him spin out of control in the game, getting his team the win to split the Best of Two series with Zlapped and his boys.
Last on the list of nominees? Revolution’s own pexu who played a rather unorthodox hero to the greatest of his abilities and strength. Lord Salforis does not usually see a ton of play in the competitive mix of HoN, but pexu made him work like a broken hero. 13 kills, 15 assists and only 4 deaths showed the tanky and impactful presence of the green Lord, who also had 567 GPM worth of coin to his name.
Who captured your eye the most this season? Vote now!
The strive to be the best possible version of oneself is always the main goal for a competitor. In the third cycle five players have gone above and beyond with their improvements, furthering their own standing, as well as their team’s performance in the process. Members from five teams are nominated, including compLexity Gaming, Bad Monkey Gaming, Reason Gaming, Revolution and Evil Corporation.
First up is a proven member, a known commodity, a reigning World Champion. For a guy like Boxi to still find ways to improve his play is remarkable in every way. In the third cycle he improved his K+A:D by almost a full point from 2.69 to 3.53, as well as boosting his GPM from 355.7 to 426 GPM. As a result his team went all the way to the Grand Finals, an uncommon sight after the HoN Tour World Finals.
Another member improving on a Grand Finals team was compLexity Gaming carry Formless who went from 4.50 K+A:D to a whopping 6.75 in just one cycle. Fueled by his crazy Magebane game, he also put on quite a show in the GPM department of his stats, increasing it from 515.9 to 612. After a third place finish in the second cycle, Formless and his compLexity boys went back to the title, adding the second cycle success in the star-studded history of the organization in HoN.
Not quite reaching the Grand Finals, but coming close to it in the Championship Bracket were markusmoi of Reason Gaming, as well as Evil Corporation’s mbrei. markusmoi went up 0.5 points in his K+A:D statistic, as well as eclipsing the 500 GPM mark for the first time in his HoN Tour stint this season. For mbrei the stats took a massive leap into the positive as well. From his 2.82 K+A:D in the second cycle, the Norwegian veteran improved to 4.26, as well as getting his GPM up all the way to 352 from 294.7 previously.
Last in the mix is pexu from Revolution, avoiding relegation by the slightest of margins. That feat was also accomplished by the fact that pexu stepped up his game significantly once more. From 2.04 in the K+A:D department, he improved to 2.85 by also improving his GPM significantly. From a mediocre 272.9 he was able to improve to 349.7, only a little off the coveted 350 mark.
Which improvement do you think is most noteworthy and deserves the most respect? Vote now!
The “King” of the Awards, the biggest prize for the individual HoN player, one of the highest honors. Only one person each cycle will become the Most Valuable Player and know, that he truly made a difference for his team in achieving their goals. To begin the voting process, seven players are eligible for this award, the seven players that put their team on their back and made it reach heights they wouldn’t have dreamed off otherwise.
From the Championship team compLexity it’s both the carry and midlaner getting some love in the nomination process. While Formless is grabbing nomination in almost every category of this cycles’ awards, his midlaner Fuzzysloth stayed surprisingly quite throughout this article. The talented Magmus player still is one of the reasons the coL.HoN squad is so successful, being a force to be reckoned with on the solo lane in the center of the map.
From Bad Monkey Gaming two players are sent to the awards as well with baltazar and Boxi. Both of these received some love in the other categories as well with baltazar having a field day in the game against Panny’s Boys on his Swiftblade, while Boxi was recognized for his improvement. Improvement so strong that he elevated himself into the position of not only being one of the best players on his own team, but become the most valuable of all HoN players in this cycle.
Getting the love from Evil Corporation are mbrei and carry sensation Imbaboy. While mbrei is showing steady improvement throughout the cycles, Imbaboy has been on his game for years and years. Ever since being a part of Justice League and even before that, he has been one of the carries with the flashiest numbers, highest GPM and most impact on his team’s games. Now he is getting recognition for that over and over again, being in the discussion for Most Valuable Player constantly.
Who else might be in this discussion? Of course the Granddaddy of them all - the one and only Zlapped. With his team making a change, the one constant is the popular HoN streamer and competitive veteran. Throughout his time in HoN Zlapped was part of several top-tier teams, always doing his share of work in them. Now he is back to square one with a new team, posting good results and being a valuable asset in getting his team off the ground.
Who is most valuable in your eyes? Vote now!
