eHL Cycle 2 has come to a climactic end. Pinoy player Celedor defeated Al2TTO from Thailand after crazy comebacks, clutch plays, double Yseras and even one disconnect.
Celedor came out on top after day one of the playoffs after he sent the only Singaporean Raxael and Al2TTO to the losers bracket, sitting comfortably on a 6-1 score, mostly thanks to his Handlock and Druid.
The Pinoy was eventually paired with Thaibg, who spent day two of the playoffs slaughtering Celedor's compatriots by waving around a stable Druid deck and who was looking forward to kill another Filipino and make it to the grand final.
[deck linked style=float:right;margin-right:-30px;margin-left:15px;margin-bottom:10px;]431[/deck]What started as a Druid mirror ended a massacre as Celedor's Druid crushed through Thaibg's Druid, Mage and Hunter, proving impenetrable to the different playstyles the Thai threw at him. At 9-1 score in the playoffs and 13-1 in total, Celedor was to be feared be whoever would make it through the losers bracket.
The LB unfolded into an all-Thailand losers final between Al2TTO and Thaibg, both fighting for the privilege to meet Celedor again and maybe get their revenge. Similar to the winners final, that one too started with a Druid mirror before becoming a stomping affair. Al2TTO showed Thaibg how Howi, Machtung and Raxael fell before him and brought his Druid deck to an overall 9-1 score in the playoffs. Said Druid would become Al2TTO's saving grace just minutes later.
Having made it to the grand final, the Thai player had a grudge match against Celedor coming and he was determined to not allow another blank defeat. Two games into the series, however, it almost seemed like this would happen as Celedor's Handlock had crushed Al2TTO's own Warlock and Shaman and was prepared to stomp the formidable Druid of Al2TTO.
This is where Malfurion came in to engineer a comeback for the LB player. A perfect starting hand allowed him to kill the Handlock by T4, destroy Celedor's own Druid and trample the Priest with ease. A full 3-2 comeback, which led to another Bo5.
Despite being very successful with Druid, Al2TTO opened the second series with a Handlock, hoping to throw Celedor off balance but his plan was thwarted - Celedor's Druid snapped the neck of Gul'Dan and the Pinoy was once again in the lead. He had to retire Malfurion in game two, however, as Al2TTO's Druid was expectedly summoned to solve the mirror in game two. The thrill called eHL Cycle 2 grand final was far from over.
At that point, casters and viewers expected to see Celedor's Handlock but the Pinoy threw a curve ball and went with the Priest instead. A nail-biting match against the Druid saw Celedor enter the late game with a full board control with double Ysera and a number of big taunts, completely shutting down all hopes of the Thai. This is where a disconnect happened and Al2TTO was unable to carry out his turn, but acknowledging his lack of chances for victory, he honorably conceded.
It came to a Shaman versus Priest in game four - a much shorter match that saw Thrall crumble under the great draws from Celedor's Anduin. Getting a good mid game board allowed Celedor to go for Shaman's health instead of playing the laid back, reactionary playstyle and so a 3-1 was scoreboarded in favor of the Pinoy. Celedor was crowned the eHL Cycle 2 champion.
Celedor and Al2TTO now join Crea and Wensushi at the eHL Season 1 grand finals, starting April 12th. The four will fight through a double elimination bracket, the winner taking the lions share of the $455 prize pool.
