StrifeCro, Hyped, ProtoHype, Kitkatz and Justsaiyan will not be making the biggest tournament of the year.
The most important cycle of qualifiers has been on the way for some time as players all over the world are competing for the sixteen precious spots at the Hearthstone World Championship (HWC). And although the 40-man double elimination bracket provides relative safety to the perceived best players in each region, some big names are already out of the HWC campaign.
Developing in a slower pace compared to its European counterpart, the NA Road to Blizzcon saw some of the most prominent competitors in the region get eliminated. Among the biggest upsets is one Cong “StrifeCro” Shu, a core figure in the Cloud 9 squad and a quarter-finalist from last year’s Blizzcon. StrifeCro suffered a loss to Justin “JAB” Black in the winners bracket round 2 only to lose his next match as well, falling 1-3 to a lesser known player by the name of Fishyy.
Another household name that won’t be making it to Blizzcon is George “Hyped” Maganzini. The Rogue specialist ran into Canadian player Hotform in the winners bracket and was then paired against his own captain Andrey “Reynad” Yanyuk in a Tempo Storm team-kill match for survival. After five games, it was lights out for Hyped.
StrifeCro and Hyped are followed out of the HWC run by names like Andrew “Kitkatz” Deschanel, David “Justsaiyan” Shan and David “Protohype” Kunze. More heads are expected to fall in the coming days as the competition continues.
To follow the entire bracket, visit our HWC coverage hub.
