How do the teams in HGC 2017 North America stack up going into Week 4?
- Team 8
- Tempo Storm
- Gale Force eSports
- Superstars
- Team Freedom
- Team Naventic
- B Step
- No Tomorrow
My Power Rankings going into next week
1. Tempo Storm (4-0)
Results this week: Defeated Team 8, 3-2
This roster first formed as Murloc Geniuses before the Fall 2016 season in North America, and they have won every single major North American Heroes of the Storm event they have participated in since. It hasn't been easy, and it has never been dominant, but somehow, someway, this roster (now under the Tempo Storm banner) has always found a way to win when it counts.
This storyline has continued into 2017. Tempo Storm has just one dominant 3-0 win, with the rest of their wins requiring Tempo Storm to tough it out in 3-2 slugfests. Their match against Team 8 was no different, but in the end Tempo Storm's experience and superior macro play was too much for Team 8 to handle.
2. Team 8 (4-1)
Results this week: Lost to Tempo Storm 2-3; Defeated Gale Force eSports 3-2
This was the week we were waiting for. Was Team 8 a top North American team like the results suggested?
Well, we got our answer. Team 8 had lapses in several games and lost a couple more via poor drafts. They were not dominant, or even convincing, as they had been in prior weeks. But in the end, Team 8 comes out of this weekend with incredibly good chances of making the Western Clash, and the knowledge that they are a top team in North America. And for now, that's enough.
This is perfectly illustrated by their Braxis Holdout win against GFE, where they turned around a game that looked hopeless by forcing and winning a teamfight at Boss. Perhaps Gale Force eSports should have just given up the boss, but nevertheless Team 8's brilliant shotcall stopped Gale Force eSports from dominating the map objective any further with their dominant 4 man.
This let Team 8 start to dictate the engagements and with that control the rest of the game and roll to a win. The ability to capitalize on one mistake and win the game off of it is a trait we often talk about when defining whether a team is world class. Team 8's win against GFE makes it easy to call the new team the top in NA.
3. Gale Force eSports (3-2)
Results this week: Defeated Superstars 3-0; Lost 2-3 to Team 8
After their shocking loss to Team Freedom last week, there was some pressure on these guys going into this weekend to bounce back and make themselves a near lock for the Western Clash. They got off to a great start with a dominant 3-0 win against Superstars, but they couldn't keep it up against Team 8, eventually falling in Game 5 on Cursed Hollow to their upstart opponents.
I think they are going to regret that boss contest on Braxis Holdout in Game 3 for quite a while, particularly if that winds up being the difference between making the Western Clash or not making it. Both teams should feel proud however, as this was a very close set.
Gale Force eSports is still on track to make the Western Clash, but they face Tempo Storm next weekend on the Valeera patch. They need to take advantage of this possible meta shift and give Tempo Storm their first loss. This would solidfy their standing in North America.
4. B Step (2-3)
Results this week: Defeated No Tomorrow 3-0; Defeated Team Freedom 3-1
The former Cloud 9 members of this roster have always believed that they performed better under pressure, which is why they like LAN environments. I guess starting this week with an 0-3 record was enough to qualify as having their backs to the wall, as B-Step finally started looking like a team that was expected to compete for a spot at the Western Clash.
Not facing a top 3 team in North America must have been such a relief for B Step. Proving that their struggles was more a product of their opponents rather than lack of skill or practice, B Step finally seems to be rounding the corner. They decisively defeated No Tomorrow 3-0 and were able to take down the red hot Team Freedom, which had made a huge name for itself last week after the team of inexperienced players took Tempo Storm to Game 5 and beat Gale Force eSports.
It was really cool to see k1pro on Tyrande and the surprising Mind Control pick for Sylvanas in the decisive Game 4 versus Team Freedom.
Now for the bad news: B Step's players are not known for adjusting particularly fast to new metas. Of course, the Valeera patch is arriving next week to HGC 2017 and they have a big match versus Superstars upcoming. B Step can't really afford to have more problems adjusting to the meta.
5. Superstars (2-2)
Results this week: Lost 0-3 to Gale Force eSports
There's nothing really to say. Superstars is a solid team who can beat all the teams below them, but are pretty much no threat to the top 3 teams in North America. This is odd considering that Superstars is known for sometimes pulling out crazy strategies, but so far Superstars has rarely elected to show any and have had no success when they did.
Next week, they face B Step and Naventic, which means they have a prime opportunity to get some wins and challenge for the #3 spot. With B Step rounding into form though, Superstars is going to need to up their game. The past two weeks isn't going to cut it.
6. Team Freedom (2-3)
Results this week: Defeated Team Naventic 3-1; Lost to B Step 1-3
Team Freedom was red hot coming into this week, and the hype became even louder after they rebounded from a Game 1 loss to shut down Team Naventic on three straight maps, including a comeback win on Towers of Doom fueled by a Death Metal mosh pit. This meant they entered their match against B Step with the chance to set themselves up as a contender to make the Western Clash, and had many fans behind them in their unlikely quest to do the impossible: become a top team without any of their players having experience playing at a high level in competitive Heroes of the Storm.
While they undoubtedly have the potential to one day become one of the best teams in North America, that time isn't yet. The wily veterans of B Step were able to exploit the inexperience of Team Freedom, throwing them off by introducing the rookies to k1pro's Tyrande and Sylvanas's rarely picked Mind Control Heroic when Team Freedom lacked cleanse.
7. Team Naventic (1-3)
Results this week: Lost to Team Freedom 1-3
So Team Naventic is seriously starting to run out of time to up their game and get back on track. Their 1-3 loss to Team Freedom was full of moments I'm sure the team would like to have back, like the Kenma deaths on Lt Morales x2 to the Fort (watch the mini map on the 2nd one - Morales attempts to solo the fort, only to get swapped by Artanis and die), or the moment when multiple Naventic members went after an ETC only to get stuck in Death Mosh.
This highlights Team Naventic's key weakness: positioning. It won't matter how good their teamfighting is if they can't get this problem fixed, and it's only going to become more glaring when the Valeera patch arrives, as Valeera excels at punishing out of position heroes with her Cheap shot ability.
Also, their next opponents, Team 8, loves to draft wombo combo compositions or ones that excel at locking down out of position heroes. If Team Naventic can't fix this quickly, they are going to be at serious risk of facing relegation in the Crucible.
8. No Tomorrow (0-4)
Results this week: Lost 0-3 to B Step
I've run out of things to say, or hope that this team is likely going to be able to turn it around any time soon. They are the worst team in 2017 North America HGC, and their last 3 opponents before the Western Clash will be Tempo Storm, Team Freedom, and Gale Force eSports. They don't have a shot at winning against Tempo Storm or Gale Force eSports, and Team Freedom is a longshot due to how impressive Team Freedom has looked overall in HGC 2017.
No Tomorrow should realistically start watching the Open Series divisions and preparing for their crucible match. As long as they stay in the league, they can consider that their a victory.
The HGC 2017 action continues Friday, February 10 @ 18:00 CET / 9:00 am PST on the Valeera Patch (HGC matches have been played on Zul'jin matches so far).
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