As the 2018 Heroes Global Championship season nears completion, one more battle must take place before a winner is crowned at the HGC Finals. This weekend, the Crucible will pit the top two Open Division teams against the bottom two HGC teams in a best-of-seven series with a spot in the professional league on the line.
The best amateur teams in Europe and North America blend new faces with familiar faces. Some of these players have previously been a part of HGC teams, others competed on an Open Division team in the Phase 1 Crucible in May.
Here’s who will be challenging for a spot in the HGC:
Europe Open Division - 1st place - Holy Bananas
Europe Open Division - 2nd place - ePunks
- GranPkt
- Lauber
- RoskMeg
- Cas
- SonicLeBeast
North America Open Division - 1st place - Scythe Esports
- Zanehyde
- Nessper
- Nintorii
- TalkingTrees
- Zergling
North America Open Division - 2nd place - PSISTORM Gaming
- Enavir
- Stronger
- Hyskoa
- Nsj
- ElhayM
ePunks vs. Monkey Menagerie - Saturday October 6 at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 6:00 p.m. CEST
ePunks only lost two series throughout their Open Division run in Europe, and both of those were to Holy Bananas. Winning six of the seven Open Division cups, ePunks enters the Crucible with poise and plenty of prior HGC experience. Francisco “GranPkt” Núñez Sorribas played for TRICKED Esport in Phase 1 while Johan "Lauber" Lauber was a part of Leftovers earlier this year. Additionally, Rodney Anyani "SonicLeBeast" Kwaku was on the Worst Positioning squad for the Phase 1 Crucible.
“Our goal since we made the team was to qualify for HGC,” said ePunks Support player GranPkt. “We played every scrim with that idea, to improve our synergy, improve at the game as individuals and as a team. We are confident facing Monkey Menagerie at the Crucible, it won't be easy, but we have what it takes to win and join the HGC.”
Holy Bananas vs Roll20 Esports - Sunday October 7 at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 6:00 p.m. CEST
Holy Bananas stunned ePunks in the Grand Finals of the Open Division Playoffs, earning the #1 seed and the choice for their Crucible opponent. They picked Roll20 Esports, who ended Phase 2 with only two wins. Both Olf and Earth played in the Crucible back in May, but neither team broke into the HGC.
When asked about how the team felt preparing for this Crucible, Holy Bananas’ Warrior player Mehdi “Earth” Lakhiari was direct. “This month of preparation was pretty good,” Earth said. “We feel super good and confident.”
PSISTORM Gaming vs No Tomorrow - Saturday October 6 at 12:00 p.m. PDT / 9:00 p.m. CEST
PSISTORM Gaming began competing in the Open Division during Cup 4, eeking out enough points to enter the playoffs as the #6 seed. While they haven’t been around the Open Division long, they made a splash with raw individual skill, momentum, and a fascinating
origin story. PSISTORM is comfortable running unique off-meta team compositions and enjoy utilizing Greymane in their drafts.
Their opponent, No Tomorrow, participated in the Crucible during Phase 1 and narrowly defended their spot against King’s Gambit, winning the series 4-3. Something clicked for No Tomorrow in their last Crucible appearance, and they will need to tap into that experience to overcome a bumpy Phase 2 filled with role changes and inconsistency.
PSISTORM’s Warrior player Ronel "Stronger" Tan“ shed some light on their team’s preparation. “We decided to analyze the meta from each region and apply that knowledge to improve our playstyle. We have focused on watching HGC Korea and Europe matches and practiced these strategies against NA HGC Teams.”
“We all feel this is going to be an exciting but heartbreaking match for both teams,” he added. “For us, this is the last obstacle to accomplishing our goal since arriving in the US and it means everything to us.”
Scythe Esports vs Simplicity - Sunday October 7 at 12:00 p.m. PDT / 9:00 p.m. CEST
Scythe Esports enters the Crucible as the top Open Division team from North America. They won five of the seven Open Division tournaments and placed second in the two they didn’t win. They’ll be put to the test against Simplicity, a squad full of seasoned veterans that can show up to play when their backs are against the wall.
This matchup is truly a story of new blood challenging the old guard as Nintorii and TalkingTrees competed in the Phase 1 Crucible as part of XD, while Zergling was a part of King’s Gambit.
“The last month has been a little stressful for us just since the meta has been rapidly involving,” Coby “Nintorii” Colson explained. “Trying to find compositions that are powerful themselves but also work with our team's play style can be difficult.”
The exciting conclusion to Phase 2 can be watched live at
playheroes.com/esports. The Crucible begins with ePunks vs Monkey Menagerie on Saturday October 6 at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 6:00 a.m. CEST.