International Contenders: Of Myths and Champions

Once again the Heroes of the Storm competitive scene has stood its ground after some shattering news. The end of CCL has led us to a new international offline event with a highly self-explanatory name: Heroes International. Offline events have been really scarce in the last years, and most of them were limited to the region where they took place. The only Western exception was the Defrost Miami LAN last February. The European team Wurst And Homies traveled to North America to play—and conquer—that tournament. Miami will also be hosting Heroes International, but this time the regional rivalry will feature a new contender: South Korea.

In this first part of our Heroes International preview we introduce you to the two Korean teams and the highest seeded North American teams.

Tempest

Qualifiers: FiSH Bros. S3
CapyBara, Lockdown, Qepi, Gondar, Kcb

Tempest is one of the most legendary teams in the whole Heroes of the Storm history. They were one of the best teams in the world during the pre-HGC and HGC eras. After three silent years, Tempest reemerged last February to participate in the sixth season of Heroes of the Storm League: REVIVAL. Though we had already seen those players, watching them play under the Tempest tag was yet something else. Their winner bracket run at Revival was a successful one, but they fell at the grand finals against GDR.

The Korean legend arrives at Heroes International with many roster changes. Those changes worked wonders at FiSH Bros. Season 3, which served as qualifier for HI in South Korea. All the current players have experience playing in international tournaments, including the Chinese Storm League, CCL and NGS Storm Division.

Ammonite

Qualifiers: FiSH Bros. S3
Spell, H82, Reset, HaeBin, Hide

Ammonite is the FiSH Bros Season 3 runner-up team. Though its name may not sound familiar, their players are definitely well-known. All of them were part of the Korean HGC and some of them own a roomful of World Championship trophies. These five seasoned veterans have played in front of large audiences before and will be looking forward to demonstrating what they’re capable of at Heroes International. They come as the second Korean seed, but they are certainly a threat to be reckoned with.

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FiSH Bros. Season 3 Grand Finals.

30k

Qualifiers: NA Q1
cattlepillar, Liam, MadaraUchiha, Kure, LegacY

The North American qualifiers have brought some karmic justice and favored the CCL organizations that stuck with the scene and kept their rosters (some others are still involved but no longer have an active roster). And who else to carry on the legacy—pun not intended—of the CCL but the reigning champion: 30k. MichaelUdall’s organization won the first HI qualifier of its region. Despite Diamond Hands forfeiting the grand finals, 30k had already taken them down at the winner bracket, so their triumph is beyond question.

30k players will be defending their crowns in front of their home audience. That will be a lot of pressure, but also tons of motivation to give their best and prove they’re the best both online and offline.

Diamond Hands

Qualifiers: NA Q1 NA Q2
Caesarsalad, Nintorii, Mokka, fancypants, Hebi

After missing the grand finals of the first North American qualifier, Diamond Hands proved its commitment towards Heroes International by winning all the series they played at the second qualifier, thus earning their tickets for the main event at Miami.

Again, this is a slight dose of karmic justice, as Diamond Hands made it to the CCL playoffs and would have been at its offline finals had they not been canceled. In fact, they made roster changes before CCL Season 4 as some of their players wouldn’t be able to make it to Minnesota for the finals. Now they have the chance to show us that this tough journey was not in vain.

Let us know your thoughts on these first four teams! Will Korea reclaim its old-times throne? Will NA mantain its status as champion region?