The first regional Hearthstone championship of the year, which decides which players head to November’s Hearthstone World Championship, is over—and a number of China’s best known players missed out.
The $10,000 first prize was taken by relative unknown “LoveCX,” who defeated established players like Shen “MieGod” Yang of Newbee on his way to winning the event.
Team Celestial founder and namesake Wang “TiddlerCelestial” Xieyu will not be returning to Anaheim this year, where he finished second in 2014. Xieyu became one of the most decorated players in the game’s history after winning DreamHack Summer this year, but he fell at the first round to his teammate and eventual semifinalist “Zihao.”
Joining “LoveCX” and Guo “Zihao” Zihao will be Yu “NoTomorrow” Jian and Team Celestial’s  Hong “Zoro” Yijie.
Xieyu wasn’t the only established player to miss out on the trip to BlizzCon, with Gu “XiaoGz” Zhi of Vici Gaming and Gold Series champion Zhang “lovelychook” Bohan also failing to qualify.
Many in China had high hopes for “Chaoshen,” the mathematics PhD student who had become a cult hero among the Hearthstone community following his impressive performances at the Gold Series NA vs CN Challenge event, but he also lost in the first round.
China’s four representatives have been decided relatively early, with the other three regional championships not taking place until early October.
