In just a few days, we’ll know almost all of the players who’ll be competing in this year’s Hearthstone World Championship. For Europe’s best, the Road to Blizzcon runs through some tough matchups.
Eight of Europe’s top players will take part in the Hearthstone European Championship in Prague this weekend, with four of them advancing to November’s World Championship. The eight players will meet in two double elimination groups, with the two players advancing from each groups claiming the World Championship spots.
Fans and players alike are calling Group A the “Group of Death”, as Thijs “ThijsNL” Molendijk of Nihilum, the Na’Vi pair of Sebastian “Ostkaka” Engwall and Frederik “Hoej” Nielsen and Michaël “Maverick” Looze. The draw for the group means that Na’Vi and Nihilum will not be able to take all four spots between them, as one player from those teams is guaranteed to fall at the group stage.
Molendijk’s team mate Adrian “Lifecoach” Koy is the favorite to advance from Group B, with Eugene “Neirea” Shumilin, Pavel “Pavel” Beltukov, and Gerardo “Gera89” Di Pietro rounding out the group.
Having come through a 40-player bracket and all the qualification that came before it, the players have just one more hurdle to overcome. A record of either 2-0 or 2-1 in the group will be enough to book them their place in the World Championship finals.
Elsewhere, the Asia Pacific regionals will also take place this weekend. Four players will also advance from that region, with Hakjun “Kranich” Baek and He “Pinpingho” Guoping the favourites.
Image via Blizzard
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