Close to $100,000 was awarded in tournament prize money in March for Hearthstone. Alongside these tournaments, two weekly pro leagues started and the qualification process for the World Championships rolled on.
It was a busy month. And the story of this month’s Hearthstone power rankings is top teams dominating like never before. Archon is represented by three members on the list, with Nihilum making two appearances. With one each for CompLexity, Trig, Cloud9 and Dignitas there was just one spot on the list for a teamless player this month.
For the second month in a row only four players managed to retain their places on the list, with six new players ranked—though one of those is February’s returning chart-topper. Â
1) Lifecoach, Nihilum (4)
Adrian “Lifecoach” Koy has emerged this spring as the most consistently impressive player in Hearthstone. After winning his first online title last month he added the ROOT Invitational and an ESL Legendary Series matchday, and is currently top of his division in the Kinguin Pro League. Koy also finished at No. 8 in the Americas legend rankings last month, making it an all round incredible performance. Not bad for a guy who says he only plays Hearthstone for fun.
2) Orange, Archon (1)
Last month’s number one stays near the top of the list after arguably the biggest month of his career. Not content with just qualifying for the biggest major of the year, Jon “Orange” Westberg went on to win ESL Katowice beating Jason “Amaz” Chan in the final. In the days following the win, Westberg signed for Chan’s Archon team, and rounded out the month placing at No. 35 in the legend rankings. He currently sits at second place in the qualification standings for the 2015 World Championships.
3) Kolento, Cloud9 (6)
Aleksandr “Kolento” Malsh makes this list for the third month in a row, returning to the no. 3 slot he occupied in February’s list. This month Malsh won the biggest single tournament prize of the year so far, with his victory at the EU vs CN Masters 2 netting him over $22,000. And last weekend, he won $2000 at the Gamers Assembly tournament in France.
4) Hoej (NR)
Despite a stacked field of top names, it was Frederik “Hoej” Nielsen who emerged victorious in the second Viagame House Cup. The popular tournament ended with an unlikely final as Nielsen defeated Shengyuan “Roger” Luo to take home $10,000 and 100 World Championship qualification points.
5) Sjow, CompLexity (NR)
Representing CompLexity Gaming, Jeffrey “Sjow” Brusi had the biggest month of his career so far. Often overshadowed by his North American teammates, Brusi took his first Hearthstone title with victory in the Xfinity Invitational. That win netted him $7,000 and was the first time he had even placed in a notable tournament since last June. Additionally, Brusi has been performing above expectations in the Kinguin Pro League, currently finding himself in third place in his division.
6) Firebat, Archon (NR)
It’s a return to the rankings for James “Firebat” Kostesich this month. After topping the February, he fell off entirely after a month of relative underperformance. However, March has seen him return to form, taking victory at the Gfinity Spring Masters I and placing at both the Viagame House Cup and in the Blackrock Mountain Launch Invitational.
7) Zalae, Archon (NR)
Finishing just one below his teammate Kostesich and rounding out a trio of Archon players on this month’s list is Paul “Zalae” Nemeth. After impressing in February’s ESL Legendary Series S1 finals, Nemeth joined Archon and moved into their Texas-based team house. The change of scene has clearly had an impact, as Nemeth managed to win the Blackrock Mountain Launch Invitational and finish at No. 20 in this month’s NA legend rankings.
8) ThijsNL, Nihilum (8)
A non-mover at No. 8, Thijs “ThijsNL” Molendijk had another notable month. The Nihilum player added another title to his collection with the OTK Invitational, beating Jason “Amaz” Chan, Malsh and teammate Dima “Rdu” Radu on the way. He also finished at No. 7 in the EU legend rankings and currently looks set to make it to the World Championships regional qualifier for the second year running.
9) Naiman, Dignitas (NR)
Previously regarded as exclusively a ladder king, Olzhas “Naiman” Batyrbekov made his first tournament appearance this month as he reached the semi finals of the Gfinity Spring Masters I. Batyrbenov ended the month by joining Team Dignitas, and finishing at No. 4 in the legend rankings to regain pole position in the European World Championship qualification standings.
10) Powder, Trig Esports (NR)
Rounding out the list this month is Harald “Powder” Gimre. Appearing in a number of smaller tournaments such as the Plantronics Invitational and the DingIt Showdown Series, Gimre took his first tournament title with victory at the Insomnia54 Tesoro Fireside Cup.Â
Image via DreamHack/Flickr
