It’s all change at the top in this month’s Hearthstone power rankings—and the middle, and the bottom.
Nine of the 10 players who made this month’s list did not appear last month, after a number of established players regained form in top tournaments and a handful of newcomers impressed. With tournaments like the Viagame House Cup 3, the ESL Legendary Series Season 2 finals, the HTC Invitational and the finale of the Kinguin Pro League, there was certainly a lot to judge players on this month.
1) Lifecoach, Nihilum (NR)
After a very quiet month saw him fail to appear in May’s rankings, Adrian “Lifecoach” Koy has returned to the No. 1 spot he occupied in April. His dominance this month was clear for all to see, as he won his first major at the Viagame House Cup 3 in Romania. Koy also came within one game of winning the inaugural Kinguin Pro League after an excellent season-long performance, and finished at No.34 on the North America legend rankings. With consistent legend rankings and now a major win under his belt, Koy has his sights set on the Hearthstone World Championships.
2) StrifeCro, Cloud9 (NR)
This is the first rankings appearance for Cong “StrifeCro” Shu in two months after a number of top tournament placings. Shu lost out in the final of the Viagame House Cup 3 to Koy in a close seven-game final after looking to be in great form all weekend. Shu also finished third in the Kinguin Pro League finals and made the top four in the HTC Invitational.
3) Kolento, Cloud9 (1)
Last month’s top player has fallen a little. But Aleksandr “Kolento” Malsh did enjoy success this month with victory in the first Kinguin Pro League finals. The $10,000 from that victory takes him well past his 2014 prize money earnings total, and puts him ahead of all other players in prize money this year, with six event wins in 2015. This month also marks the fifth straight appearance for Malsh on our power rankings, the only player to appear in every month so far.
4) PHONETAP, Hearthlytics (NR)
For Christopher “PHONETAP” Huynh, victory at the ESL Legendary Series Season 2 finals was something a whirlwind. Qualifying through the last chance open and only joining up with new team Hearthlytics in the weeks before the tournament, he played exceptionally well to take victory ahead of some of the world’s best. Perhaps most impressively he defeated Shengyuan “Roger” Luo, considered one of Asia’s top players right now, in the quarter finals. He also ended the month with a #49 legend ranking finish on the EU server.
5) Reynad, Tempo Storm (NR)
A first appearance for Tempo Storm founder Andrey “Reynad” Yanyuk on the power rankings since February caps off a period of significant competitive form. Though Yanyuk now divides his time between being a Hearthstone pro and managing the Tempo Storm organization, Yanyuk managed to win week four of the ESL Legendary Series on his way to coming second in the finals themselves. He also made the top four of the NVIDIA Pro/Am as the last professional player standing.
6) Hyped, Tempo Storm (NR)
Following his Tempo Storm team owner is George “Hyped” Maganzini, who had a quietly successful month with a number of respectable tournament finishes. Maganzini made it to the top six playoffs in the Kinguin Pro League, the top tour of the HTC Invitational, and the top eight of the NVIDIA Pro/Am, meaning he had the joint most prize money finishes this month. Maganzini also finished just inside the top 100 legend rankings to pick up some vital HWC points.
7) ViktorStay (NR)
Little is known about “ViktorStay”, but he outlasted the field of professional and amateur players to win the first NVIDIA Pro/Am amidst all the tournament’s problems. Viktor defeated Peter “Gaara” Stevanovic and Dima “Rdu” Radu on his way to victory, claiming $10,000 and 100 HWC points.
8) Zalae, Archon (NR)
The only Archon player to appear in this month’s list is Paul “Zalae” Nemeth, who continued to increase his standing among pro players by defeating his team owner Jason “Amaz” Chan to win the World Cyber Arena NA pro qualifier and winning a flight to the main event in China and $5,000. He also finished at No. 8 in the NA legend rankings, meaning he is beginning to accrue World Championshp points.
9) JAB, Hearthlytics (NR)
Hearthlytics
It was an unremarkable month competitively for Justin “JAB” Black, but he achieved an almost impossible feat in last month’s legend rankings. Not only did he manage to take the top spot on the NA server, something which is hard enough to do at the best of times, Black did that while all the time managing his account on the EU server as well to achieve a No. 9 finish. Arguably one of the most impressive ladder performances to date, Black is rewarded with World Championship points that will help to put him in line to qualify.
10) Forsen (NR)
Top streamer Sebastian “Forsen” Fors took his first tournament win this month, much to the delight of his legion of fans. Fors defeated Andrew “TidesofTime” Biessener 3-1 to take the title, having beaten Aleksandr “Kolento” Malsh on his way to the finals.
Image via Viagame/Facebook
