Pavel is your 2016 Hearthstone World Champion

The Russian won the most thrilling final to date.
Image via [Blizzard Entertainment](http://blizzard.gamespress.com/Esports#?tab=Hearthstone)

After nine months of qualification and hundreds of contenders, Pavel Beltukov won the $1 million Hearthstone World Championship in the most thrilling final to date.

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The Russian bested fellow European representative Artem “DrHippi” Kravets 4–2 in the final to take the $250,000 first prize. He follows in the footsteps of James “Firebat” Kostesich and Sebastian “Ostkaka” Engwall, becoming the game’s third world champion.

The final was the first time the World Championship final has not been a whitewash, and was in fact the most competitive to date.

DrHippi took the first game, with his Dragon Warrior besting Pavel’s C’Thun variant. From there he was able to take over, including winning a crucial Malygos Druid mirror match and taking two more wins over the Ukranian’s Druid deck.

The final of these three wins sealed the series victory, with Pavel’s Miracle Rogue winning thanks to a 10/10 Edwin Van Cleef and no Mulch in Hippi’s deck to answer it.

Winning the title, the Russian has redeemed himself from just missing out on competing in the World Championship last year. He fell at the last hurdle against Adrian “Lifecoach” Koy in the European qualifier, thanks to one of the most influential misplays in the competitive game.

Earlier in the day Pavel and DrHippi dispatched the remaining players from Asia to ensure the all European final. Both claimed 4–2 victories over China’s Jason Zhou and Kim Cheonsu of Korea respectively.


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Callum Leslie
Weekend Editor, Dot Esports.