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Heroes of The Storm: A New Competitive League

 

Heroes of The Storm: A New Competitive League

2nd Nov 2016

Blizzard reveals upcoming competitive changes to HoTS
It’s time to usher in a new era for Activision Blizzard’s flagship MOBA, Heroes of the Storm. Blizzard has just announced their upcoming Global Championship, starting in 2017. If you’ve been following the LCS in the League of Legends competitive scene, you’ll notice quite a few similarities.

The current competitive scene for HoTS can be described as lackluster at best. There’s no real structure or organization to it, hence the reason Blizzard is now stepping in to ramp up their platform.

In the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship (HGC), top professional teams battle for supremacy in regional premier leagues, pausing only for elite international exhibitions and a Mid-Season Brawl on their way to the HGC Finals. The Heroes Global Champions will take home the crown and the winner’s share of a cash grand prize.

The 2017 Heroes of the Storm Global Championship

Just like in League of Legends, Blizzard’s new HoTS circuit will have four distinct regions. That will include Europe, North America, China, and Korea. Each region will have eight teams, with 32 teams total.

Team Dignitas and Fnatic have already been invited to the European League, with Denial eSports and Astral Authority being invited to the North American region. MVP Black and Ballistix will be featured in the Korean region.

In addition to the four main regions, teams from Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan will also be invited to participate in either the Western or Eastern Clash exhibition.

The Mid-Season Brawl
Much like Riot’s Mid-Season Invitational, HoTS will have a Mid-Season Brawl featuring 12 teams, with representatives for each HCS division competing for a share of the $250,000.

The event will take place in May/June 2017. The first place team from each region will automatically qualify for the tournament. Teams that place 2nd-6th will play in a playoff competition to determine the 2nd team from each region to qualify.

There will also be an Open Division for teams looking to qualify for the HGC. Teams that finish in 7th and 8th in the HGC will play in a relegation tournament against the top teams from the Open Division.

After the Mid-Season Brawl, standings will reset and a new season will begin (much like the Spring and Summer split from LCS). The regional leagues will start once again, with the top teams competing in another Western and Eastern Clash at the end of the season.

Much like the World Championship for League of Legends that just took place, Blizzard will also host an end of the year tournament. The World Championship will take place at Blizzcon.

Blizzard giving $100k to each HoTS team
Blizzard has announced that each team competing in their HoTS tournament will earn $100,000 for just participating, even if they place last! Between prize purses and team bonuses Blizzard is investing up to $3.2 million into the HotS scene.

This is the first time a major label has reserved such a substantial base pay for each team. Team minimums are in addition to winnings, a bold and strategic move. In the past, Call of Duty and League of Legends tournaments have offered compensation, but only around $10,000 per player.

For more information, you can visit the official Heroes of the Storm website.

Do you play Heroes of the Storm? Are you interested in playing competitively? Let us know in the comments below!

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