Blizzard Entertainment
At the end of 2017, KSV Black (then known as MVP Black) stood tall over Fnatic and the rest of the teams at the HGC Finals. Now, all eyes are on the champions as we begin a new chapter: the 2018 season of the Heroes Global Championship.
Commencing Phase 1
HGC leagues in North America, Europe, China, and Korea will again field eight teams a piece. After five weeks of play within the regions, the top four from Europe and North America will collide at the Western Clash which will be returning to the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in Katowice, Poland. Similarly, the first Eastern Clash of the year will return to Blizzard’s EStadium in Taipei, Taiwan and feature the top team from Taiwan, the top three teams from China, and the top four from Korea. Each of the clashes will yield a $100,000 prize pool.
The updated Clash format includes the “buddy pass” for the Mid-Season Brawl. The regions that win each of the Clashes will allow an additional team from the winning team’s region to compete at the Mid-Season Brawl. The Mid-Season Brawl returns to Sweden in 2018, and will again feature a $250,000 prize pool. For more on the HGC format, including the Horizon Clash, Intercontinental Clash, and more, start with the overview of the overhauled HGC system and stay tuned for more information on HGC China.
Changes for 2018
The broadcast for North America will be a little…taller…this year, with Josh “JHow” Howard assuming a permanent role on the desk. Over the first half of Phase 1 he will be joined by Jaycie “Gillyweed” Gluck who will tag in Wade “Dreadnaught” Penfold to take her place for the second half of Phase 1. The dynamic duo of Thomas “Khaldor” Kilian and Tim ‘Trikslyr’ Frazier will be returning to the desk for HGC Europe.
Make sure to follow Heroes esports on Twitter, Twitch, and Facebook to stay in the loop on all things HGC. If you aren’t already following Heroes esports on Twitter, you might have missed out on the announcement of the Battlegrounds pool for Phase 1! Not to worry, we’ve got you covered:
- Braxis Holdout
- Volskya Foundry
- Towers of Doom
- Infernal Shrines
- Battlefield of Eternity
- Tomb of the Spider Queen
- Sky Temple
- Dragon Shire
- Cursed Hollow
Also, you will always be able to find which patch the HGC is being played on by checking out our pinned tweet. For the 2018 opening week, all matches will be played on the Blaze patch with Blaze himself disabled until Week 2.
The 2018 season of HGC is here and we couldn’t be more excited! Check your team, check the schedule and get ready for the best season of professional Heroes of the Storm yet.
Watch live video from Heroes of the Storm on www.twitch.tv