This weekend, the top Guild Wars 2 teams across Europe and North America will battle it out at the ESL Studios in Burbank, California in front of a live studio audience for a share of $100,000 and the Season 2 championship title. Find out what our star-studded broadcast team has to say about the upcoming action!
THE BROADCAST TEAM
• Joe “Storm” Nowasell
“The second season finals puts a lot at stake for the top four teams, possibly even more so than the Season 1 Finals. With Astral Authority seeking revenge against Rank Fifty Five Dragons, I’m expecting them to bring their best, but ultimately fall short in the series. Team PZ faces off against The Civilized Gentlemen for the first time where I’m expecting the closest series of the tournament, but I think PZ will fall 3-2. An all European grand finals is a sight we’ve yet to see, but I’m predicting that to be the case this time around, with Rank Fifty Five claiming their second crown.”
• Christian “Heurix” Thomasser
“In the past it has always been fairly evident who the top competitors were going into LAN. For North America, it’s always been a story of Astral Authority vs. the world. For Europe, there has typically always been a frontrunner that represented that region with several other teams closely contending. This is going to be hands down one of the best Finals experiences we will have ever had in Guild Wars 2 history because it is the first time where those two mantras do not hold true. PZ, with new addition Paul, have proven themselves worthy as an international contender with their Week 7 victory over Astral Authority, and TCG, with former members and all-star players Denshee and Rom re-joining the roster, have never seemed more terrifying. I’m really excited for both of the semifinal matches because we will finally see how the regions stack up against each other for the first time since the Finals event in Leicester, and while it is incredibly hard to call at this stage who will be the victors in any of the matches, I’d by lying if I said I wasn’t excited for the potential of an Astral vs. TCG Finals matchup.”
• Daniel “Jebro” Littleton
“Having seen these teams play in various tournaments over the past few years, I can honestly say that we haven’t seen a Finals where the skill gap has been closer between teams. Team PZ beating Astral in the final NA play day was MASSIVE, giving them the first seed and they could pull off a surprise win. I love an underdog and Team PZ could pull off a dream finish if they can cope with the play style of EU. I still feel the EU teams are ahead of NA in terms of rotational play and map presence, but anything can happen on the day in front of a live crowd! I’m backing Rank 55 Dragons for first and TCG for second spot. Yes TCG have the talent, but Rank 55 have the synergy on top of that skillful play. My big hitters to watch out for would be Magic Toker (previous MVP at WTS) and Zan who can turn the tides in a seemingly lost situation.”
• Hans “Supcutie” Onsum
“This season has been full of upsets, and possibly the biggest of all was Team PZ taking a win over the undefeated North American team Astral Authority in the final week of Pro League. I think the question on everyone’s mind is will Team PZ’s improvements over last season be enough at the international scene? With this question it’s important to consider TCG who had an immense roster change mid-season. I’m personally most excited to see how Team PZ fairs against TCG, as these two teams both have something big to prove and are in my opinion a very good match for each other. Fifty Five Dragons does appear to be the strongest candidate of the bunch, but as with any finals, you honestly can’t count out any team. The Season 2 Finals have shaped up to be arguably the most exciting we’ve seen yet.”
• James “Kaelaris” Carrol
SEASON 2 FINALS
If you’ll be in Los Angeles on June 25 and want to see the top Guild Wars 2 teams across Europe and North America battle it out in person, don’t forget to get your tickets to the show before they sell out! All audience members will be automatically entered to win some great prizes, so be sure to stop by. If you can’t make it to the show, don’t forget to tune in starting at 10:30 AM PDT this Saturday, June 25 on the Guild Wars 2 Twitch channel!