Blizzard Entertainment
Season 1 of the 2018 Hearthstone Championship Tour (HCT) now has its final Competitive Point (CP) standings, and it paints an interesting picture of the year to come as the chase for placement in the Hearthstone Masters System continues.
If CP earnings are any indication, Europe is the region to watch as we begin the Year of the Raven. Casper “hunterace” Notto, the young Norwegian prodigy, is the worldwide point leader thus far, with an astonishing 66 points to his name—and an 11-point lead over the next closest competitor.
Many familiar names also appear at the top of the point standings:
- Rdu
- Kolento
- justsaiyan
- Purple
- muzzy
- tom60229
- Surrender
With top placements at regional Playoffs or the Hearthstone Summer Championship guaranteeing anywhere from 6 to 30 additional points, some of these players could be more than halfway to becoming the first Hearthstone 1-Star Masters—and that’s before even taking early Season 2 ladder finishes or upcoming Tour Stops into consideration!
Season 2 also brings with it the beginning of the Pro Team Standings Leaderboard—stay tuned for more details on that soon.
Tour Stops were a vital component of players’ success in conquering the CP leaderboard. Both hunterace and Alexandre “Odemian” Leadley finished in the eight-player playoff brackets of HCT Germany and HCT Toronto, and those consistent placements got these two both guaranteed Playoff invites for Season 1.
Even more Tour Stops will take place in Season 2; see the schedule for more details. Players looking to earn a berth at future Playoffs should hit up as many Tour Stops as they can! Even if you’re not a pro player, competing in a Tour Stop is an experience worth having.
Overall point leader hunterace spoke with us about his success in Season 1, and said he was able to lead the pack by working hard and staying consistent. “I’ve been trying to compete in all the tournaments I could, and to make the best out of it,” he says. “I’ve been super eager to start this year off, and spend the off-season getting really into Hearthstone.”
The bulk of his points to date have come from Ranked Play finishes, but hunterace also saw success in multiple Tour Stops. “My Tour Stop experience started with HCT Germany,” he explains. “I played in all four of the qualifiers and managed to sneak through in the last one.” His practice paid off for HCT Germany, where he felt he had a strong read on what his opponents would bring to the tournament. “I tried to do something similar in HCT Oslo, but it didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to.”
Buoyed by his current point total, hunterace has turned toward the HCT World Championship. “My main goal is qualifying for the World Championship,” he says. “I’m going to try and do everything to achieve that goal.” He says that he’ll work to qualify for a Seasonal Championship through Playoffs, but that he’s currently focused on earning Masters status and jockeying for the Last Call berth.
That’s it for now! Stay tuned for the upcoming HCT Summer Playoffs coming up in May, and we’ll be back with thoughts from some of your favorite pro players on which Witchwood cards they’re loving and what they want to experiment with in their class of choice in the weeks to come.