Posted on by GameGnome

HGC – Focus Down Week 9: Down to the Wire

Dylan Walker, Blizzard Entertainment

There are two—count ’em, TWO—weekends of league play left in the HGC before we move our coverage towards the HGC Playoffs, the Crucible, and of course the Mid-Season Brawl. Here are the most hype matches that you absolutely cannot miss in Week 9:

HeroesHearth Esports vs. Tempo Storm—Saturday, April 14 at 4:00 p.m. PDT / 1:00 a.m. CEST

With Tempo Storm inching closer to wrapping up the automatic qualification that comes with placing first in the regular season, the time for HeroesHearth to perform is now. It was Tempo Storm that walked away with the win the last time these two teams met, but that was in January, before Fenix, Maiev, and Blaze had made it onto the tournament realm. With Fenix in play this weekend, expect the sparks to fly, assuming the Steward of the Templar makes it through the ban phase.

Zealots vs. Team Liquid—Saturday, April 14 at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 6:00 p.m. CEST

Zealots and Team Liquid are neck-and-neck in the race for HGC Playoffs seeding. If Team Liquid can win this series, both teams will be tied at 7-5 headed into the final weekend of play, when Team Liquid will face Fnatic and Zealots will face Team Dignitas. So, the winner of this series is not necessarily locked for seeding, as both teams must slay one more giant apiece before all is said and done. Zealots are favored here, having posted a convincing 3-1 win over Fnatic last Sunday and being the only team to have given standings leader Team Dignitas a loss so far in Phase 1.

KSV Black vs. Ballistix—Sunday, April 15 at 4:00 a.m. PDT / 1:00 p.m. CEST

An Eastern Clash grand finals rematch pits the top two teams in Korea against each other in what promises to be one of the most intense matches of the week. KSV Black have been on a tear since their heartbreaking defeat in Taipei, winning their last 14 Battlegrounds without breaking a sweat. Ballistix are the final boss, though, having served up one of KSV’s only losses in online league play this year.

That’s it! Be sure to check out the coming changes for ranked play, Snitch’s guide to Falstad, and the Deckard Cain spotlight video. Tune into the HGC when the broadcast goes live this weekend at playheroes.com/esports.

Watch live video from Heroes of the Storm on www.twitch.tv

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