Mage decks dominated Week 4 Day 1 of the Hearthstone Grandmasters live broadcasts as players fought for a spot in the quarterfinals. Like the previous week, the specialist format is still in use, players have three decks from the same class alongside card variations.
Hearthstone Grandmasters Asia-Pacific
Over in the Asia-Pacific region, 50% of the competitors brought Mage decks into the fray. There were also two Priest and Druid decks. Sato “glory” Kenta and Liu “Shaxy” Wei-Chieh started the day with a Priest versus Mage matchup, with the latter player sweeping his opponent and earning a score of 2-0.
When it was Kim “che0nsu” Cheonsu and Jang “DawN” Hyun Jae’s time to duke it out, the players brought Druid and Mage respectively. The Druid deck played by che0nsu came out on top, with the player going 2-0 against his opponent.
Meanwhile, Chiang “Alan870806” Shih-Hsun’s Priest gameplay defeated Yashima “Alutemu” Nozomi’s Mage choice. In the tiebreaker, Alan870806 had board control in the late game and his opponent wasn’t able to clear the threats to face.
Although Mage decks dominated the region in terms of popularity, Kim “Surrender” Jung-soo’s Mage games ended in a 1-2 score against Pa “GivePLZ” Yu Hsin’s Druid. This meant GivePLZ earned a place in the quarterfinals alongside Shaxy, che0nsu and Alan870806.
Mage reigns supreme
Next, Hearthstone Grandmasters Europe received the spotlight. Just like the Asia-Pacific region, 50% of the decks were of the Mage class. However, unlike the Asia-Pacific region, all of the Mage players made it to the quarterfinals.
The chain of Mage wins began with Simone “Leta” Liguori versus Elias “Bozzzton” Sibelius. Both players fought for board control in the midgame, with Leta buffing his tokens and Bozzzton summoning and buffing Lifesteal minions. Earlier on, Bozzzton received Vile Call spells and Nofin Can Stop Us thanks to Deck of Lunacy. The Libram of Hope played in the midgame then proved to be too much for Leta, which earned Bozzzton the first point.
In the second game, Bozzzton managed to clear his opponent’s board in the late game. Meanwhile, Leta’s hand didn’t have the cards required to create another strong board of buffed minions. This soon led to Leta bowing out and Bozzzton going 2-0.
The victories with Mage decks didn’t end there. When Jaromír “Jarla” Vyskočil went up against Romaric “AyRoK” Dubois’ Warlock, the first game ended with a Fireball to the face. As for the second game, it concluded with another Fireball alongside lethal damage by minions.
Zakarya “xBlyzes” Hail fought David “Frenetic” Neila Quiñones in the following match. While xBlyzes opted for Mage, his opponent chose Warlock. Although Frenetic healed up in the second game using Soul Fragments, it wasn’t enough as xBlyzes went 2-0 with the help of minions and Mask of C’Thun.
When Joffrey “Swidz” Cunat’s Priest went up against Radu “Rdu” Dima’s Mage, it was a similar story as the Mage deck received a score of 2-0. Alongside Rdu, players Bozzzton, Jarla and xBlyzes obtained a spot in the quarterfinals.
Priest enters the fray
Despite the popularity of Mage decks in the Hearthstone Grandmasters Week 4 Day 1 broadcasts among players representing Asia-Pacific and Europe, it was not the case for North America. Instead, Priest accounted for 50% of the chosen decks.
Brian “Briarthorn” Schneider went up against Jerome “Monsanto” Faucher in the first matchup. While Briarthorn fought using Warrior, his opponent chose Mage. In the third game, Monsanto came out on top with a score of 2-1.
Next, it was a Priest mirror between Joshua “Impact” Graham and Muzahidul “muzzy” Islam. Although Impact obtained the first point, muzzy tied the score in the next game. When it all came down to the final duel, muzzy won with the help of minions on his side of the board.
As for Facundo “Nalguidan” Pruzzo versus Martin “Tincho” Mazza, Nalguidan’s Mage deck went 2-0 against his opponent’s Warlock one. The first game was won when Nalguidan went face with Runed Orb and two Fireball spells. Although Tincho became Jaraxxus in the second game, it wasn’t enough as his opponent played Fireball alongside Runed Orb for lethal damage.
The final matchup of the day involved games between Luna “lunaloveee” Eason and Eddie “Eddie” Lui. Both players chose Priest decks to clash against each other.
While lunaloveee earned the first point, Eddie tied the score in the second game. When it all came down to the tiebreaker, Eddie went into fatigue. Meanwhile, his opponent healed up thanks to a Lifesteal minion and Renew.
Lunaloveee soon went 2-1 and earned a spot in the quarterfinals alongside Monsanto, muzzy and Nalguidan.
Players can catch up on more of the action via Upcomer’s Hearthstone section.
