Being perhaps the most decorated guild-turned-organization in competitive World of Warcraft, Method had an astounding performance at this weekend’s BlizzCon. The Arena World Championships and Mythic Dungeon International took place at the convention. To perhaps no one’s surprise, the organization claimed both titles. Method Black won the AWC, and Method EU absolutely dominated the MDI with an undefeated lower-bracket run. The only team that was able to take a map from Method EU this weekend? Method NA.
Method Black ride the upper bracket to the top
Though not undefeated, Method Black went on a stellar run in the Arena World Championship. They managed to dodge (for the whole tournament) Cloud9, which was certainly a relief. That was the team, after all, that won both the Spring and Summer finals and defeated Method Black in the grand finals of the latter.
Method looked to be in prime form, given that through their upper bracket run, they conceded just one game to each of their opponents. This gave them an impressive series record of 3-1 against each team. Looking as prepared as ever, the lineup of Oscar “Whaazz” Wulff, Andreas “Raiku” Meaney, Josef “Chas” Stoinanov, and Réne “Swapxy” Pinkera set their sights on the title of Arena World Champions.
Method took the upper finals against Wild Card Gaming, sending them to the lower bracket. Despite this, Wild Card went on to defeat the esteemed Cloud9 in the lower finals. This granted them their rematch against Method. The final set turned out to be a seven-game series, concluding with one of the most explosive final games of the tournament.
Six slogs and a lightning round
The first six games of the series were a war of attrition. Each round closed in at nearly fifteen minutes apiece. Wild Card Gaming took the first game. Method struck back in game two. This back-and-forth continued until the last game of the tournament, an electrifying fight at the Ruins of Lordaeron.
Method took an early aggressive posture, focusing on Wild Card Warrior Blizo. This strategy proved effective, as Blizo fell to the onslaught and Method Black closed out the round in just over two minutes. They managed to evade previous assailants Cloud9 and, after four grueling series, Method Black became the 2019 Arena World Champions. This would be the first of two titles for Method’s organization at the BlizzCon weekend.
Sweeping the lower bracket at the Mythic Dungeon International
West’s first seed Method EU demonstrated why they held the highest win-rate for both the spring and summer MDI seasons. They lost the Spring Finals to fellow organization members and third seed Method NA, and they wanted revenge. Unfortunately, the day started for them with a bit of deja vu, because Method NA sent them directly to the lower brackets early on. Those two map losses would prove to be the only maps in the tournament conceded by the European powerhouse. After this, Method EU decimated the other lower-bracket teams and earned a rematch against their NA rivals.
Method’s Robin “Naowh” Gabay, Kenn “Zaelia” Rasmussen, Marc “Meeres” Endress, “Gingi”, and Jimmy “Fragnance” Landqvist began their redemption by dispatching Games Revolted in the MDI lower quarterfinals. This continued, and they trounced Taiwan’s Buff War Nerf Rogue, the first seed in the East.
In the lower finals, they met Abrakeydabra, the second seed team of the West. Map one looked scary when Method suffered a group wipe just before the fourth boss. Despite this, they were able to recover and put out an insane amount of damage, leading them to a sharp victory. EU’s gameplay stayed air-tight for map two, as they were able to capitalize on Abrakeydabra’s early deaths. Having swept the lower bracket, Method EU set their sights on the last thing separating them from glory.
Method EU was out for vengeance
The Europeans finally had their chance at redemption. The first map was a rough start for EU, and they suffered a wipe on the first pull. NA’s response was to wipe to a Priestess Alunza at just 1% health, which cost them the first map. NA again squandered a healthy lead in the second map, Shrine of the Storm. A large trash pull around the eleven-minute mark proved too much for the team, and the wipe set them too far back.
Map three was on The Motherlode and was an absolute nail-biter. Both teams were playing out of their minds. This meant that even the smallest mistakes would be damning. Ultimately, Method NA conceded a few too many deaths, which created a twenty-second time differential. Sensing this, Method EU continued the ferocious damage output and took the map just twelve seconds ahead of their opponents. With that, Method EU claimed the MDI Championship title with a perfect record through the lower brackets.
A lot of hard work and grueling practice went into this year, all leading up to #BlizzCon19
The results speak to the dedication of all our amazing players and support team. We are proud!
#1 AWC 🥇
#1 MDI 🥇
#2 MDI 🥈 pic.twitter.com/OzIdtBDwW8— Method (@Method) November 3, 2019
Want to check out the results for the rest of BlizzCon’s esports tournaments? Be sure to check out our breakdown of the Starcraft II WCS Global Finals!
