Another weekend, another tournament, and Hearthstone takes centre stage at the Gfinity Arena, as 16 of the world’s best Hearthstone players descend upon London, as they aim to follow Firebat’s footsteps, and become the reigning Gfinity Hearthstone Spring Masters champion.
Will Firebat be able to defend his crown, or will we witness a newcomer take home the trophy?
I’ll be discussing my predictions for the upcoming tournaments and providing my analysis on what stage of the tournament I expect each player to reach.
However, with Blackrock Mountain causing new decks to pop up with varying styles, it should make for an interesting weekend!
Airbrushed - Qualified
Representing Team Darkstar in the tournament, Airbrushed will meet up with former teammate and practice partner, Orange.
While undeniably skilled, there is the constant worry that Airbrushed will fall prey to the nerves of competing on a live stage, something that effects even the most experienced of players.
I believe Airbrushed will put on a series of strong performances, reiterating why he successfully earned his qualification, however, with the high level of skill in this tournament, he may struggle to progress from his Groups.
Projected Finish - Groups
ibdutchboy - Invited
Having missed out on Spring Masters I after qualifying but unable to attend, ibdutchboy has been brought back to take his rightful place at Spring Masters II.
Unfortunately, it is possible he'll become one of the casualties to one of the up-and-coming players who also qualified.
Projected Finish - Groups
Kroba - Qualified
Admittedly, not much is known about Kroba, so it's hard to say how he'll do - I fear that he'll be one of the players to lose out in what will be a very competitive weekend, however he did qualify so I’m sure he will make life difficult for whoever faces him.
Projected Finish - Groups
Movitz - Qualified
Keeping the Swedish representation strong, Movitz is another relatively unknown player that shouldn’t be underestimated.
Anyone qualifying for a major tournament will have a good level of skill, however with the high calibre of players in this tournament, he may fall victim to the Group Stage
Projected Finish - Groups
Pavel - Qualified
Part of Team Empire, Pavel qualified for this tournament but like the others in this article, I believe he will fall to the bigger names.
However, Pavel has reportedly made a name for himself in several online tournaments, consistently placing in the Top 4, so he definitely possesses the potential to cause a few major upsets.
Projected Finish - Groups
Phrixius - Qualified
The last player to qualify, Phrixius joins the list of who's who of Hearthstone players.
While good enough to earn a spot at the tournament, we may see his lack of experience as the main cause to his downfall.
Projected Finish - Groups
Reynad - Invited
Owner of Tempo Storm, Reynad has led the team extremely well, however his placing in Tournaments have not been as strong in recent times, with his only high placing this year coming from the Battle of the Best Invitational back in February where he claimed 1st place.
While he could do well, with his recent run, it looks likely that he will fail to get past the Group stage this time around.
Projected Finish - Groups
Taeng2 - Qualified
Another unknown, it is possible that the South Korean could wilt under the pressure of being on centre stage.
However, we’re hopeful that he'll take this event as a learning experience and give some of the players in the tournament a real scare.
Projected Finish - Groups
Powder - Qualified
Powder has been in various teams, amongst several games, but he has found his place within Hearthstone, becoming a strong member of Team Trig.
Having recently claimed first place in the Tesoro Fireside Cup, Powder is hoping to perform equally well at Gfinity. Therefore we expect a good showing from him, as well as one who could upset the natural order.
Projected Finsh - Top 8
RDU - Invited
Lifecoach's fellow Nihilum teammate, RDU is a common name to see in the top rankings of tournaments. Having finished in the top 8 in several tournaments, including two 2nd place finishes in the Blackrock and Xfinity Invitationals, it is more than likely that we will see him progress into the top 8 here at Gfinity.
Projected Finish - Top 8
BunnyMuffins – Qualified
Although BunnyMuffins isn’t the most well-known name within the competitive Hearthstone community, he is an extremely knowledgeable and competent player.
A columnist for Tempo Storm and a regular high placer within the Legend ranks, he could be the surprise of the tournament.
Having secured a Top 8 placement in the ESL Challenger Tournament #11 and gaining wins in the NVIDIA Pro/AM Tournament that is currently on-going, Bunny is my Dark Horse of the tournament, and I;m sure he will intend to use his in incredible knowledge of the game to counter the experience of his peers.
Projected Finish - Top 8
Zozus - Invited
Runner up from Spring Masters I and representing Black Ravens, Zozus gained his first major ranking last month at the Gfinity arena.
While he is beginning to make a name for himself, with other players on equally great runs of form, such as Lifecoach and Orange, unfortunately, I don’t believe Zozus will be able to replicate his previous placement.
Nevertheless, I still believe he will make it into the Top 8.
Projected Finish - Top 8
Faramir - Invited
The first invited player on our list, Faramir is an opponent to be feared. Holding a 3-1 victory over World Champion Firebat at the recent Seat Story Cup 3, Faramir has constantly proven he is a skilled player time and time again.
Despite a rather disappointing showing at the Spring Masters I, Faramir’s recent successes include a 4th place finish in The Pinnacle 3, so it's not unreasonable to expect a similar finish this time around.
Projected Finish - 4th
Lifecoach - Invited
Former poker player Lifecoach has been on an impressive roll lately, having won three tournaments last month including the Root Gaming Invitational and Kinguin Spring Edition.
Representing Nihilum, it's likely we'll see him fight hard and keep up his run of high placing’s, as he looks to draws upon his slow, methodical and measured poker mentality & play style to the Hearthstone Arena.
Projected Finish - 3rd
Orange - Invited
Another Archon member, Orange will find a couple of his friends in this tournament, who are more than familiar with him and his play style. However, while that may be a hindrance, he too knows how they play, so it will balance out.
Having won both ESL Katowice last month and the Seat Story Cup 3 just last week, Orange will make it to the finals, though he may fall to the more experienced Firebat. Either way, I'm really wanting to see Firebat vs Orange at some point this weekend.
Projected Finish - 2nd
Firebat – Invited
Returning to the Gfinity Arena to defend his title, it's hard not to predict the World Champ going all the way once again.
Commonly placing in the top 4 of tournaments - including a 2nd place at the Winter Kinguin Charity Event and the semis of the Blackrock Invitational, the Team Archon heavyweight is expected to complete his job, and claim the title again, bolstered by his previous win.
Projected Finish - Champion
So there you have it, do you have any thoughts on who will win? Agree or disagree with my projections? Looking forward to the tournament? Let us know in the comments!
Tickets for this weekend's Spring Masters II are still available at gfinity.net/tickets as well as tickets to our Hearthstone Summer Masters I on 22nd-24th May.
Saturday and Sunday's matches will be streamed live at twitch.tv/gfinitytv.
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