Dreamhack Summer Hearthstone Wrap-Up

by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

Simply put, Dreamhack Summer exceeded all of my expectations and was hands down the greatest event we’ve seen in the young history of the game. It combined top notch casting, incredible plays, acceptable deck diversity and sportsmanship all over the board. The only blemish on the otherwise stellar event was some poor decision making from some ‘friends’ of the player RDU. Beyond that, there was really nothing else I could’ve asked for, save being there in person.

The Casters

Dreamhack Summer featured easily the most balanced and enjoyable casting group we’ve seen yet. While other tournaments have brought memorable duos and trios, this event essentially set the standard. Chris ‘Chanman‘ Chan, Nathan ‘Admirable‘ Zamora, Daniel ‘Artosis‘ Stemkoski and Rachel ‘Seltzer‘ Quirico casted the event, with cameos by other competitive players. That list included Andrey ‘Reynad‘ Yanyuk, Andrew ‘KitKatz‘ Deschanel, Jakub ‘Lothar‘ Szygulski, Johan ‘Darkwonyx‘ Hansson, Thijs Molendijk, Janne ‘Savjz‘ Mikkonen, Marcin ‘Gnimsh‘ Filipowicz, Jason ‘Amaz‘ Chan, Dan ‘Frodan‘ Chou and Jan ‘Ek0p‘ Palys, among others.

Despite incredibly long days, the team never seemed to lose a step. They managed to remain insightful, comical and passionate over the course of the event. Newcomer Admirable provided the same contagious enthusiasm that those who follow his stream have  come to expect. The guy just loves Hearthstone through and through. Chanman and Artosis, casting veterans, delivered their usual skillful performances while Setzer spent the majority of Dreamhack bouncing from interview to interview. She was both professional and a joy to watch in action.

The Players

Between matches, casting and Twitter, fans got to see a lot of their favorite players. We don’t suffer from a dearth of tournaments in this community, but we do tend to lack events that let us get to really see the players in their natural habitats. Here are some pictures from the event, taken right from the players’ Twitter accounts.

@LiquidAmaz @CrsKitkatz @Darkwonyx @ThijsHS @TidesTV @Frodan @HearthTrolden @danielctin14 @ForsenSC2 Sick picture 🙂 pic.twitter.com/ZfoRhJie6S

— Jakub Szygulski (@LotharHS) June 16, 2014

They have no idea what’s going on here @ForsenSC2 @CrsKitkatz @gaarabestshaman pic.twitter.com/l6AmTo6s2G — Johan Hansson (@Darkwonyx) June 15, 2014

Time for our @Tempo_Storm close ups pic.twitter.com/F9xPVhCbqp

— Dan Chou (@Frodan) June 16, 2014

With the happiest guy i know @LiquidAmaz pic.twitter.com/5aPN4ZYQuG

— Jakub Szygulski (@LotharHS) June 14, 2014

The Matches

If you missed the action, full summaries of the matches can be found over at eSportsMax. Dylan ‘Agonumyr‘ Wright did a great job reporting things as they unfolded. Most of the series were just a joy to watch. The Team TeSPA tournament was an absolute chore at times as most everyone there brought Handlock with them. Dreamhack Summer suffered no such affliction. While the majority of players brought druid and rogue with them, we also saw some inspired warlock, mage, shaman, druid, warrior and priest play. Interestingly enough, three of the four players that made it into the semifinals featured unusual change of pace decks, designed to shake opponents up. Each had varying degrees of success.

RDU brings out his handgun as he drops the Pyroblast that won him the tournament.

Matches often switched favorites multiple times, and very few were obviously skewed towards one player. Black Knight made huge swing plays, miracles were seen, Artosis made prophetic predictions of cards to be drawn. It was the sort of non-stop action that makes you sad that we won’t have another major tournament like this for months to come. For Hearthstone enthusiasts, this event was heaven.

The Future

After parties and celebrations await players in Sweden, while the rest of us eagerly hop on the ladder to see what will change in the wake of Dreamhack Summer. RDU’s 3 – 0 in the finals could usher in a resurgence of mage, while Amaz’s expert priest play could finally force paladin into the least favored deck spot. Reynad made a strong showing with aggro warrior, a deck that overtook the ladder some months ago. Combo druids and miracle rogues were pillars thoughout the event, and are easily the ‘safest’ picks for a burgeoning new meta. Only time will tell.

It would’ve been foolish to doubt Hearthstone as a major eSports power prior to this event, but if you somehow weren’t convinced, Dreamhack Summer should erase all doubt. The CCG that’s been out less than a year has undoubtedly arrived, and we’ve finally seen just what the perfect tournament looks like.