The Hearthstone Global Games Finals 2017 are just around the corner – and Blizzard is once again offering the “Choose Your Champion” event. On August 25, the semifinals will begin between the USA, Czech Republic, South Korea, and Ukraine – featuring the top decks of the Frozen Throne expansion.
As in previous years, Blizzard also allows every Hearthstone player to choose a player whose achievements can be followed during the Global Games tournament as part of the “Choose Your Champion” event (Choose Your Champion in the original).
This year, players will not choose their favorite pro gamer directly, but rather the country of a participating team. The USA, South Korea, Czech Republic, and Ukraine have qualified for the finals.
Hearthstone Choose Your Champion – The Rewards
Once a champion is chosen, it’s time to wait. Wait for the finals to start on August 25 to cheer for your selection. Each victory of the champion means a small victory for everyone who chose him. In the end, a card pack will be awarded for each match won. Additionally, simply by selecting a team, you will receive a free pack from the “Knights of the Frozen Throne” expansion.
Favorites can still be selected on the official Blizzard site until August 24 at 9 AM. However, changes after selection are not possible.
The Finalists and Players
Each country’s teams feature a mix of well-known players and newcomers. You can view the teams of the countries in the image gallery.
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- Die Spieler Südkoreas für die Global Games Finals.
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- Die Spieler Tschechiens für die Global Games Finals.
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- Die Spieler der Ukraine für die Global Games Finals.
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- Die Spieler der USA für die Global Games Finals.
Choose Your Champion – but which Champion?
The selection in the finals is likely to be very tricky this time. The average ranking points of players from the USA and Ukraine are very close, with Czech Republic just below. Only Korea is ranked significantly lower.
However, where American players still achieve the most ranking points, the average ranking position of Ukraine is considerably higher. Reddit user Koan_Industries has conducted a detailed analysis. The positions in detail are:
- Czech Republic: 57.33
- USA: 39.25
- South Korea: 90
- Ukraine: 34
These numbers should be taken with caution, as Czech player Jára Vyskočil is a newcomer and currently has neither ranking points nor a position. However, he was the first player to reach the rank 1 of Legends in the EU within the “Knights of the Frozen Throne” meta. Thus, evaluating him is difficult. Additionally, the Czech Republic brings StanCifka, who is ranked 3rd in the world to the field.
For Ukraine, Kolento is considered a safe choice. With world ranking 5, he is, without counting Jara, the second strongest player in the finals. He has previously been a guarantee for some packs in the “Choose Your Champion” and will be in these finals as well.
When you play the Game of Frozen Throne you win or you … don‘t
It is also important to know who plays against whom. In the semifinals, the USA will play against Czech Republic and Ukraine against South Korea. The latter is not known for having the strongest players in Hearthstone.
Of the four teams mentioned, South Korea is the weakest, by a considerable margin. The last games will also be played in the “Knights of the Frozen Throne” meta, and not in the Un’goro meta like the previous qualifiers. This makes the evaluation significantly more difficult.
Yet Ukraine will surely make it to the finals. The match between the USA and Czech Republic will be much closer. Jara is likely well above the average of the Czech team, which will boost it again. It is quite possible that Czech Republic will face Ukraine in the finals.
Benedict says: If the match between Ukraine and Czech Republic happens, it will likely be decided in favor of Czech Republic. Simply because I bet on Ukraine. Jara is hard to evaluate, but according to all information, he is very strong, especially in the KFT meta. I am sure that both Czech Republic and Ukraine will be able to snag some packs – but with Ukraine likely getting more due to the match against South Korea.
What this Hearthstone pro gets wrong during his livestream, hopefully won’t happen to the finalists!
