Division 5: Mid Season Recap

Welcome back. You might remember me from my Division 7 write ups last season, or you might not. But I have been promoted to Division 5 now. I know I have not been quite as diligent with my Round recaps this season, but life gets in the way of all the fun things. Instead, I have decided to provide you with one large analysis of all five Rounds that have taken place so far. Division 5 has seen some exciting shifts in meta, as Deathwing was released part way through this season. We will see how much of an impact he was able to have between these teams.

But more importantly, the Epic Cup is coming, and we are already half way through the season with only five more rounds to go. It is already clear who the top contenders for qualifying are, but as is the spirit of Heroes of the Storm, anyone can make a comeback and win it all. And yet, there are some teams who have distinguished themselves from the rest, and we will see which teams have been winning so far. And how they have been doing so.

Small Disclaimer: I know I am slow, and a lot has changed in the next two rounds. But will still write with info only up to Round 5. Sorry guys.

The Top Teams

Division 5 is full of some amazing teams, and here is a quick summary of some of the better performing teams by the end of Round 5.

1. Moustaches

Record: 5-0

Games: 10-1

This team has had an amazing run in the first five Rounds, winning every single one of them. They have only dropped a single map against UKW Akolici Jana Khael'thasa II in Round 2. Most recently, they have had an impressive victory over Johnny Sinn's Butt Buddies, who were undefeated until then.This 2-0 victory sets them solidly in the lead. 

Some of this team's interesting hero picks include Abathur and Zagara, who made their appearance in their victory over the fourth ranked team, Johnny Sinn's Butt Buddies. Add in a couple of Hammer picks and five Lunara picks, it can be said that the Moustaches definitely like to draft less mainstream damage dealers and lock in picks that their opponents might not be prepared for.

2. Tactical Suicide

Record: 4-1

Games: 9-3

Tactical Suicide was in Division 7 only two seasons ago. But since coming first place in Season 9, they have been competing with mixed results in Division 5 throughout Season 10. This season, however, seems to be their moment to shine. They have gone 4-1 in their first 5 matches, only losing to Johnny Sinn's Butt Buddies narrowly with a 1-2 score. Despite this loss, they have won more games than their rivals, putting them in second place, over the Butt Buddies. 

Tactical Suicide have shown that they have a wide hero pool, picking 30 unique heroes over 5 matches. This includes 3 Kel'thuzad picks, and hero that can have great success if piloted by a skilled player. Tactical Suicide clearly is able to make this feast or famine hero work, winning 2 games with him.

3. The Sops

Record: 4-1

Games: 8-2

The Sops were defeated 0-2 by Killer Koalas early in the season, but since they they have had great success, defeating every other team who were unfortunate enough to be matched against them. All of their victories have been 2-0, showing that they are quite dominant when they perform in game. It will be interesting to see how they fare against some of the other top teams.

The Sops seem to have a strong preference for Sylvanas, drafting the Banshee Queen in more than 60% of their games. Combined with the 30% ban rate of this hero against this team, Sylvanas has a 90%+ participation rate when the Sops are playing. Their key healer pick in Tyrande also sees a lot of play.

4. Johnny Sinn's Butt Buddies

Record: 4-1

Games: 8-3

With quite a distinct name, this team is fourth in Division 5, having won 4 out of their 5 matches. Despite their favourable match up into the number two seed of Tactical Suicide, their map score is lower than the teams ranked above them. As their second season in Division 5, they are a very well experienced roster and are likely to make the Epic Cup.

The Butt Buddies have several key picks that they use to throw their opponents off. First is the offlane Stukov, whose slows and extra heals can really help turn around a team fight. White Tiger, their carry player, also plays a mean Tracer and Valeera, two heroes that teams might struggle to play against due to unfamiliarity.

5. 500ms

Record: 4-1

Games: 8-3

500ms was a Division 7 team last season, who had a miracle underdog run through the Rare Cup, and ended up winning the playoffs. This season, they were placed in Division 5, where their success seems to continue. However, one must note that this team lost their very first match against Tactical Suicide with a 0-2 score, which would have given them easier match ups in the following weeks than the other top teams would have faced. In fact, Tactical Suicide is the only team that 500ms faced that is placed above them.

This team utilises a lot of Mal'ganis and Yrel in their frontline, both of which are quite uncommon picks at the moment. On top of that, their healer has had great success on Auriel, especially due to her recent buffs and the change to the Resurrect Heroic Ability. 

6. TSEA Link

Record: 4-1

Games: 8-4

TSEA Link is yet again a team with a 4-1 record in matches, losing 0-2 to Johnny Sinn's Butt Buddies. But their victories have been closer than the other top teams, featuring two 2-1 matches against Killer Koalas and Bear With Me, leaving TSEA Link with a lower map score. Despite this, they are in a very good position to qualify for the Epic Cup and win it all.

This team places a very high priority on ETC, picking him up multiple times. In fact, this particular frontliner has been banned against TSEA Link by other teams. Another key pick for them appears to be Cassia, who is sitting at a 100% winrate, with multiple bans against her. She is an underutilised damage dealer, so it will be interesting to see what she can do in the hands of TSEA Link in the future.

That concludes the list of all the teams with a 4-1 score of higher. The 7th and 8th place were contested by very many teams all sharing a 3-2 match record at the end of Round 5. It will be interesting to see who is able to make it to the Epic Cup, but these 6 teams are teams to look out for.

See you guys next time.