#RIGGED EU Round 1 Preview

Division 1

HYPE

vs

EPG Frozen

Match Link

What a spicy first round tie we have in Division 1, none other than a rematch of the Grand Final from last seasons Mythic Championship!

During the off season HYPE PEW PEW have shortened to just HYPE and ZENON have re-branded to EPG Frozen. The first scheduled meeting between the two in round 10 last season ended up as a free win to EPG, but HYPE were confirmed as 1st place in the division despite this. In the Mythic Championship group stage it was HYPE who came out on top in a closely fought game that ended 2-1 in their favour. Then as mentioned earlier these two sides clashed in the Grand Finals for a chance of winning the top prize in the amateur Heroes of the Storm scene, and it was a cracking match that provided great entertainment for the viewers as EPG came out on top with a 3-0 victory.

Going into this match HYPE will be wanting revenge and EPG will be wanting to build on their strong performance last season as a host of strong sides have joined the division.

Click here to re-watch the Grand Final match between these two teams

Click here to see Samu's interview with EPG Frozen (formerly ZENON) 

Scheduled for 23 Apr 2020 20:00 CEST - watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/cydonion

Division 2

Battle Beasts Boys

vs

Complex

Match Link

Lounge veterans of over 10 seasons Battle Beasts Boys get us underway in Division 2, a very respectable 5th place finish last time around shows they are certainly capable of being a force to be reckoned with in Season 12. This team is no stranger to the end of season playoffs, reaching them on several occasions and most recently fell at the group stage of the Legendary Cup last season after only being able to record a single victory.

Facing them here is Complex who have been slothing in the Legendary divisions since Season 8. Last season they made the step up from Division 3 to 2 and had a decent season with 4 wins. They have qualified for the Legendary Cup on two occasions in seasons gone by but were unable to get past the group stage, this could well be the season where they push on and achieve playoff glory.

Division 3

Dingsitas

vs

Triggered Newbies

Match Link

Here we have a rematch from last season in Division 3 where in the original tie Triggered Newbies were able to secure a 2-0 victory.

First up is Dingsitas who have been with Lounge since season 9 and had a strong showing last time out when they finished 6th in the first season since they were promoted from Division 4. They managed a single win in a tough looking group, and should be confident that they have the potential to progress and be one of the teams to beat in Division 3 this season.

Their opponents are Triggered Newbies who finished not too far away from them in 8th. This finish qualified them for the Legendary Cup where they were unable to secure a single map win in Group C, but were certainly not far off on a couple of occasions. This will be their second season in Lounge and we will soon see if their team cohesion is building, but first we will see if they are able to repeat a victory over Dingsitas here. 

Division 4

Tactical Suicide

vs

Diablo Immortal

Match Link

Here we see two teams who faced off against each other towards the end of Season 11 in the group stages of the Epic Cup. On that occasion Diablo Immortal came out on top with a 2-0 victory.

Tactical Suicide joined us in Season 9 and have been steadily progressing up the Heroes Lounge tree of divisions ever since. Starting originally in Division 7 before spending two seasons in Division 5 they have always looked strong and have been a team to beat, they have made the end of season playoffs in each of the aforementioned seasons but have yet to reach the final.

Their opponents Diablo Immortal have also been in Lounge for the same amount of time, spending Seasons 9 and 10 in Division 3 before moving down to Division 4 for Season 11. Last season was the first time this team had qualified for the end of season playoffs and they managed to progress through their group and into the knockout stages of the Epic Cup before losing to eventual winners Unstopable.

Division 5

The Sops

vs

TSEA Link

Match Link

Veterans who have been around since season 5, The Sops made their second appearance in the Epic Cup last season but were unable to progress past the group stage where they lost to both of the eventual finalists. They impressed during the regular season by finishing 4th and recording 7 wins from 10 matches.

Their opponents TSEA Link who are about to compete in their 5th season in Lounge. They had a strong Season 11 and finished 5th but were unavailable to compete in the Epic Cup

This match can be considered somewhat of a rivalry, as this is the fourth consecutive season where these two teams have played each other. The Sops won the initial meeting between the two 2-0, before TSEA got their revenge in Season 10 with a 2-0 of their own. Last seasons tie was the spiciest of all starting with a flawless first map win to TSEA as they achieved 15 kills to 0, The Sops responded by equalising the series with an equally dominant victory and in the end The Sops were able to claim the 2-1. What is clear is that these two teams are very equally matches and this will be an exciting tie to watch.

Division 6

Prosonyglas-
bläserrind

vs

Fishmekan

Match Link

Division 6 furniture Prosonyglasbläserrind are about to start their 4th season in Lounge and impressed last season as they picked up 6 wins and qualified for the Rare Cup. It was their first appearance in the end of the season playoffs but they were unable to pick up a single victory.

Their opponents Fishmekan are also about to embark on their 4th season, also spending all of their time in Lounge in Division 6. They only narrowly missed out on qualification for the Rare Cup, achieving a respectable 6 wins but inferior map wins cost them a place.

This is the third time in a row these sides have faced off, with Prosonyglasbläserrind confirming 2-0 victories in both Season 10 and Season 11. The second of these matches was a lot closer and Fishmekan can consider themselves somewhat unlucky, they did manage to achieve more kills than their opponent on that occasion but were unable to translate it into that all important victory.

Division 7

Crowd Pleasers

vs

The Bacon Landlords

Match Link

Joining last season as free agent team FAT Dreamcast it is great to see Crowd Pleasers back for Season 12. Last season they finished in the middle of the pack, sitting at 5 wins from their 10 matches they can consider their debut season successful. Now with a season of Lounge experience under their belts as a team it will be interesting to see just how far this team can go.

Up against them is The Bacon Landlords who have gone back to their homeland of Division 7 after some roster changes. They spent last season in Division 6 and achieved an impressive 7th place finish, and they went on to progress past the group stage of the Rare Cup into the knockout stages but were unable to compete on the day.

Written by Poppin

Heroes Lounge Content Manager, Moderator and captain of EU Division 3 team AFK For Cocoa.