Group-Stage Gladiators

It’s happening! This week players from all over the world are flying into Stockholm. Once they’ve landed they’ll have a few days to shake off the jetlag before media day and rehearsals take place. Some teams are already boot-camping around Europe, preparing frantically for the slate of 30 matches that will make up the first five days of the Mid-Season Brawl.

The incredibly hype series below are on the docket and primed to impress based on the level of play we’ve seen from these competitors in the weeks leading up to this momentous event. These are the group-stage matches you don’t want to miss. 

Team Dignitas vs. Tempest—Group B—Saturday, June 9 at 17:00 CEST

The match between Team Dignitas and Tempest is the one the majority of the community members we’ve spoken with are looking forward to. And for good reason: big things are expected of Team Dignitas after their impressive runs at both the Gold Club World Championship (GCWC) and the Western Clash. Can they live up to the hype?

Tempest also have impressed in recent days, attending the Eastern Clash as the number-one seed from Korea and defeating Ballistix in the HGC Playoffs to earn a second seed at the Mid-Season Brawl behind Gen.G. Tempest are improved since regaining Ju Dalm "dami" Park, who has played a pivotal role in the team’s success in Phase 1.

Tempo Storm vs. Fnatic—Group A—Sunday, June 10 at 23:00 CEST

Fnatic will be hungry for revenge after swallowing a hard 3-1 loss from Tempo Storm at the Western Clash. While shotcaller and team captain Dob "QuackNiix" Engström was out sick, it still doesn’t bode well for the reigning Mid-Season Brawl Champions. 

Since this event last year, Tempo Storm has gained Mike “Glaurung” Fisk and Fan “Fan” Yang, creating a scary superteam of longtime veterans. Tempo Storm have been known to pull out unconventional pocket picks at international events, and it’s likely this one will be no exception. 

Gen.G vs. Ballistix—Group A—Wednesday, June 13 at 15:30 CEST

Nearly every player (and some event staff) drop whatever they are doing when these two teams play each other at LAN events, gathering around the nearest monitor to witness the digital chaos that ensues. These are the teams the rest of the world is learning from and taking notes on.

HeroesHearth vs. CE—Group B—Wednesday, June 13 at 17:00 CEST

One of the final matches of the group stage will pit HeroesHearth against the number-one seed from China, CE. While HeroesHearth found some success at the Western Clash, defeating Method and taking a game off Team Dignitas, the Mid-Season Brawl will be their first true test. While it’s expected that they’ll struggle against Korea, it’s likely that HeroesHearth and CE will find themselves evenly matched in the eleventh hour.

These are just four of the 30 matches planned for the group stage, and we’ve got an entire double-elimination bracket after that! Make sure you check back here at playheroes.com/esports after groups have concluded as we will be recapping what we’ve learned and analyzing the initial matchups of the double-elimination bracket.