The Arena World Championship Spring Finals are only one week away, and Europe is looking to defend their title as the best region in the arena once again.

We talked to teams, casters, and analysts to bring you five reasons why Europe has a great chance at claiming victory in Columbus, Ohio on March 31.

1) Shared Knowledge & Experience

With the split of Method: Triforce this year, members of this record-breaking two-time World Champion roster have passed their knowledge of success on to other top European teams. René “Swapxy” Pinkera, now playing for #1 seed Skill Capped Black, is a prime example of this. Teammate Shaun Andreas “Raiku” Meaney told us, “Swapxy is really valuable. We can see the game from a different point of view and the team atmosphere is more serious.”

2017 Triforce MVP Maroš “Blizo” Molčan has also been doing wonders for his new roster, XRB to the Moon. Magnus “Wallirik” Clausen and Emil “Zeepeye” Ek were already expected to become BlizzCon regulars by many arena fans due to their formidable Warlock/Elemental Shaman gameplay. With the addition of Blizo, the team now makes its first trip to the USA with hopes of bringing home a title for Europe.

2) Put Your Best Foot Forward

Europe’s #1 seed this season has an absolutely mammoth roster. As mentioned above, Skill Capped Black—comprised of the core Rogue/Mage duo of Oscar “Whaazz” Wulff and Raiku—picked up Swapxy this year, as well as healer Josef “Chas” Stoianov. The team looks almost untouchable, with Wallirik describing them as “the best Rogue/Mage roster for many years.”

After the team won their second consecutive qualifier to end in the top spot, Raiku expressed his joy via Twitter:

GG BOYS! 440 points completely insane how the first season went for us, this was our goal when we made our roster and so far we are living up to expectations if not even exceeding them! GGs to everyone and thanks to my team @Jsfchas @NRG_Whaazz @_Swapxy

3) History Doesn’t Lie

It’s no secret that Europe has been dominating the arena for many years. Not only has the continent secured wins at the last four World Championships at BlizzCon, but of the eight teams that fought in the previous four finals, six of them were European. The Hall of Fame lives and breathes Europe, and with this year’s team rosters looking stronger than ever, there’s no reason why that should change.

4) Practice Makes Perfect

Europe will win because ladder activity breeds improvement of players, and Europe plays much more.

European teams are known for having a phenomenal work ethic when it comes to practice—a point echoed by European and North American players alike. When asked why Europe are favorites, Wallirik stated, “Europe will win because ladder activity breeds improvement of players, and Europe plays much more.”

5) Specialization

Between the four teams heading to the Spring Finals, Europe has a broad portfolio of compositions. However, each team specializes in only a few. Skill Capped Black and Ascendant have been running Rogue/Mage/Priest variants predominantly, with Swapxy coming in for Skill Capped to provide some cleave options. Meanwhile, XRB to the Moon has been running Warlock compositions with Wallirik, and a devastating Windwalker Monk/Death Knight/Shaman utilizing Blizo and Zeepeye’s multiclassing prowess. To round out Europe’s representatives, Reformed reverse swept 85%—whose roster included Simon “Boetar” Heinks and Fabio “Fabss” Nardelli—to secure qualification with their jungle cleave comp (Feral Druid/MM Hunter/Disc Priest).

Between these four teams, Europe is equipped to handle any tournament metagame.

So there you have it—five reasons why Europe are favorites to win the Spring Finals! Join us March 31 from 18:00 CEST to see if Europe’s teams can maintain their dominance of the arena and bring home a 5th BlizzCon spot for the year.

Where to Watch:

English Stream - https://www.twitch.tv/Warcraft
French Stream – https://www.twitch.tv/WarcraftFR
German Stream – https://www.twitch.tv/WarcraftDE
Russian Stream – http://twitch.tv/WarcraftRU