Hearthstone

HCT Playoffs Wrap Up in the Americas

HCT Playoffs Wrap Up in the Americas

We now know what all 77 competitors are bringing to the Americas Fall Playoffs of the 2018 Hearthstone Championship Tour (HCT), and—as expected—Even Warlock’s popularity has surged. Token Druid’s constant presence was paired with Cube Hunter in Europe and Zoo in Asia, but the big winner in the Americas will be Quest Rogue, which is the second most popular deck overall this coming weekend.

Mage has all but vanished, with only a few outliers bringing the occasional Tempo Mage. Even its ardent supporter, Jacob “Apxvoid” Coen, has chosen to go another route, bringing Cube Hunter, Odd Warrior, Taunt Druid, and Even Warlock. “Fr0zen and I built this lineup around what decks had the best overall percentages against our predicted field,” says Apxvoid. “Unfortunately, Mage wasn’t one of those decks, so it didn’t make much sense for me to bring.” He adds that they went back to Taunt Druid for its matchups against Even Warlock and Odd Warrior.

Other than Mage’s absence, the field is quite diverse, but most players are bringing Druids, Hunters, Rogues, and Warlocks—the archetypes may vary, but fully 19 players are bringing this exact combination of the four most popular classes.

Aggro adherents like William “Amnesiac” Barton have armed themselves with the tournament’s only Odd Paladins. Amnesiac’s lineup also features Secret Hunter, Odd Rogue, and Token Druid—a clear sign that he intends to outrace the hugely prevalent combo decks. His teammate, David “JustSaiyan” Shan, is playing the same lineup save for the Paladin, which he has replaced with a Zoo Warlock. Coming off the back of his HCT Montreal win, JustSaiyan is definitely a player to watch in this tournament.

If two Mecha’thun decks worked for Ryvius in Asia-Pacific, what about FOUR Mecha’thun decks? That’s the lineup making the rounds online thanks to HockeyBoyz3, whose deck names simply read: “I Crafted Golden Mecha’thun”

The casters are in love with this lineup. “Most bold lineup goes to Hockeyboyz,” says Dan “Frodan” Chou. Brian Kibler adds, “I’m definitely curious to see how the quad Mecha’thun lineup does—I love seeing bold choices like that in big events.” Kibler also wants to point out that Token Druid has moved away from including Violet Teacher to focus on the value (or reach!) of Strongshell Scavenger, which can combo efficiently with any of Saronite Chain Gang, Giggling Inventor, or the power play with Spreading Plague.

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When the dust settles, we’ll have the full roster of all 16 players headed to the 2018 HCT Fall Championship! Stay tuned for that and all things Championship-related as we gear up for the second seasonal finale of the year.

Who are you cheering for to make it to the Fall Championship from the Americas? Do you think Quest Rogue’s big comeback will succeed? Can the quadruple Mecha’thun dream be lived? Let us know in the comments!

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