bytes: Mythic Dungeon Invitational Regional Results and more

The Overwatch League’s third stage came to a dramatic conclusion, with the New York Excelsior (27-3, 9-1 in Stage 3) ending the Boston Uprising’s (22-8, 10-0 in Stage 3) 15-game winning streak at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles. New York won the best-of-five series, 3-0-1, becoming repeat Stage champions, and earns another $100,000 bonus. Boston will take home a $25,000 bonus as the Stage 2 runner-up.

The stage’s top four teams squared off in a bracket-style format, with the top-seeded Uprising having the opportunity to select its first-round opponent. Boston chose the Los Angeles Gladiators (16-14, 6-4 in Stage 3), with the Uprising sweeping the series 3-0. The other semifinals match featured New York and the Los Angeles Valiant (18-12, 7-3 in Stage 3), with New York winning 3-0.

All teams are now on a break until the start of Stage 4, which begins Wednesday, May 16 (tickets are available at www.axs.com). At the start of Stage 4, each team will have a fresh record for the stage and a shot at the Stage 4 finals, taking place June 17. Stage 4 will also see the introduction of Brigitte into the hero pool.

The overall standings at the end of Stage 4 determine which six teams will make it into postseason play, with the top Atlantic and Pacific Division teams earning a first-round bye. The four highest seeds (regardless of division) after those two teams will also qualify for the postseason, which begins July 11.

For a full recap of the day’s action, visit OverwatchLeague.com/news.

Overwatch Contenders Season 1 Finals Begin Saturday

While the Overwatch League rages on, the Path to Pro has been running alongside it, as up-and-coming talent jostle for the spotlight. With 12 teams per region, including Overwatch League Academy teams, Contenders North America and Europe have concluded their first regular season of the year. The top four teams from Contenders North America, Toronto Esports, EnVision, Fusion University, and OpTic Academy, will share the stage with CIS Hope, British Hurricane, Angry Titans, and Team Gigantti from Contenders Europe as they battle for victory in their respective tournaments.

For more information about the live event and team’s participating, check out the attached media guide.

European Sumer Playoff Results, Americas Playoffs on the Horizon

The first of three weeks of grueling HCT Playoffs for the Summer season has wrapped up, and four Europeans have officially earned their tickets to the 2018 HCT Summer Championship! Congratulations to Turna, Viper, A83650, and Bunnyhoppor who will travel to the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles June 28 – July 1 to battle against four counterparts from each of the other competing regions – China, Americas, Asia-Pacific – in an effort to earn their place in the World Championship in early 2019.

The action continues this weekend with the Americas Summer Playoffs, which will air from 8 a.m. on May 12-13 at http://twitch.tv/playhearthstone

Check out VODs from this past weekend here: https://www.twitch.tv/playhearthstone/videos/all

Tune In: Heroes of the Dorm Heroic Four Saturday, May 12

Heroes of the Dorm started with more than 300 universities … now it all comes down to the Heroic Four this Saturday! Broadcasting live from Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, tune in to see which team will be walking away with their full college tuition paid and the title of national champions! For more information about the live event and team’s participating, check out the attached media guide.

Where to Watch

twitch.tv/blizzheroes

Match Schedule

Matches Begin – 1:00 p.m. PT

Semi-Finals

Université Laval vs.. University of Kentucky
California Polytechnic State University – Pomona vs. University at Buffalo

Heroic Four

Université Laval

Université Laval is the first Canadian team to ever qualify for the Heroic Four. As the #2 seed, they’ve been a powerhouse through the regular season and have had dominating performances against some of the top teams in the tournament. They’re looking to take it all, and won’t stop until they reach the top.

University of Kentucky

This year everyone has their eyes on the #3 seed, the University of Kentucky, with a large number of brackets predicting them to make it to the Heroic Four. Last year, the world refused to give them much of a chance – and now it’s time for Kentucky to stand up and make their mark.

California Polytechnic State University – Pomona

California Polytechnic State University – Pomona has competed in Heroes of the Dorm since its beginning. Although CPP has never made it to the Heroic four, they are excited to make a splash at the live finals. Five of the members have played on the same team since freshman year, where they found themselves in the same dorm building looking to compete in esports tournaments. When the first year of Heroes of the Dorm was announced, they formed a team but fell short. Now in their senior years, CPP is looking for the win.

University at Buffalo

University at Buffalo, dubbed “Team ImprobaBull Victory” by the team, has been anything but. Buffalo took down the unstoppable University of California – Irvine in Round of 8 play. They formed through open signups and have come together with the intent to take home the grand prize. The underdogs going into the Heroic Four show promise of being a strong dark horse.

Keep up with all the action through Twitter!

Tespa: https://twitter.com/teamtespa
Heroes of the Storm: https://twitter.com/blizzheroes
Heroes Esports: https://twitter.com/HeroesEsports

Heroes Global Championship: Playoffs Determine NA, EU and KR Mid-Season Brawl Reps; Crucible Holds the Fate of Losing Teams

The Mid-Season Brawl (June 9-19), where the best teams in the world will square off for the lion’s share of the tournament’s $250,000 prize pool, is right around the corner, with contestants from Latin America or Australia/New Zealand and Taiwan or South East Asia to be determined at The Intercontinental Clash (May 12-13) wand the Horizon Clash (May 18). This weekend, the bottom ranked teams from North America and Europe battled for their spot in the league against top ranked Open Division teams. Though most teams successfully defended their spot, it wasn’t without some drama, particularly in North America.

HGC Crucible Results

North America
- LFM Esports def. xD 4:2
- No Tomorrow def. King’s Gambit 4:3
Europe
- Leftovers def. Granit Gaming 4:1
- Diamond Skin def. Worst Positioning 4:1
Korea
- Feliz def. ILLLLL 4:1
- Master Theater def.. Team Ace 4:2
  - Master Theater will enter into HGC Korea in Phase 2 and Team Ace will be relegated to the Open Division

Group Stages for Mid-Season Brawl were announced – Group A in particular will be a savage dog fight to see who advances, sporting some of the world’s top-ranked teams, including Korean juggernauts Ballistix and Gen.G esports (formerly KSV Black) Tempo Storm, Ballistix and Fnatic.

All matches will be broadcast on the Heroes of the Storm Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/blizzheroes

World of Warcraft Mythic Dungeon Invitational

32 teams from China, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas pushed themselves to the limit earlier this year during the Mythic Dungeon Invitational Proving Grounds and proved they were ready for the Regional Group Stages, which took place over the last four weeks. Eight teams from each region competed head-to-head in Mythic Keystone Dungeons. The double-elimination, best-of-three tournament, had teams fighting to achieve the lowest time. With all four Regional Group Stages now behinds us, two teams have advanced from each region and earned a spot at the live global championship in June (more info to follow). Here are your Regional Group Stage winners: