The fans and the players have been waiting for the event for a long time. Now the time has finally come. The Hearthstone Grandmasters 2022 has begun. On February 25, Season 1 has begun. The regions will play for the qualification to the Hearthstone World Championship 2022.
This could be the last time that the regions (Europe, Americas, and Asia/Pacific) play separately in the elimination. New formats have been announced for the coming years.
The qualification cycle presented
The qualification phase, which started last Friday, will last three weeks in the first round. What is interesting here is that the eSports responsible parties at Hearthstone have incorporated a new format starting in the second week, which a) makes playing and b) especially betting even more interesting. In the so-called Trio, five groups are created, each with three classes. The classes can be divided by the groups respectively. The players can choose their division, but in the elimination phase they are forced to accept games that they actually wanted to do without. The rule brings pepper into the qualification. There will be comparisons between the favorites already in the early phase of Grandmaster 2022.
The official Hearthstone rule description reads as follows:
“After each player selects a group, they submit a three-deck lineup. This means that there will be no bans in this format, and players who hate playing against a certain class will just have to suck it up and prove they can face anything. Of course, all group selections will be private, so players won’t be able to construct decks against the most commonly selected classes to increase their chances.”
It certainly remains to be seen whether the format will generate the desired hype, but the game changes seem logical and understandable at first glance.
After the break, the crucial playoffs
After the first three weeks of play, there will be a one-week break before the playoffs are played between March 25 and 27. Hearthstone Grandmasters fans should already make a note of the broadcasting time, specifically:
Asia/Pacific: 2 a.m. PST / 11 a.m. CET / 7 p.m. KST
Europe: 7:00 a.m. PST / 4:00 p.m. CET / 12:00 a.m. KST
Americas: 12 p.m. PST / 9 p.m. CST / 5 a.m. KST
At the conclusion of the playoff matches, the top 48 Hearthstone players will have their qualification for the 2022 World Championship in the bag.
Betting recommendations: Hearthstone Grandmasters Favorites
It’s time to take a look at the betting. If you want to place successful Hearthstone tips in the coming weeks, you should of course know the favorites. Finally, we have compiled our top recommendations for you.
Asia/Pacific: The region is the most important market for Hearthstone, no question. The most successful players of the last two years come from Asia, including the reigning world champion Posesi. Other hot betting recommendations are Alutenmu, Glory, GivePLZ and Grr.
Europe: In Europe, the games should be determined by the players who already participated in the Hearthstone World Championship 2021, specifically Gaby, Jarla, Rdu, Frenetic and Viper.
America: In terms of level, the American region can be considered the “weakest”, although there are certainly noteworthy gamers. We think, for example, of Monsanto, DreadEye, McBanterface and Nalguidan.
