Hearthstone - Heroes of Warcraft news » Pro Player Playoff Predictions

As we close in on the first Hearthstone Championship Tour (HCT) Playoffs of 2018, expectations are running high. Top performers from Season 1 are practicing to refine their deck list lineups, and we’ll know in just a few short weeks who will emerge victorious and advance to the Summer Championship.

While we wait with bated breath for the first premier competitions of the 2018 HCT circuit, we’re fortunate to have some insight into the preparation and competitive field from Julien “Cydonia” Perrault, who gave us his thoughts on the players from the Americas and Europe to follow this season.

Americas Playoffs

In the Americas, Cydonia thinks a lot of familiar faces will see success. “Most of the established players—justsaiyan, Amnesiac, muzzy—they’re all going to do well,” he says. “Even players like dog, who is more of a streamer and hasn’t done as well before, might do well this year.”

He’s also quick to point out some of the lesser-known players who he foresees making an impact. “I faced seohyun628 at DreamHack Montreal last year, where he placed second. He’s been doing really well. I think he’s someone to watch out for,” Cydonia says. Other standout competitors, in his mind, are Monsanto, Gallon, and Tarei.

There are some surprises, however. “[Strifecro] is a really good player, but sometimes he doesn’t get the points,” Cydonia explains. He also notes Justine: “She’s streaming and always top legend.” He finds her recent pickup by Complexity to be noteworthy as well.

Cydonia also continues to playtest and practice with wabeka and last year’s World Championship contender, DocPwn.

Europe Playoffs

It’s hard to talk about the European scene without jumping straight to discussing hunterace, and Cydonia is no exception. “I got to meet hunterace recently, because he tests a lot with Mitsuhide,” Cydonia says. “I’m really impressed by how good he is.”

Pointing to the value of practice groups and working together, Cydonia also highlights the success of several French players—such as Kalax, Swidz, and Windello—in Europe. “It feels like they’ve outpaced the Germans,” he says with a chuckle. “In Europe, you really have guys with strong groups. Part of the reason for that is that it really helps to identify the metagame quickly.” He adds that he’d also like to see Tyler do well this season.

Meta & Decks

With The Witchwood only recently having launched, Cydonia isn’t sure what Playoffs will bring. “I think it’s difficult to tell,” he says. “Some players are known for certain styles—Ant is known as an aggro player, hunterace likes control—but they’re still doing really well.” He notes that players who stick to a specific class or deck, like Apxvoid or Fibonacci, often earn points, but need a wider range to succeed in tournaments.

“Control is really strong right now,” Cydonia says. “Other than Quest Rogue, no one has found a lot of counters.” He thinks Odd Hunter could target certain control decks, but that “it won’t do good against every single control deck.” Overall, he says, “I don’t see a really good anti-control lineup. Warlock is going to be a popular ban.”

Above all, Cydonia says he is looking forward to seeing what decks see play. “I’m excited to see what lineups people bring,” he says. “I hope someone can find a way to beat the field, not just target individual decks.” He suggests tuning in to HCT Taipei this weekend to see what people are playing, since it’s the last tournament before Playoffs start.

We’re right there with him! HCT Taipei is sure to be excellent, and Playoff deck lists will start rolling in next week. Which decks would you play in the HCT Playoffs? Who are you hoping will advance to the Summer Championship? Let us know in the comments!