Hearthpwn

Week 7 of the Hearthstone Grandmasters starts tomorrow. The top 48 players in the world -- 16 from each region -- compete weekly; with the top 4 from each region advancing to the playoff portion of the event. The top player from each region will join the Season 1 winners, plus two Gold Series Champions from China to crown this year's Hearthstone World Champion at Blizzcon!

The top 4 classes are dominating the tournament meta. As we mentioned last week, without a shake-up from Blizzard we may be in for a long ride over the last few weeks. However, we are due for an announcement which will reintroduce 23 Wild cards into the Standard field. Whether Blizzard chooses to make those changes soon or wait until Season 2 concludes remains to be seen. As we draw closer to the end of the season, it is important to note that the bottom player in each group risks being relegated and replaced in Grandmasters next year.

• Che0nsu has separated himself from the rest of the field and now holds the best record at 10-2.
• While many of the 1st place players have developed a bit of a lead, qualifying spots 2-4 remain tight in most groups.
• Combo Priest's dominance is shaping the meta. While it may not have the best winrate in the tournament, most players are basing lineups, bans, and shields around it.

Twitch Drops for Grandmasters and Playoffs!

Twitch Drops have returned! Check out the full blog post by Blizzard about it here

Quote from Blizzard

Twitch Drops will be returning for the remainder of Grandmasters Season 2! Running on the Twitch.tv/PlayHearthstone channel exclusively during the designated time frames, we’ll make it rain Saviors of Uldum card packs--at random, once an hour, we’ll drop 1,500 packs to viewers who have linked their Twitch and Battle.net accounts.

Season 2 Twitch Drop Dates and Times (Twitch.tv/PlayHearthstone only):

• October 4, 2 a.m. – 4 p.m. PDT
• October 5, 2 a.m. – 4 p.m. PDT
• October 6, 2 a.m. – 4 p.m. PDT

Featured Match-ups

We've chosen one must watch match-up from each region this week. While the weekend is sure to be packed with action, these are the matches you'll definitely want to make time for! We'll link VODs of each of the three match-ups when the weekend concludes.

Amnesiac vs. Monsanto - Saturday - 7:00pm PT/10:00pm ET/2:00am GMT/4:00am CEST

Monsanto sits in 4th place with Amnesiac hot on his heels. Monsanto's best finish came at HCT Buenos Aires in 2018 where he came in 2nd. Amnesiac won back to back events in 2018, winning the PAX East Showdown and HCT Austin.

Rdu vs. Kolento - Friday - 10:00am PT/1:00pm ET/5:00pm GMT/7:00pm CEST

Rdu looks to move into the top 4 with a solid showing this weekend. He squares off against Kolento who has a multitude of top finishes in tournaments since 2014. Hailing from Romania, Rdu has won two separate Dreamhack tournaments as a pro.

che0nsu vs. SamuelTsao - Friday - 5:00am PT/8:00am ET/12:00pm GMT/2:00pm CEST

SamuelTsao hopes to make some waves by defeating the top player in the tournament. A win would bring him a step closer to breaking into the top 4. Che0nsu was the winner of WCG 2019. SamuelTsao has several top finishes in HCT events spanning 2018-19.

Player Spotlights

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Standings

Americas
Group A	Overall W/L	Week 5 W/L
1.  Eddie	9-3	2-0
2.  Nalguidan	8-4	1-1
3.  Purple	7-5	1-1
4.  Gallon	6-6	0-2
5.  muzzy	6-6	1-1
6.  Firebat	5-7	0-2
7.  ETC	4-8	2-0
8.  StrifeCro	3-9	1-1

Americas
Group B	Overall W/L	Week 5 W/L
1.  justsaiyan	8-4	0-2
2.  bloodyface	8-4	2-0
3.  Fr0zen	7-5	1-1
4.  Monsanto	7-5	1-1
5.  Amnesiac	6-6	0-2
6.  PNC **	5-7	2-0
7.  Zalae	4-8	1-1
8.  Rase	3-9	1-1

Europe
Group A	Overall W/L	Week 5 W/L
1.  Hunterace	9-3	0-2
2.  Kolento	8-4	2-0
3.  Thijs	6-6	1-1
4.  SilverName	6-6	1-1
5.  Rdu	5-7	2-0
6.  Swidz	5-7	1-1
7.  Orange	5-7	0-2
8.  Viper	4-8	1-1

Europe
Group B	Overall W/L	Week 5 W/L
1.  Jarla	8-4	0-2
2.  Bunnyhopper	8-4	0-2
3.  Casie	7-5	2-0
4.  Pavel	7-5	1-1
5.  BoarControl	6-6	1-1
6.  Bozzzton	5-7	1-1
7.  Seiko	4-8	2-0
8.  Fenomeno **	3-9	1-1

Asia-Pacific
Group A	Overall W/L	Week 5 W/L
1.  che0nsu	10-2	1-1
2.  Shaxy	7-5	1-1
3.  Surrender **	7-5	2-0
4.  Tyler	6-6	1-1
5.  SamuelTsao	6-6	2-0
6.  Flurry	6-6	1-1
7.  Ryvius	5-7	0-2
8.  Bloodtrail	1-11	0-2

Asia-Pacific
Group B	Overall W/L	Week 5 W/L
1.  tom60229	8-4	1-1
2.  glory	8-4	1-1
3.  Staz	7-5	2-0
4.  DawN	7-5	0-2
5.  Alutemu	6-6	1-1
6.  FroStee	6-6	2-0
7.  blitzchung	4-8	1-1
8.  Pathra	2-10	0-2

**Season 1 Winner - Qualified for Global Finals

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Around the Fern

The 2nd installment of "Around the Fern" aired during this week's competition. Much like the Season 1 video featuring Frodan and Dog, it's worth a watch if you're a fan of deadpan comedy.

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