Hearthpwn

The last week of the Round Robin stage of the Hearthstone Grandmasters Tournament will be held this weekend. The tournament features the same format as last season, which we've recapped below. 48 players are competing -- including 10 brand new Grandmasters -- for a total of eight weeks. Prizing for the Season includes $500,000 and of course the right to compete at this year's Hearthstone World Championship!

• Venue: Online
• Broadcast: Hearthstone Esports YouTube Channel
• Stream Times: Broadcasts begin at 2AM PT/5AM ET/11AM CEST w/ the Asia-Pacific Region, followed by the EU Region and closed by the Americas Region
• Dates: Friday, Saturday, Sunday - August 14th - September 6 and September 18 – October 11, 2020. The break is for the Masters Tour Online: Montreal Tournament.
• Casters:
• Asia-Pacific: Jia “Jia” Dee and Darroch “Darroch” Brown
• Europe: Simon “Sottle” Welch and Alex “Raven” Baguley
• Americas: Dan "Frodan" Chou and TJ "Azumo" Sanders
• Prize Pool: $500,000 USD
• Format This Week: 4 Deck Conquest w/ 1 Ban

Featured Matches Round Robin

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! You should also check back on Monday to see the results and Decklists from these matches!

Asia-Pacific:blitzchung vs tom60229 - Sunday 5am PT/ 8am ET/ 14:00 CEST

It is unlikely that blitzchung will over take Surrender for the no. 1 spot, but it is NOT unlikely that blitzchung falls all the way from rank 2 to the relegation bracket, as every player from 2 through 8 in Group A is on two or three wins and this last weekend will make all the difference. The reverse is true for tom60229. He might currently be in last place in Group A, but if he manages to win one or both of his matches this weekend, he's still making the playoffs. This is the very last match in GM Season 2 for Asia-Pacific, so everything will likely come down to this match!

Europe: Rdu vs Thijs - Saturday 8am PT/ 11am ET/ 17:00 CEST

They are team mates and rivals, both always vying to bring their best. And this weekend their match up may decide who ends up as the no. 1 seed and who ends up in the relegation bracket. Rdu needs the win to secure the no. 1 seed and Thijs needs the win to help him stave off a spot in the relegation bracket of Group A. They may be friends and team mates, but today there is no mercy!

Americas: bloodyface vs Muzzy - Saturday 12pm PT/ 3pm ET/ 21:00 CEST

You may sense a theme here. Bloodyface is already qualified for the World Championship through last season, but is at risk to fall into the relegation bracket in Group A, so he needs to win this to help avoid that. Muzzy on the other hand is riding high as the current no. 1 seed in Group A, but he has several people breathing down his neck to over take him if he falters here. High stakes match for both players!

Format Changes

As we previously mentioned, the 2020 Grandmasters features the same format as last season. The first three weeks will be made up of Swiss Rounds. The last 4 weeks will be Round Robin. We've broke down the entire Season below.

Weeks 1-3: Swiss/Group Stages

• Each Region will compete in several rounds of Swiss off stream earlier in the week.
• The Top 8 finishers from each Region will play in a dual tournament format Friday-Saturday, with the Top-4 being played Sunday.
• Format changes each week:
• Wk. 1: 7 Rounds of Swiss, Conquest w/ 1 Ban
• Wk. 2: 7 Rounds of Swiss, Four Deck Last Hero Standing w/ 1 Ban
• Wk. 3: 9 Rounds of Swiss, Bo3 Specialist

Week 4-7: Round Robin

• After the first three weeks, players will be split into two divisions per Region based on point accumulations. Division A will consist of the Top 8, while Division B will consist of 9-16.
• The two divisions will compete in Round Robin style play over the four weeks. Standings from this four week period will determine playoff participants, and who will be relegated from Season 2.
• Format for the Round Robin will be: Bo5 Conquest, Four Decks w/ 1 Ban.

Week 8: Season One Playoffs

• Top 6 from Division A automatically advance to the Playoff portion.
• Top 4 from Division B compete in a "play-in" Round with the winners joining the Division A winners.
• The 7th and 8th placed players in Division B at the close of Round Robin are automatically relegated from Season 2 of Grandmasters.
• Final relegation will be determined via a 3-match Play-In involving the 7th and 8th placed from Division A, and 5th and 6th placed from Division B.
• The winner of each Region's Playoff advances to the World Championship.

Standings

These are the standings after the first Round Robin rounds. The players are divided into Group A and Group B. The players below the black line are in danger of having to play for relegation at the end of the season in their respective regions.