Cloud9 Wins ‘Heroes Of The Storm’ World Championships At Blizzcon 2015, Beats Team Dignitas

Cloud9 are the world’s first Heroes of the Storm World Champions, beating out Team Dignitas for the illustrious title at Blizzcon 2015 this weekend. The American powerhouse tore through the Blizzcon Heroes of the Storm championships in Anaheim this weekend, dropping only one match to fellow finalist Team Dignitas.

Cloud9 shook up the Hero compositions in the tournament, including an Abathur and Murky; Cloud9 looked essentially unstoppable during their Blizzcon 2015 run. Throughout each match in the Heroes of the Storm Grand Finals on Saturday, Cloud9 seemed to have everything under control, from momentum to simply the quality of their hero rotations, always keeping Team Dignitas on their heels.

After going 2-0 in the matchup, Team Dignitas did add some drama to the match by pulling out The Lost Vikings, as well as utilizing the Muradin/Kael’Thas combo, but Cloud9 was simply too strong for Team Dignitas, sweeping the Heroes of the Storm Grand Finals. This marks the first World Championship for Blizzard’s hero brawler.

Cloud9 was clearly riding on the momentum from their upset win over Tempo Storm in the Heroes of the Storm Americas Championship in Las Vegas in late September. The American Heroes team was constantly considered second fiddle to crowd and critics favorite Tempo Storm. In the Americas Championship, Cloud9 overcame that barrier by coming back to beat Tempo Storm, starting that team’s fall from prominence and allowing Cloud9 to take the mantle.

Tearing through Group A, eliminating GIA, and then taking on Team Dignitas — to whom they dropped their only game of the tournament — Cloud9 went on to face Team DK in the semifinals. Team Dignitas had a bit harder path through the tournament, especially after dropping their match against Cloud9 early on. Dignitas came back to tear through the loser’s bracket of the tournament, making it to the semifinals where they faced Na’Vi, beating them 2-0.

The Heroes of the Storm Grand Finals showcased the two best teams in the tournament, though it was clear early on that Team Dignitas was outclassed by the Americas Champions. Consistently a level or two ahead, Cloud9 had all the momentum in each match, with Team Dignitas treading water. You could feel the wind blow out of the sails of Team Dignitas toward the end of the third match, though in the last few clashes they showed a real fight. In a moment when it seemed Cloud9 would rush the Heroes runner-up, Dignitas was able to fight back and give their fans a little hope. Using their Plant Terror defensively, they were able to hold out on the inevitable. However, even with this stand, Cloud9 was able to seal the deal just a few minutes later, taking out the Dignitas core. The defensive stand at the end was befitting of a Heroes of the Storm finale; however, Cloud9 just seemed to be too much for Dignitas.

Cloud9 proved themselves to be the best Heroes of the Storm team in the world, showcasing more heroes, more combinations and play styles, pulling everything they could out of their proverbial bread basket. As Cloud9 hoisted the first ever Heroes of the Storm World Championships, all their past second place finishes were put away.

“I don’t know what to say,” Derek “DunkTrain” Arabain told Anna Prosser on stage after their triumphant sweep in the Heroes finals. “It’s just amazing. It’s been a really long road for us, we’ve all been playing for a year now, some of us were at last Blizzcon. So being able to come back and win the World Title just means so much.”

[Images via Blizzard Entertainment]