The Hearthstone Masters Tour: Voyage to the Sunken City tournament took place this past weekend. There are a couple of Masters Tour tournaments per year, and this was the third one in 2022. Players from around the world battled for the $250,000 prize purse. However, money was not the only incentive the competitors were fighting for. The outcome of this tournament decided who would qualify for the Summer Championships and Hearthstone Grandmasters: Last Call, both of which are set to happen later this year.
Credit: Activision Blizzard
There were around 400 players each trying to best one another for that sweet yet elusive victory. And it’s not as if they were just a collection of random players; a lot of these were among the top players in the entire world. Naturally, the competition was rough, and only the toughest and most focused of contestants persevered until the very end.
Round of 16
Hearthstone Masters Tour: Voyage to the Sunken City started its first day of competition on April 29th. Each participant brought four decks and four classes, while the matches were set to be best-out-of-five games. By the time the tournament arrived at the top 16, it was already known we were in for a show. This round was interesting because all of the battles were relatively evenly-matched; no matches resulted in a clear 3:0 victory, except for one. But more on that in a bit.
The matches were quite intense and were a pleasure to watch for hardcore and casual fans alike. Whoever managed to tune in definitely hasn’t missed out on the action, as there was plenty of it going around. Harri “Habugabu” Jalovaara, Jon “Orange” Westberg, VKmsbc, Sabito, Simone “Leta” Liguori, FaceOff, Nasos “Cursed” Papadimitriou, and Wataru “posesi” Ishibashi all managed to fight off the competition and move into the coveted top 8.
Round of 8
The tension grew even further as, realistically, it became anyone’s game. All of the contenders are incredibly skilled and can pull out a victory out of thin air. Three of the four matches were closely fought, resulting in narrow 3:2 victories. The top 8 contained a lot of familiar faces like Grandmasters Leta, Orange, and posesi.
Fans were in for a treat because all the remaining players were basically on the same skill level, making guessing about who’s going to win futile. Trust me, many have tried, even during this tournament, and miserably failed. In the incredible twists and turns of the event, the four that remained were Orange, VKmsbc, FaceOff, and Cursed.
Semifinals
Orange versus VKmsbc. FaceOff versus Cursed. This is the point where you can almost taste victory, but in reality, now comes the hardest part. Four of the best players remained to square off against one another for a chance to play in the Finals.
In the match pitting Orange against VKmsbc, the latter managed to snag a 3:1 victory. He used his Boar Priest, Naga Ping Mage, and Naga Demon Hunter decks to get one step closer to the Finals.
FaceOff versus Cursed also ended in a 3:1 final score where Cursed took off with the victory. He used Mech Mage, Beast Druid, and Face Hunter to secure his spot in the Finals.
Finals
In the inevitable end, only two were left standing. As it is the Finals, you would usually expect a hard fought battle that can go either way at any point in time. While that may be the case in most times, it certainly wasn’t so here. Do you remember when I mentioned that only one player managed to beat his opponent 3:0 in the round of 16? Well, history was set to repeat itself.
Even though both players are absolutely amazing at the game, only one can emerge victorious and this time, VKmsbc took a commanding lead and never looked back. That resulted in a clear 3:0 destruction where Cursed simply stood no chance.
Game 1
In the first game, it was VKmsbc’s Control Warrior versus Cursed’s Face Hunter. In the beginning, one could’ve even thought that Cursed might be able to take the win here due to the aggressive start. However, VKmsbc did not give up, instead clearing his rival’s board and used Frozen Buckler to gain armor.
For the next couple of turns, he kept gaining armor and clearing the board. Unfortunately, it was too much for Cursed, as it did not take him long to admit his defeat and throw in the towel for game one.
Game 2
Game two was interesting because it featured VKmsbc’s Naga Demon Hunter deck while Cursed opted for his Beast Druid. Once again, VKmsbc proceeded to clear the board, and quite quickly at that. He then proceeded to summon Drek’Thar on his fourth turn, bringing with it two Pufferfist minions.
That’s a massive move because they deal damage to all enemies after a hero attacks, pushing Cursed into a tight spot. As soon as VKmsbc finished his turn, Cursed forfeited the game.
Game 3
The Finals looked about done after 2:0, but Cursed was starting to show signs of life. Game 3 featured VKmsbc’s Naga Ping Mage versus Cursed’s Naga Demon Hunter. In an epic fight, Cursed managed to get mcbs’s health down to half. VKmsbc continued to fight back relentlessly, and possibly his key move was using the Horn of Ancients.
He got Blackwater Behemoth for one mana and put it on the board for the Lifesteal. VKmsbc started regaining some health, and things were starting to look grim for Cursed all of a sudden. It didn’t take long for VKmsbc to finish off Cursed and become the winner of the Hearthstone Masters Tour: Voyage to the Sunken City tournament!
This was an exciting one and well worth watching, but don’t think we’re through just yet. Next up is the Hearthstone Esports’ second Battlegrounds event of the year, Lobby Legends – Noblegarden, set to begin on May 14th!
