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Blizzard has revealed the set up for Heroes of the Storm Global Championship 2017, which shares more than a few similarities with the LCS.
After a somewhat lackluster competitive season over the last twelve months, which saw a lot of big names drop out of the scene, Blizzard has finally taken full control of the competitive HotS scene.
The new circuit will see each region have its own league. Europe, America, China and Korea will be the four regions, with each league featuring eight teams. Team Dignitas and Fnatic have already been invited to the European League, Denial eSports and Astral Authority have been invited to the NA league and MVP Black and Ballistix will be in the Korean league.
Qualifiers that run through November and December will decide the remaining teams and all of the Chinese league.
The season will be split into two phases, with league play kicking off in early January. After five weeks of league play the top three teams from each league will be invited to the eastern or western clash event, two $100,000 invitationals to keep international competition regular. Teams from Latin America, Australia/New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan will also be invited to either the Western or Eastern Clash exhibition.
After that the next stage of the league takes place with the top team at the end of the competition securing a spot at the Mid-Season Brawl. Teams that place 2nd-6th will play in a playoff competition to determine the 2nd team from each region to make it to the Brawl. Teams that finish in 7th and 8th will play in a relegation tournament with the best teams from the open division.
The Mid-Season Brawl will feature 12 teams, with representatives for each HCS division, competing for a share of the $250,000. The event will take place in May/June 2017.
After the Brawl standings reset, much like the difference between the Spring and Summer splits in League of Legends. The local leagues start up again, with the top teams heading to another Western and Eastern Clash mid season. Then once the league is done the top teams qualify for the world championships at Blizzcon.
With a bit of luck this should revitalise the HotS competitive scene, and should bring in more viewers with regular scheduled broadcasts.
