Four players have made it to the 2018 Hearthstone World Championships after epic battles in the Hearthstone Championship Tour Spring Championship this weekend. Frederik “Hoej” Nielsen from Denmark defeated Aleksander “Kolento” Malsh to claim the title of 2017 HCT Spring Champion.
For the home crowd in Shanghai, the weekend was a bust, as no players from China made it out of the group stage. Europe fared far better, with three players making it to the semis and the above two EU players battled it out in the final. A total of eight players are now qualified for the World Championship; four from the Winter Championship, and four from Spring.
Top Four Results:
1st – $60,000 and an invitation to the World Championship
- Kasper “Hoej” Nielsen has had many strong showings in Hearthstone tournaments including several top 8, 6 and 4 finishes dating back to 2015. This qualification to the World Championship is a career high for Hoej.
2nd – $40,000 and an invitation to the World Championship
- Aleksander “Kolento” Malsh of Ukraine is arguably one of the most accomplished players in the game’s history. While many players favored either control or aggro lineups, Kolento brought a well-rounded deck list, eliminating the possibility of any direct counters.
3rd / 4th $20,000 and an invitation to the World Championship
- Anthony “Ant” Trevino of California has been a high finishing ladder player for years, but hasn’t made a major tournament showing since 2014. This tournament finish is a career high for Ant.
- Yevhenii “Neirea” Shumilin was only one match away from qualifying for the 2017 World Championship during the winter season. The stakes were high, but Neirea redeemed himself and clinched his ticket to Worlds this season.
Photos courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.
