As if anticipation for the release of Hearthstone’s next expansion wasn’t enough, Blizzard will host an esports event just one day after set comes out.
The Witchwood Inn-vitational will take place on Friday morning—just a day after 135 new cards are added to the game and hundreds more rotate out.
A team from the Americas and a team from Europe will face off in the competiton as they attempt to make sense of a brand new meta. James “Firebat” Kostesich, David “Dog” Caero, Janne “Savjz” Mikkonen, and Alexandra “Alliestrasza” Macpherson will represent the Americas, while Jon “Orange” Westberg, Jeffrey “Sjow” Brusi, Dima “Rdu” Radu, and Tyler Hoang Nguyen will play for Europe.
The players will face off in four first round matches, with each win earning a class ban in the eventual grand final. Each of the decks must contain at least eight cards from The Witchwood. The announcement doesn’t mention any kind of prize—but let’s be honest, this is all about bragging rights.
The team that can win this competition will establish themselves as expert deckbuilders, and trend setters for the meta to come. You can bet that the winning decks will be all over ladder as soon as the tournament is over.
If you’re interested in how this new meta is going to look, this tournament is a must-watch. It will show off a decent sample size of decks from some of the top players, lending their insight into how to craft decks in a new format.
