Jimon, wiRer, & OrlandoDR Champions of the $30.000 DreamHack Hearthstone Three-Headed Dragon Challenge.

DreamHack Hearthstone featured a $30.000 Three-Headed Dragon Challenge, consisting of three tournaments. This last weekend, Shun "Jimon" Fujimoto in the Asia-Pacific region, Max Team Esport's Eric "wiRer" Wirtz in Europe, and Orlando "OrlandoDR" Ramirez in the Americas outplayed almost 1500 players and were crowned champions of their respective regions at DreamHack Beyond. Each of them won $2500 and an invite for the next $250.000 Hearthstone Masters Tour.

After two failed attempts in 2020 due to the pandemic, Hearthstone finally had its place at DreamHack Beyond. The online event featured the Three-Headed Dragon Challenge tournament, the most important third-party Hearthstone tournament this year, with a prize pool of $30.000. Each of the three regions had its own event adequate to its time zone and game server.

More than 500 players per tournament battled their way in a 9 Round Swiss bracket. Much like in an official Masters Tour event, Grand Masters clashed with seasoned competitive players and many eager newcomers. But there was a twist. Competitors had to adjust to Last Hero Standing, Hearthstone’s first competitive format, and a DreamHack classic.

After the two-day Swiss bracket, the top 16 qualified for the single-elimination Playoff. The broadcast covered every Top 8 match during the weekend and allowed us to enjoy some of the finest Hearthstone. The event served as a farewell party for the Forged in the Barrens meta while we all patiently waited for United in Stormwind Expansion to arrive on August 3rd.

Early on Friday, in the Asia-Pacific tournament, Jimon from Japan went 7-2 during the Swiss rounds, and thanks to tie-breakers, he got his ticket to the final stage. On his way to the finals, Jimon only lost 2 games, and only Mueseoyuchangjo separated him from the glory. The grand finals were full of emotions. With an incredible ending in the fourth and last game, Jimon demonstrated that Japan is APAC’s powerhouse in Hearthstone and made himself the Alextrasza Champion at Dreamhack. Excited by the moment Jimon told Esports.gg he would invest his prize money in Hearthstone packs and sushi with friends. Make sure you don’t miss this highlight from the final match:

Saturday was the turn of the European region, where wiRer scored a perfect 9-0 in the Swiss stage. During the Top 8 Playoffs, he faced Grand Master Jarla and his teammate Meati. None of them could stop him. After demonstrating incredible plays, the deck-building god finally had his moment of glory. He defeated Hypnos 3-1, crowned himself as Ysera Champion, and broke the “perfect score curse”.

When Esports.gg asked the player about DreamHack Hearthstone, wiRer thanked his team MAX Team and his practice group for the support. This "positive environment" was a key factor for success, according to him.

Finally, on Sunday, it was time for the Americas region. OrlandoDR didn't have an easy path during the Top 8 Playoff. He battled in two closed series against FatalError and the new Americas Grand Master DimitriKazov. Orlando was able to win both series by a tight 3-2 score. In the finals, LordMaelnik was the opponent who separated Orlando from the title. This last Match was no different than the others, but Orlando's aggressive lineup paid off, as he was able to win the fifth and decisive match to win the series 3-2, as well as the whole tournament.

After some time to celebrate, Americas Malygos' DreamHack Hearthstone champion commented on his tournament. Orlando mentioned that to beat the best players on the field, you must do something different. Believing in his plays and decks carried him besides just being in the game for less than one year.

During the second half of the year, we will have three Masters Tour events, where the Three-Headed Dragon Challenge Champions will have to prove themselves. Furthermore, on August 13th, Grand Masters season 2 will start. It will have 7 weeks of competition and a final Playoff. The competition will determine three players who will join Posesi, Fenetic, Nalguidan, and two Golden League representatives from China in the World Championship.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest Hearthstone news and updates.