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Team Dignitas’ HGC Preview: Week 6
Welcome back to HGC EU weekly league play! We are heading right into Week 6 and are facing two opponents this weekend.
After claiming the title of Western Clash Champions once again, Team Dignitas now have their sights set on the Mid-Season Brawl in June. As usual, every game result counts, not just the ending match score. To keep their first place spot in the rankings Team Dignitas will need to make sure they execute clean games like they did in the first half of Phase 1. 1st place in rankings at the end of Phase 1 will guarantee they go to the Mid-Season Brawl without having to fight through the Playoffs. Let’s have a look at who they are facing this weekend.
Team Dignitas vs. Team Liquid - Friday, March 23rd at 11:00 am PDT / 7:00 pm CET
Heading into Week 6, Team Liquid is in 5th place, currently tied with Tricked Esport. EU is relatively close when it comes to win-loss records of the teams in the middle of the pack. During the off time, Team Liquid definitely watched Team Dignitas perform at the Western Clash and will have used this time to adjust and adapt to Team Dignitas strategies.
Uther or Malfurion? Who is the strongest Support right now? Well, it depends on who you ask. It seems that Lyubomir “Splendour” Kozlovski had a pretty even amount of games on both Uther and Malfurion in the first half of Phase 1, while Kenn “Zaelia” Rasmussen has preferred Malfurion. Team playstyle can also have a huge effect on what Support fits. Team Dignitas love using Malfurion to compliment Tracer, while Team Liquid has played more Genji and Greymane that can really do work on the enemy team with an Uther Divine Shield.
If Malfurion or Uther are unavailable, both teams will most likely go for either Lucio or Rehgar. We have yet to see a lot of Kharazim or Stukov from either player, but after some amazing Stukov plays at the Western Clash from Zealot’s Daniel “Shad” González, maybe we will see Stukov creep his way into the Support meta.
Team Dignitas vs. Fnatic - Saturday, March 24th at 9:00 am PDT / 5:00 pm CET
The two EU titans are facing off in the first week back and it will surely be an exciting series. While Fnatic had some issues at the Western Clash with captain and shotcaller Dob “QuackNiix” Engström needing to be replaced with a sub due to medical reasons, the team is now back at full strength. What we learned from their Western Clash performance is that even with a sub, Fnatic looked pretty cohesive. Any international experience always has a benefit for growth and learning. Even though Team Dignitas were the clear dominant force of the Western Clash, we will have to see if Fnatic can bring the heat in this series with their full roster. Fnatic is in 2nd place going into this weekend with a 5-2 W-L.
The Tank meta is currently quite strong with a variety of options. While some picks are slightly stronger than others, there is room for more unusual picks to fit into certain drafts. We know from even before the Western Clash that Pontus “Breez” Sjogren has a soft spot for Diablo. But we also learned from the Western Clash that Jérôme “JayPL” Trinh feels very comfortable on Diablo. So much so that Team Dignitas busted out their one and only Diablo pick of the Western Clash in their most important game of the entire tournament, and it worked very well.
These two players also clash over Tyrael, a hero that has really gained a lot of popularity due to his utility and versatility. Both JayPL and Breez have put E.T.C. on the back burner, so likely he won’t be picked up unless some of the other preferred Tanks like Blaze, Johanna, or Anub’arak are banned or picked up first.
Of course, with the start of the second half of Phase 1, our #DIGscord server will be hosting viewing parties in the HotS voice channel again. Be sure to join in and discuss the games with us and other fans! It’s a super fun experience and a great way to feel connected with the community. And don't forget to show your support for the team on Twitter with our #DIGWIN hashtag. As usual, the games will be streamed on the BlizzHeroes Twitch.
Team Dignitas Discord Server: https://discord.gg/TeamDignitas