They may have lost to MVP Black during the Eastern Clash, but L5 still proudly holds the only perfect record in the HGC. However, this week's victory didn’t come easy. Tempest played arguably the best series of their HGC career as they brought L5 to the very brink of defeat in their best-of-five set.

▲ The sloppy end to a grueling set.

The question remains: was L5 showing uncharacteristic signs of weakness against a lesser rival, or was Tempest playing out of their minds? Both teams drafted similar lineups throughout their set, including double warrior compositions and placing high value on Lucio . Both teams utilized the typical DPS rotation of Valla, Falstad, Tychus and Li-Ming while Zeratul continued to be a big playmaker.

During game three, however, Tempest drafted an unconventional lineup that took full advantage of Probius’s push potential on Sky Temple. Tempest managed to maintain a level lead nearly the entire game, granting the advantage they needed to survive the late-game team fighting superiority of L5. Eventually, L5 would go on to siege the core with five heroes vs. a lone Probius in what looked like an assured victory.

But, somehow, they lost the game.

▲ The first major L5 throw in HGC history.
P.S. check out Noblesse predicting Tychus perfectly!

This shock ending made Tempest the first team to take two games off of L5 in the HGC. Even though L5 ultimately ending up winning the series, it’s clear from the reactions of the players that this 3-2 result was far too close then they are used to.

The Standings

Before this series, it was thought that L5 was only seriously challenged by MVP Black, but Tempest’s performance that day caused analysts to reconsider. In the meantime, fans will have to wait until week 9 of the HGC (May 7th) for the inevitable clash between MVP Black and L5. Considering the weaker KR teams L5 is scheduled to face before then, week 9 will realistically be the last chance for L5 to lose a series.

The only other team in the HGC to maintain a perfect record is EU’s Team Liquid. They are currently 9-0 with their biggest rival, Fnatic, almost dead even with a 9-1 record. Fnatic’s only loss was, of course, against Team Liquid during the first week of league play.

In NA, Tempo Storm holds an 8-1 record with Galeforce eSports close behind standing at 7-3. NA’s HGC is the most volatile of all of the regions, with the probability of upsets being much higher due to the teams being similar in power level. The playoff spots leading towards the Mid-Season Brawl are still very much up for grabs in this region.

China’s HGC is still in its early stages and eStar is predictably in the lead with a 3-0 record. CE and Super Perfect Team are eStar’s biggest threats to sweeping their league easily and time will tell which of these team can rise to the occasion and become legitimate threats for the best-in-China spot.

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