StarCraft 2: DreamHack Masters 2021 Winter Season Regionals

The Winter Season Regionals are over. At the end there was a real surprise in China. In Europe, on the other hand, an old acquaintance was able to take the crown once again.

The final three Winter Season Regionals in the strategy classic Starcraft II once again had a lot to offer. Before the next international showdown at the DreamHack Masters at the beginning of November, the pros first had to assert themselves within their region. Of the seven regionally limited divisions spread across the globe, the results from Europe, China and North America were still pending.

The most successful players could buy their ticket for the DH SC2 Masters 2021 in winter and fight there for further important points on the ESL Pro Tour 21/22. Due to the restrictions caused by the Corona pandemic, the participants from all over the world cannot meet each other regularly. The event offers the next opportunity to show their own qualities on a supra-regional level. At the end of the season, the best eSport players will face each other in the Masters Championship 2022 in Katowice. Who was able to put themselves in a better position in the last regionals?

Europe: German surprise and Finnish dominance

The Finn Joona „Serral“ Sotala has once again proven his dominance within the Star Craft II scene and after a second place at the Fall edition of the European Regionals, he was able to win the title again this time. The Zerg player went undefeated in the group stage and continued his winning ways in the upper bracket of the double elimination format. On his way to triumph, the 23-year-old, who is currently under contract with Ence eSports, had to overcome one of his biggest opponents twice. Team Liquid pro Clem, however, had to admit defeat in this tournament and was thus unable to claim his third regional title in a row. In the Bo7 final series, he lost clearly 1-4.

Among the largest field of participants of the remaining three regional finals, one or the other German could be found. The best performance was shown by Protoss player Tobias „ShoWTimE“ Sieber. After some weak performances in the recent past, he was able to attract attention again this time with a remarkable third place. Even though he only lost 2-3 to „Serral“ in a close semi-final series, the 27-year-old ultimately had no chance against the two greats of the division.

North America: Rival duel in the final

A look at the final pairing of the North America Regionals is sure to make fans of the strategy classic smile. In the final, two rivals, the Canadian player „Scarlett“ and the American pro „Neeb“, met – with the better end for the Zerg player. However, anyone expecting one of the numerous marathon matches between the two was unfortunately disappointed in the Grand Final. Sasha Hostyn won confidently with 4-2.

The real sensation of the tournament, however, was the way Neeb had to go all the way to the end to have any chance at all of winning the North American crown. In the group phase, he only just managed to avoid early elimination by finishing fourth. Only because he won one more map did he qualify for the knockout phase. Even though he earned his place in the final with good performances in the lower bracket, the hurdle of „Scarlett“ was too high on this day.

China: Magical comeback knocks TIME off its throne

In the China-internal Regional Final, one of the biggest surprises in recent Star Craft II history happened. After winning seven titles in a row, Terran player „TIME“ was dethroned in the winter edition. Final opponent „Cyan“ had previously lost out in both the group phase and the best-of-five semi-final series.

But in the end, the eSports player from Good Game Gaming kept the upper hand and secured the trophy. In a gripping final game of the Bo7 final, the Protoss player was able to crown himself the winner. Despite being down 0-3, Huang „Cyan“ Min pulled off the miracle that few live viewers would have thought possible. You always have to believe in your own chances.