The Smite NA Super Regionals has concluded and there was no shortage of shocking upsets and surprise victories. We’re here to cover all of the games from Regionals and some of the teams heading into the World Championship. Also, check back in a few weeks for a comprehensive article showcasing all of the teams that will participate at the Smite World Championship (SWC) in January.
TSM started with the questionable pick of Sol in the Hunter role for Snoopy (this was the first time that Sol has been picked in competitive play). Meanwhile, Enemy ended up with two of the strongest picks in the current meta, Hel and Khepri. While it started out promising for TSM in game 1 (they picked up first blood), Enemy was able to keep the gold and experience discrepancies close before a triple kill by Adjust catapulted Enemy to a surprising game 1 win.
Game 2 started out similar to game 1, with both teams essentially going even through the first 23 minutes. Enemy started to find picks and built up a kill advantage, with both Eonic and Sobek from TSM dying a combined 14 times.
TSM came into game 3 with their backs against the wall and finally played like the team from last year. TheBoosh’s Zeus plays were fantastic, and Enemy had no answer for his quantitative damage. The series was now 2-1 and it appears that TSM had perhaps righted the ship (TSM was in the same position during the Summer Finals and ended up prevailing).
It was clearly apparent heading into game 4 that Enemy was more relaxed and just enjoying the experience while TSM was playing a bit more uptight. In the spirit of appeasing the fans, and perhaps a slight dig to TSM, Vetium picked up Solo for the second time in competitive play. His experience would be drastically different then TSM’s game 1 experience, with Vetium going 1/1/14 to help cap a 3-1 series clinching victory.
In game 1, Cloud9’s Khepri picked up Sol for the third time in competitive play. Through 20 minutes in the game, the experience and gold advantages were extremely close. One bad team fight for Cognitive Gaming led a Cloud9 Fire Giant and a game 1 victory.
Game 2 started out looking like a landslide victory for Cloud9 after establishing an 8 kill lead advantage through 13 minutes. Cognitive Gaming did not quit though, and Meerkat would pick up a triple kill later in the game. Cloud9’s Andinster ended any sort of comeback with a triple kill of his own and a game 2 victory for Cloud9.
Game 3 was the closest of all, with Cognitive Gaming battling for their series lives. Some amazing plays took place around Fire Giant and Gold Furies, with constant team skirmishes occurring. In the end, Cloud9 was just too good, and 3-0 series sweep had them advancing to the next round.
Game 1 set the tone for the entire series, as EnVyUs scored 3 kills in the first minute. Enemy would battle back however, essentially erasing EnVyUs’s lead after the 5 minute mark. After a beautiful pick of KiKisoCheeky in the duo lane, Enemy picked up Gold Fury and then later on, Fire Giant, before closing out game 1 with a victory.
Game 2 started out in much of the same manner, with EnVyUs getting off to an early lead. Enemy again came back though, with Vetium picking up a triple kill. EnVyUs refused to let Enemy come back in this game however, grouping up in the mid game and finding enough picks to propel them to a series tying victory.
Enemy came into game 3 focused and looking to not repeat the mistakes of the first 2 games. Khaos picked up Agni and preceded to go 5/0/11, helping Enemy catch EnVyUs out of position multiple times. Enemy secured a game 3 victory and 2-1 series lead.
Could Enemy do it against and upset the number 1 team in NA? One win in the next two games stood in the way of that dream becoming a reality. Game 4 started with EnVyUs hitting the ground running and building up an early lead against Enemy. EnVyUs’s CycloneSpin picked up Bellona and preceded to go 6/1/6 to help push the series to a deciding game 5.
Game 5 started out well once again for EnVyUs, and it looked like they would curtail another upset by Enemy. Enemy’s Vetium would not be denied though, singlehandedly picking up important kill after important kill in the mid-to-late game. In the end, Enemy shocked the world with a game 5 win and a birth into the Smite World Championship.
In game 1, Cloud9 was somehow able to snatch both Xing Tian and Khepri. With two of the strongest gods in the current meta, Cloud9 jumped out to a quick 5 kill lead. Cloud9’s BaRRaCCuDDa would end up securing 9 of the team’s 15 kill en route to a game one blowout.
For some unapparent reason, Eager would again allow Cloud9 to draft Xing Tian and Khepri. While the game was much closer than game 1, Cloud9 was able to maintain a gold advantage throughout the game. Things appeared daunting for Team Eager, now down 0-2 in the series.
Finally correcting their mistakes, Team Eager banned Xing Tian and Khepri. Another close game ensued, with Cloud9 maintaining a kill advantage and Team Eager pushing their gold advantage. After an amazing team fight in the mid game, Team Eager was able to defeat Cloud9’s Titan and finally get a victory on the board.
Game 4 would end up being the closest game of the series, with both teams essentially even through 22 minutes. While there weren’t many team fights to be found, Team Eager was able to take advantage of repeated picks. Team Eager’s Lassiz provided crucial heals on the god Isis, leading to a close game 4 win by Team Eager to tie the series 2-2.
With the final guaranteed spot at the SWC coming down to one game, Cloud9 came out swinging. Their experience showed, and they repeatedly forced Team Eager into fights they really had no business partaking in. Cloud9 built up an early lead in both kills and gold, which eventually ballooned into a 20,000 gold lead. It was only a formality before Cloud9 closed out the series with a game 5 win and a chance to defend their title at this year’s SWC.
