Nine Cups, two seasonal finals, 12 teams going to BlizzCon—with the conclusion of the Arena World Championship (AWC) Fall Cup #3, we’ve completed the AWC regular season. This weekend saw established frontrunners fall by the wayside, as new and returning talents showed their stuff.

XRB to the BlizzCon

European representatives XRB to the Moon started this year with a win in Spring Cup #1 and have continued to impress throughout the season. As we head into BlizzCon, they are coming into their best form of the year. They were particularly impressive this weekend, dominating every opponent they faced, including a 4-0 of Tempo Storm in the finals. With the deadliest Turbo Cleave (Enhancement Shaman/Warrior/Healer) composition in the world, XRB to the Moon are shoring themselves up to be a BlizzCon favorite.

Method Black Stumble Again

Method Black had been one of the most consistent teams during the regular season, yet in the eighth and ninth cups of the year, they’ve come up short. In their determination to solve their weakness against Jungle (Feral Druid/Hunter/Healer) and Turbo Cleave, Method Black ran a menagerie of compositions. They tried Demon Hunter/Rogue, Rogue/Mage, even a Shaman/Rogue composition, but nothing clicked. Losses to Tempo Storm and Skill Capped Red saw Method Black fall out of the competition. Although the team’s performance in this and last week’s Cups may be disheartening to Method Black fans, they do have the No. 1 EU seed locked in. This gives them a bye at BlizzCon and will allow them a good look at their opponents on the biggest stage of the year.

Method Orange Finally Make It Work

Over in North America, Method Orange needed a perfect storm to grab the No. 1 seed for BlizzCon—win the Cup and see The Gosu Crew finish third place or lower. The team had the chance to manipulate that hand of fate in their semifinal series against The Gosu Crew, a five-game showcase of versatility. Method Orange played a dominant Turbo Cleave to shut down The Gosu Crew’s RPS (Rogue/Shadow Priest/Restoration Shaman), and then brought back the Demon Hunter/Balance Druid to counter The Gosu Crew’s switch to Jungle.

Meanwhile, 4Fun had been on a giant-killing tear on their side of the bracket, taking out Kaska’s Angels, Super Frogs, and The Gosu Crew on their path to the finals against Method Orange. After an intense seven-game series, Method Orange fulfilled their destiny, locking in their No. 1 seed.

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With BlizzCon coming up fast, there’s a lot to look forward to—aggressive play from Method Orange, the cold and calculated set-ups of Method Black, and oppressive Turbo Cleave from XRB to the Moon.

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Fall Concludes as AWC Teams Lock BlizzCon Seeds