Tempo Storm pulls off the upset and sweeps Cloud 9 Maelstrom 3-0 to win the WCA Americas LAN Finals. They move on to the LAN Finals in China.

Ultimately, Tempo Storm came into the finals with a better game plan. Zuna played a fantastic series, and stressing experience gain into the mid-game played out perfectly in Games 2 & 3. Credit Cloud 9 Maelstrom as they clearly ran some experimental lineups. This series could be a shift in the power struggle betweenTempo Storm and Maelstrom, but certainly signals a bright future for Zuna on Tempo Storm.

Game 1 (Tomb of the Spider Queen)

This was the first of several unorthodox hero lineups for Maelstrom, featuring both Kerrigan and Azmodan with Jaina providing explosive damage. Tempo Storm ran the more conventional Sylvanas and Muradin lineup.

Early game was all Maelstrom. They took a 5 to 1 kill lead and were up an entire level by the five minute mark. They kept the level advantage into the late game and almost pushed the middle keep at the ten minute mark. Tempo Storm managed to stabilize, but Maelstrom took another team fight and appeared to be in a favorable position.

While iDream’s Kerrigan was a force as a frontline fighter, in the late game Tempo Storm focused on her first, forcing Maelstrom to disengage each time. A huge four hero wipe with Sylvanas’ wailing arrow hitting four targets was the turning point. They sniped the middle keep and let web weavers push the rest. Another kill on Azmodan let Tempo Storm get boss and have a sustained push with the web weavers, destroying another keep. An unbelieve finish had Zuna’s Muradin distracting Maelstrom while Arthelon backdoored the core with the Boss for a game 1 comeback victory.

Arthelon backdooring the core.

Game 2 (Garden of Terror)

Maelstrom ran a two healer combo with Brightwing and Uther to support iDream’s feared Illidan. Tempo Storm responded with their own push lineup featuring Sylvanas and Kael’thas. With both casters praising Maelstrom’s draft, it appeared they were the favorites. In the early game, it showed. Maelstrom got first blood, and throughout the early portions took gank after gank. While less mobile, Tempo Storm stuck to the plan and split pushed, staying at even levels heading into level 10.

As much as Maelstrom controlled team fights (and got a free Terror by stealing Tempo Storm’s seeds) they entered the later stages of the game down two outer forts and little momentum. A huge team fight, with Rehgar’s chain heals keeping Anub’ark and Sylvanas barely alive, was the turning point.

Down two levels, hopes of a comeback were shattered when iDream’s Illidan got picked off from a gank. His death let Tempo Storm push the throne. In the subsequent fight at Maelstrom’s core, Tempo Storm pushed with their Terror, blew up iDream yet again, and pushed on for the 2-0 lead.

Game 3 (Sky Temple)

Maelstrom played an unconventional lineup with Tychus and Falstead while Tempo Storm stuck to the meta of Kael’thas and Jaina (Lost Vikings and Sylvanas were banned). Tempo Storm followed the same game plan as Game 2 by spreading the map and stressing experience gain over team fights. While Maelstrom grouped together and tried to gank,Tempo Storm had Brightwing or Kael’thas in seemingly each unoccupied lanes.

The split push, and level advantage, forced Maelstrom into a defensive position, stopping their ability to contest Sun Temples and even mercenary camps. Down two keeps, Tempo Storm controlled the Sun Temples in the late game to slowly strangle Maelstrom into GG.

Tempo Storm whon $10,000 and will go to the LAN Grand Finals in China. Maelstrom still gets an invite to Pax Prime while winning $5,000.

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