The duo of DeerJason and Cheesee10 made another case for being the best 1-2 punch in the league this week, albeit aided by a forfeit.  The rest of Soupreme also won, giving them the maximum amount of points over Those Filthy Roleplayers.  Over two weeks Soupreme is 9-1 in individual matches, with the lone loss being a disqualification.

Catota and VendiClique both got back on track this week with wins and Pacetry continued his success with an exciting win over KremePuff on Salty Saturday. Xnergy took four of the five matches against Top Deck Kings in their matchup and remain one of the strongest teams in the league.

The first change we see in this week's rankings is Team Golden Wisp shooting ahead to third. After a close loss against Xnergy and now a win over Pure Strategy, more attention should probably be paid to this new team. Also, it should be noted that in back-to-back weeks AlecGWPodcast has beaten two 500 PR players and two of THL's strongest in Catota and YuruYuri.

by TeamHearthLeague AP

A special shoutout to Tavern Talk for discussing the rankings and creating their own, as well as the community coming together to make a collective ranking, it was interesting hearing the different thoughts on all of the teams.

This week may be the toughest week to rank teams as the preseason rankings were just projections, now you have to factor in results as well, but you have the smallest amount of results that you will have all season. It's also important to note power rankings are not the same as standings which goes purely by results, power rankings have to balance results with the overall strength of a team. But hey, what's a rankings list without a little controversy?

What a way to kick off season two of THL. There was a massive upset, several teams validated their high ranking, and lots of series were very close. We have to be careful not to overreact after just one week but it seems a little clearer which teams are in the top half of the league, and that there isn't that big of a gap between the top and bottom teams. This is how I have the teams after a week of play.
  

​Soupreme started off their season playing against the veteran Gosu Casuals and despite a disqualification from Moo easily cruised to victory.  DeerJason and Cheesee10 only allowed one combined point from the casuals top two seeds and with what seems to be another scary 1-2 punch find themselves atop this week's rankings.  

My experience in Hearthstone until joining THL was as complicated as clicking play, watching the wheel-thing spin, and then jumping into a match. So, if you’re like me, THL will take some getting used to. How does the whole thing operate? How does everything work?

Putting your name out there is tough. During Season 1, I barely knew anyone, so I figured, they must know about as much about me. I knew they were asking themselves: who is this grimm kid? What I really hoped they would be asking themselves one day: why is he so good for a beginner?​​

by TeamHearthLeague AP

​The divisions have been aligned, the rosters filled out, and the anticipation of a new season has the THL community buzzing. As with other sports, week one can be one of the most exciting times of the season as everyone starts off with a clean slate. What happened last season is history.  What matters is the present, where every team finds itself on equal footing with everyone else. Will the new acquisitions work out? Will the work put in during the offseason pay off? Only time will tell but this is week one, a week where reality is not welcome and a place where aspirations and expectations have free roam. 

​After a very successful season one, THL is now on the verge of kicking off its second official season. In season one we saw what started out as a great underdog story culminate into much more as Noob Central claimed the championship over Team Rank Five. Very little has stayed the same since that championship, with every team having at least one player change and five completely new teams being added to the league. With so much change and so many unknown players it makes it difficult to project the strongest teams for season two but why not try anyway? 

​
​Xnergy made it to the semifinals last season before falling to the eventual champions and will return three of its five players in Catota, VendiClique, and DiAmonD6610 for season two. Catota has proven himself to be one of THL's finest and captain VendiClique has settled in as a very strong three. The loss of mmikiez hurts but the return of Pacetry to THL softens that blow and will give Xnergy a very formidable lineup 1-3. 

DeerJason (THL) vs Astrogation (New Order Esports)
So they have exact lethal if we dont kill anything, this is so awkward as we dont really want to use our spells but its do or die. The thing is, can we use the correct spells in the correct way to secure a possible win?
We will be playing the role of DeerJason
We know the opponent has absolutely no cards and that will hurt him alot, but it still doesn't change the situation

Dlineman (THL) vs MTGOStark (New Order Esports)
Our board is really strong and we have alot of options to close out this game. But what is the correct order of actions for this play right here? It could go all wrong if we are not careful
We will be playing the role of Dlineman
The opponent has 1 secret in play, but what is it?

New Order Esports has started the Blizzcon season strong, with two players, Astrogation and Crimzig, in the top 25. This is a team that features names that may be foreign to the casual Hearthstone player, but will be painfully familiar to anyone who has climbed to the highest reaches of the legend ladder.

Today's Archon Team League format match between THL and New Order Esports will feature three of Team Hearth League's best going up against a group that clearly has Blizzcon in their sights in 2016. We caught up with MTGOStark and Eversiction, and if you want to learn more about NOE, check out www.neworder.gg/.

​Tell us about your history with Hearthstone, when did you pick it up and how long have you been playing competitively?

Michael "MTGOStark" He: I started playing Hearthstone in 2014. Finished Top 100 my very first season and have been playing in high ranked Legend since.

John "Eversiction" Lorenzo​: I picked up Hearthstone mate in the closed beta and started playing competitively since there was a legend ladder system.


​What personal Hearthstone achievement are you most proud of?

ME: I've reached Top 5 Legend dozens of times with my own creative decks, or new takes on established decks.

JL: Winning back-to-back tournaments with Priest in my lineup when everyone considered it to be terrible. 


What are your goals for the 2016 season?

ME: Making it to Blizzcon, and becoming a Twitch partner streaming Hearthstone.

JL: Hit rank 1 legend since I'm cursed from it (hit rank 2 8+ times) and win Blizzcon.


Is this the first time the three of you have played a Archon Team League-format match together? What are your thoughts on the format?

ME: This is my first time playing this format. I think it looks like a lot of fun, the number of rounds and team format should make things interesting.

JL: Yes it is. It seems like a very interesting format that offers a lot of room for creative strategies to be successful.


How are you preparing for the match?

ME: Ladder games and some testing sessions with friends.

JL: Constantly theory crafting with teammates and practicing my decks against strong players.


Do you stream or produce content about the game? If so, where can people find your Hearthstone content, and what can they expect from your stream?

ME: I started streaming recently, you can find me at www.twitch.tv/mtgostark. I focus on ladder and deck creation, and provide free coaching from time to time.

JL: I stream at twitch.tv/Eversiction and I used to write for Team Liquid but any new content will be on Neworder.gg

On Feb. 2 1887, the good people of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania first gathered 'round Gobbler's Knob and waited to see if upon leaving its burrow, a groundhog would cast a shadow and immediately return to its hole. They would use this data point to predict the next two months or so of weather because people back then were, by and large, very stupid. 

On Feb. 2, 2016, the Hearthstone community was turned upside down. There's a new play mode! Sets on rotation! Cards from basic and classic will be nerfed! Like those simple folk living their miserable lives 'round Gobbler's Knob, we have no idea what to expect in the coming weeks. But you know what is in our power? We can still make an ill-advised guess based on whatever limited information we have readily available. And we won't even abuse a burrowing rodent to do so, which, by God, I call progress. 

Soon a handful of cards that some of us have used for two years will be changed forever. What are those cards? What will those cards become? Some of THL's top prognosticators look deep into the shadows, and tell us the future for the Basic/Classic set.

JediNinja: This card is often cited for its enormous impact on the meta and I'd bet the designers would like some freedom from its oppressive battlecry. The battlecry itself is fine but the low cost and decent stats make it such a huge tempo swing when it works and not much of a sacrifice when it doesn't. I would like to see it changed to a five mana 3/3. That's still a good value for taking out an 8/8 but really hurts to play otherwise.

Jingbudda: I think that more than other cards, BGH limits Blizzard's design space. If I were to nerf it, I'd make it a four mana 4/3, and have it deal six damage to a creature with seven or more attack. Blizzard could also keep the stats and cost, but change the ability—maybe five damage to a creature with seven or more attack.

by Steven "Jaxox" Taft