Match Recap: UCLA Hearthstone Blue and Gold Score Victories over Berkeley and Arizona State

Yesterday was an exciting day for both UCLA Hearthstone teams! The Bruins on UCLA Blue managed a clean sweep against Berkeley’s Hearthstone team, and the Gold Bruins defeated Arizona State University with a peak audience of over 9,000 players on Twitch’s PlayHearthstone channel.

UCLA Blue brought their Jade Druid, Warlock, and Shaman decks to the party against Berkeley. In the first round, UCLA won with their Jade Druid deck in a mirror match by ramping up the board quicker than their opponents and denying them the chance to stabilize. In the second game, UCLA secured another win by establishing a good curve on the board and pushing just enough face damage in the later part of the game. Finally, Blue Bruins won their final match in the familiar Shaman versus Jade Druid match-up by drawing Doppelgangster just in time to secure a 3-0 victory. Looks like the title of #1 public university isn’t the only thing UCLA is taking away from Berkeley this year!

The stakes were high going into the featured match against Arizona State University, as defeat in this match would end UCLA Gold’s chance at qualifying for this season’s Tespa finals. The match began with UCLA winning the Priest vs Zoolock match-up despite ASU’s attempt at delaying their demise. In the second round, UCLA’s expensive hand unfortunately allowed their opponent’s Zoolock deck to snowball into a loss for the Bruins. The bruins won the third game by playing Prince Keleseth with two shadowsteps which buffed all the minions in their deck by +3/+3. This move allowed the bruins to gain their second victory of the set.

The fourth round presented the ultimate curveball for the Gold Bruins as ASU played an extremely innovative Zoo Priest deck. UCLA was “unsure of [how] to play around” and “optimize trades due to [playing against an] unseen deck archetype,” resulting in a 2-2 standing as they went into the fifth game. The final round was not only the final round for the set, but it was also each team’s final chance to qualify for the Tespa finals. The game came down to a nail-biting finale in the Jade Druid mirror, but UCLA Gold was able to take home the gold in a three-turn lethal to close out the night.

Will your UCLA Gold Bruins be able to maintain a perfect record from now on to qualify for Tespa finals? Will UCLA Blue add a second loss this season? Will either team be able to take it all and win the series? Be sure to tune in next time here at uclaesports.com to find out the answers to these and many more Hearthstone-related questions! Go Bruins!