by Will Gordon
Hello again, Heroclix World! It’s time to crown a new champion and time to rank this year’s contenders. A new venue will play host September 6-8 in Memphis Tennessee, as Graceland welcomes the world’s best players to compete for the 2019 title. Most of the perennial favorites for the big events will be in attendance and the mid south has a solid player base, as well. It will be interesting to see how the new location and stand-alone format for the championship will affect overall attendance, but it should be a strong field, well represented by the elite players in the game.
At Origins this past June, a new U.S. National Champion was crowned, as Patrick Frazier outlasted an impressive field to take the title. While I did not have Patrick ranked going into the tournament, the Top 5 players from my list all made the Top 8. Also, my dark horse #10 pick, Nate White, is his primary training partner. Patrick eliminated player after player from my rankings on his way to the title, and deserves recognition for a phenomenal tournament. Patrick will be at Worlds, so it will be interesting to see how he follows up that performance.
Another player who deserves mention for a recent big win is Canada’s Devin Owens. After 
making noise in the New York area in recent years, as well as winning a Team World Championship in 2018, Devin recently won Canadian nationals. It was a strong field with many of the top players in attendance and he went undefeated in the tournament. An impressive accomplishment that warrants serious consideration for this list. I have not ranked him here, however, as I have been unable to confirm attendance for Worlds. Another player left off the list for the same reason is PJ Bolin, who will not be able to make this year’s tournament.
With those two high profile National tournaments and another round of WKO events, many of the top players have been quite active over the last few months. There are a lot of good players around now who haven’t broken through with a big win yet, but who are capable of doing so at any given opportunity. Patrick Frazier proved this point at Origins. However, it is many of the same faces that you see at the top tables of these events. As I mentioned earlier, the players I had ranked 1-5 all ended up in the Top 8 of a 128-player field. There are clearly players who have separated themselves and can be looked at as favorites for these events. So, with all that being said, here are my top 10 players to watch for the 2019 World Championship:
- 1. Easton Brock
Well, I guess I’ll start with who I still think is the best player in the world. While most players would be happy with a second place finish at one of the game’s biggest events, I don’t think Easton was thrilled to again find himself in that position at Origins. I still think that elusive single’s championship is going to come, and I think this year is the time.
- 2. Isaac Arnold-Berkovitz
Isaac continues to finish T8 or better at every big tournament this game has. He has played impressively at the two big National events this year, seriously contending in both. The games he loses are always razor close and he obviously wins far more than he loses. The Wizkids World championship is about the only chip this kid hasn’t collected yet, and the safest bet in clix is that he’s going to get one at some point.
- 3. Matt Greichunos
Matty has been moving up this list for years now. Another safe Heroclix bet is that if it’s a big event and the Top 8 cut has been made, Matty G. is going to be there. I said before Origins that I thought he was right on the cusp of the Top 4 and his results there indicated that was a correct assessment. However, he was eliminated by the eventual Champion and Matt’s a grinder, always looking to improve. I think taking those next couple of steps to a championship is within his capabilities. While lacking the big win of others below him on the list, Mattie’s longevity and consistency at the top level of the game cannot be overlooked.
- 4. Dan Powell
This was an extremely close call for fourth between Dan and his Clixed Off teammate, Tylor Spees. I’ll give the slight nod to Dan, although recent results would seem to indicate otherwise. Dan performed well at Origins, despite missing a T8 finish. I think he’s motivated and would love to add a Wizkids Championship to his 2 ROC World Cup wins. I’m sure he’ll play well and has to be considered among the favorites.
- 5. Tylor Spees
The fifth spot goes to the previously mentioned reigning World Champion, Tylor Spees. Tylor had an impressive run at Origins, eventually being eliminated by Easton in the round of 8. He has proven himself to be one of the world’s top players and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to Modern Age rotation. I would be surprised to see him out of the Top 8, but I would be even more surprised to see a first ever repeat champion in 2019.
- 6. Dustin Seeders
Dustin has become a perennial contender at the big events, and as a former U.S. National Champion, he is a proven winner as well. He’s seldom out of the mix at the big events and has played a variety of teams and styles with equal success. I’m sure Dustin has his eyes set on a World Championship, and anyone who plays him in Memphis may just find themselves to be stepping stones on the way to that goal.
- 7. Patrick Frazier
For those who believe in the hot hand theory, Patrick may be your man. He ran through a who’s who in the world of heroclix on his way to the U.S. National title at Origins, beating my #1 player Easton in the final. It was certainly not a fluke of any sort and every indication is that Patrick should compete for the title in Memphis. However, he lacks the lengthy resume of other players on this list, and it remains to be seen if can maintain the consistency at the top level as many of the others have.
The recent Phoenix Nest addition has established himself in the last year or two as a player to watch. With his biggest win coming at last year’s Majestix $2k Invitational, Steve has played well in the biggest events and has wins over many of the game’s elite players. He is a highly skilled and tournament tested player who has what it takes to become a world champion.
- 9. Tom Kerr
Despite lackluster results over the past year, Tom is still one of the finest players in the game. I thought he was poised to compete for the top spot on this list a year ago, but he hasn’t been able to make a deep run at recent big events. I expect that to turn around in Memphis and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t make a strong push for the title.
- Micah Love
There are several candidates for the 10 spot, most of them with better resumes and bigger wins than Micah. However, I think he’s a strong candidate for another T8 finish and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go even deeper. Having made his reputation with Shredders, Micah has been forced to switch it up. He seems to be up for the challenge with a recent WKO win in Texas over a solid field. I don’t think he’s ready to take the top spot at Worlds quite yet, but I wouldn’t completely rule it out.
Ok, guys, so that’s my top 10 list heading into the 2019 World Championship. I won’t mention anybody else by name this time around, but the rest of the top players (you know who you are) out there who I left off the list have my best wishes. Again, this is a subjective process and this is what I expect the Top 8 to look like this year. Any of you guys who end up making a run or winning outright, feel free to let me know how wrong I was! As always, I hope this list has provided some fun and discussion. Looking forward to seeing many of you in Memphis, it should be a fun weekend!
