Hey people,
With Hidden Cup 3 finally on our doorstep – just two more days – I thought I was gonna make one last write-up on the 16 contenders of the competition. I’ve included some background information, some recent results, past Hidden Cup 1 and 2 results, as well as some gaming quirks that I, personally, as an amateur viewer of the game, have observed over the years.
Those quirks are obviously my understanding of how these players play, so keep in mind that it’s very possible that I am totally wrong on many of them – especially the ones I don’t watch too often.
Last thing, to stay in the spirit of the tournament, while I did write them in a specific order, I re-arranged the following players profiles randomly.
I hope you enjoy and see you on Thursday for amazing Hidden Cup 3 action!
However, the release of Definitive Edition has seen Nicov rise back to the top. Instrumental to Aftermath’ second place in the ECL last year, Nicov was the second player to reach 2k on DE and has been a fixture of the top 5 on the ranked ladder. He fought his way through the qualifiers, defeating Inc and the always dangerous St4rk, before beating LaaaaaN in convincing fashion in Hidden Cup promotion showmatches. Nicov comes prepared for the next Hidden Cup, and, provided robo doesn’t rig Viper in his part of the bracket for the third straight year, he could go very far.
How to spot Nicov?
However, DauT is the most experienced and perhaps the smartest player in the field. Exceptionally good at reading the game, DauT is very quick to adapt to new meta – a skill that has enabled him to excel in other games, such as Rise of Legends before, and to make top 2 finishes in the opening Escape events in the late 2016-early 2017. With DE and its everchanging meta, DauT is playing sharp and had no trouble dispatching the veteran Tim to make it to the main event. With a good bracket, DauT could do damage.
How to spot DauT?
Originally invited to the third instalment of Nili’s Apartment Cup, Vivi could not make it to Germany for visa reasons and his last tournament performance was a quarterfinal in the Fair Civs cup – beating ACCM and losing to Hera. Interestingly, Hera was the only player Vivi beat last year in the second edition of Hidden Cup, before bowing out to TheViper.
How to spot Vivi?
If that was not enough, with the release of Definitive Edition, Hera has continued his impressive journey forward, taking the second place in a star-laden NAC 3 (only losing 6-4 to TheViper in the final), the second place in the Fair Civs Cup and back-to-back victories against Viper himself in the eParadise Cup and OGN’s Empires Showdown. Arguably the second best player in the world right now, Hera now has the occasion of, perhaps, beating TheViper in a major tournament – a feat only accomplished by RiuT back in 2016.
How to spot Hera?
In 2020, dogao is still a force to be reckoned with, but the emergence of new top players and the continuous improvement of the others has made it more difficult for him to hold his spot in the top 10. He was denied a spot in NAC 3 by Villese whom he had previously easily beaten in HC 2. The same Villese then won again when they were matched up in a promotional showmatch for Hidden Cup 3.
How to spot dogao?
LaaaaaN is also the only player in the draw who has neither played HC 1 nor HC 2: this will mark his Hidden Cup debut. Although he finished last of the latest Nili’s Apartment Cup, his performance, especially against DauT, and his creative use of civilizations highlight his great potential. LaaaaaN easily beat Vinchester to qualify and was beaten by Nicov in a promotional showmatch.
How to spot LaaaaaN?
While Liereyy’s most recent results have been less stellar than his past performances, he remains a force to be reckoned with. Since the release of DE, he has become active again and beat Hera in a showmatch, showing he could still rival with the best. Usually good at dealing with tournament pressure, Liereyy can beat anyone, and could go very far in HC3.
How to spot Liereyy?
In recent times, he has continued to be a consistent top 16 player, reaching the semifinals of NAC 3 qualifier and getting through a tricky bracket where he had to beat Vodka_L and Barles to make it to the main event of Hidden Cup 3. Two years ago, he upset Vivi before losing to slam. Coming into HC 3, F1Re just lost a promotional showmatch against Hera.
How to spot F1Re?
With Hidden Cup 3 finally on our doorstep – just two more days – I thought I was gonna make one last write-up on the 16 contenders of the competition. I’ve included some background information, some recent results, past Hidden Cup 1 and 2 results, as well as some gaming quirks that I, personally, as an amateur viewer of the game, have observed over the years.
Those quirks are obviously my understanding of how these players play, so keep in mind that it’s very possible that I am totally wrong on many of them – especially the ones I don’t watch too often.
Last thing, to stay in the spirit of the tournament, while I did write them in a specific order, I re-arranged the following players profiles randomly.
I hope you enjoy and see you on Thursday for amazing Hidden Cup 3 action!
- Hidden Cup 1: Second round
- Hidden Cup 2: First round
However, the release of Definitive Edition has seen Nicov rise back to the top. Instrumental to Aftermath’ second place in the ECL last year, Nicov was the second player to reach 2k on DE and has been a fixture of the top 5 on the ranked ladder. He fought his way through the qualifiers, defeating Inc and the always dangerous St4rk, before beating LaaaaaN in convincing fashion in Hidden Cup promotion showmatches. Nicov comes prepared for the next Hidden Cup, and, provided robo doesn’t rig Viper in his part of the bracket for the third straight year, he could go very far.
How to spot Nicov?
- OK boomer: if you have ever seen Nicov play high level team games on Voobly, you know just how good he is at developing his economy. Expanding all over the map is something Nicov does well, and better with 150 or more villagers: no wonder he loves civilizations like Indians or Persians.
- Fan of Islands: Nicov’s civilizations and maps picks/bans have been consistent in the two qualifying matches he had to play. Islands first pick, Cup first ban, Mayans banned.
- Rock solid: Nicov is a true all-rounder, who can play every civilization and every map. His gameplay is extremely consistent. One of these players who are more comfortable with the meta than with chaotic strategies, he is always solid and rarely makes mistakes.
- His color: green, although he picks it mostly for team games. In Hidden Cup, he picked orange against TaToH but never bothered picking colors when matched up against Viper.
- Hidden Cup 1: First round
- Hidden Cup 2: First round
However, DauT is the most experienced and perhaps the smartest player in the field. Exceptionally good at reading the game, DauT is very quick to adapt to new meta – a skill that has enabled him to excel in other games, such as Rise of Legends before, and to make top 2 finishes in the opening Escape events in the late 2016-early 2017. With DE and its everchanging meta, DauT is playing sharp and had no trouble dispatching the veteran Tim to make it to the main event. With a good bracket, DauT could do damage.
How to spot DauT?
- Castles win games: although DauT is notorious for placing risky castles, his map reading is second to none and he knows how to secure key areas of the map. And villagers are expendable after all…
- Fan of Ivaylo: of the new civilizations introduced with Definitive Edition, Bulgarians are probably the strongest and most suited for competitive play. DauT has quickly mastered them and used them to great effect before, notably in NAC3 where he surprised TaToH with a strong Bulgarian play.
- Micro is cheating: while some might call it greedy, DauT is exceptionally good at booming under pressure. Don’t expect shiny micro from him, but DauT’s ability to get a strong economy is on par with the best boomers in the game.
- His color: DauT is too lazy to pick colors. Blue or red it is.
- Hidden Cup 1: First round
- Hidden Cup 2: Second round
Originally invited to the third instalment of Nili’s Apartment Cup, Vivi could not make it to Germany for visa reasons and his last tournament performance was a quarterfinal in the Fair Civs cup – beating ACCM and losing to Hera. Interestingly, Hera was the only player Vivi beat last year in the second edition of Hidden Cup, before bowing out to TheViper.
How to spot Vivi?
- Every woodline deserves a tower: Vivi has earned his reputation as one of the most aggressive players at the top level. Men-at-arms and towers are favorites of his, and Vivi has an eye for perfect tower placement. If Vivi is playing, that one villager, behind a woodline, is up to no good.
- To yolo or not to yolo: while, in rated games, Vivi is not afraid to send more villagers forward when the first wave’s attempts get foiled, his signature move is actually to develop a strong economy behind and finish off a weakened opponent in Castle Age.
- Arabia specialist: some players like hybrid maps. Vivi likes Arabia. Expect conservative picks from him, open land maps are where he shines.
- His color: blue. Vivi rarely picks colors in tournament games. Expect him to be blue or red depending on the opponent. He did pick grey against Hera last year, though.
- Hidden Cup 1: Not invited
- Hidden Cup 2: First round
If that was not enough, with the release of Definitive Edition, Hera has continued his impressive journey forward, taking the second place in a star-laden NAC 3 (only losing 6-4 to TheViper in the final), the second place in the Fair Civs Cup and back-to-back victories against Viper himself in the eParadise Cup and OGN’s Empires Showdown. Arguably the second best player in the world right now, Hera now has the occasion of, perhaps, beating TheViper in a major tournament – a feat only accomplished by RiuT back in 2016.
How to spot Hera?
- Sniper scouts: one of the fastest players in the world, Hera is famous for getting the maximum value out of his scouts. Spotting weak villagers on farms and finishing them off with a low HP scout is one of his signature moves.
- Meta is meta for a reason: playing standard and playing it amazingly well is what Hera does best. You will rarely see him go for unconventional plays: he will pick the best civilization available, play it the expected way, and win.
- Good on all maps, better on Arabia: open land maps are Hera’s favorite. While his water play is much stronger than he claims, Hera shines on open maps rewarding aggression and map control. Keep an eye out for picks such as Slopes or Ravines.
- His color: usually green, although Hera plays with team colors on. He picked orange in his match against Vivi last year.
- Hidden Cup 1: Not invited
- Hidden Cup 2: Second round
In 2020, dogao is still a force to be reckoned with, but the emergence of new top players and the continuous improvement of the others has made it more difficult for him to hold his spot in the top 10. He was denied a spot in NAC 3 by Villese whom he had previously easily beaten in HC 2. The same Villese then won again when they were matched up in a promotional showmatch for Hidden Cup 3.
How to spot dogao?
- King of the water: one of the best water players on AoC balance for a long time, dogao has a natural affinity with water maps and regularly picks them in tournaments. Cup has been a favorite of his, and he’s also fully confident on Islands.
- His color: blue or red, as he doesn’t pick colors in tournaments. In Hidden Cup 2, he didn’t pick any color either.
- Hidden Cup 1: Not invited
- Hidden Cup 2: Did not qualify
LaaaaaN is also the only player in the draw who has neither played HC 1 nor HC 2: this will mark his Hidden Cup debut. Although he finished last of the latest Nili’s Apartment Cup, his performance, especially against DauT, and his creative use of civilizations highlight his great potential. LaaaaaN easily beat Vinchester to qualify and was beaten by Nicov in a promotional showmatch.
How to spot LaaaaaN?
- Winning with Vietnamese: during NAC 3, LaaaaaN famously used Vietnamese against DauT on Regicide Fortress, winning the game in brilliant fashion. While he might not have the occasion to do that so often during HC 3, keep an eye on for unorthodox civ picks.
- His color: when he arrived on the scene, LaaaaaN was playing in teal. Since then he has stopped picking colors; expect to see him in blue or red depending on what his opponents pick.
- Hidden Cup 1: Second round
- Hidden Cup 2: Semifinalist
While Liereyy’s most recent results have been less stellar than his past performances, he remains a force to be reckoned with. Since the release of DE, he has become active again and beat Hera in a showmatch, showing he could still rival with the best. Usually good at dealing with tournament pressure, Liereyy can beat anyone, and could go very far in HC3.
How to spot Liereyy?
- The original micro nerd: possibly the fastest of all pro players, Liereyy was originally famous for incredible micro with ranged units, taking good fights against all odds even. Make sure to pay attention to wildly dancing crossbowmen!
- Perfect build orders aren’t overrated: evolving from a pure micro-oriented player to a true all-rounder, Liereyy is often praised for his flawless builds – even at a level where all players have mastered this art.
- Winning by K-O: during King of the Desert 2, Liereyy’s games were 10 minutes shorter than Viper’s on average. Liereyy is an adept of Castle Age aggression, relying on his superior micro to push his opponent with crossbows and mangonels while consolidating a 2-TC eco behind.
- His color: green. He picks it consistently in tournaments, but varied colors during Hidden Cup 2, picking everything from red to teal. He likes green better, though.
- Hidden Cup 1: Second round
- Hidden Cup 2: Did not qualify
In recent times, he has continued to be a consistent top 16 player, reaching the semifinals of NAC 3 qualifier and getting through a tricky bracket where he had to beat Vodka_L and Barles to make it to the main event of Hidden Cup 3. Two years ago, he upset Vivi before losing to slam. Coming into HC 3, F1Re just lost a promotional showmatch against Hera.
How to spot F1Re?
- Master of Islands: winner of the tournament of the same name, F1Re used to be one of the best water players on the old AoC meta. While he has been very vocal about his dislike for the “new” meta, F1Re remains a strong Islands player and has picked the map at every occasion.
- His color: usually blue, since he rarely picks colors. However, F1Re sometimes likes spicing things up, and borrowed Viper’s trademark yellow during his showmatch. Sadly, it did not quite bring him the luck or favor he needed against Hera.