Hearthstone crowns first female Grand Champion at BlizzCon 2019
Chinese professional Hearthstone player Xiaomeng “VKLiooon” Li was crowned the Hearthstone Global Finals champion at BlizzCon 2019, becoming the first woman to win a major BlizzCon championship.
[ad name=”article1″]
BlizzCon 2019 was the site of this year’s Global Finals, where the best Hearthstone players in the world gathered to compete to crown the game’s top player.
Rising to the top was none other than VKLiooon, who became the first female winner of a major BlizzCon championship in history.
Congratulations #VKLiooon!! pic.twitter.com/bFWOiMFT98
— Hearthstone Esports (@HSesports) November 2, 2019
[ad name=”article2″]
How did VKLiooon do it?
Hailing from the Chinese circuit, which doesn’t operate on the Grandmaster system, VKLiooon had to qualify for BlizzCon by playing in open tournaments.
It was a long road for the Hearthstone pro, and VKLiooon couldn’t help but get emotional as she stood on stage as the undisputed Hearthstone master of 2019.
Thanks to esports insider Rod ‘Slasher‘ Breslau for the below clip:
esports history in the making and an emotional moment: Chinese Hearthstone Grandmasters player VLiooon becomes the first woman to win a major BlizzCon championship and the first woman to win a major HS championship
it's what dreams are made of pic.twitter.com/zTUXNwH1jW
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) November 2, 2019
[ad name=”article3″]
The champ had some wise words to share with aspiring female esports pros after her win.
“I want to say for all the girls out there who have a dream for esports competition, for glory,” VKLiooon said. “If you want to do it and you believe in yourself, you should just forget your gender and go for it.”
“This is the best way to strike back at those people who doubted me only because I am a girl,” she continued. “It proves that girls can be strong pro players, just as guys do.”
"This is the best way to strike back at those people who doubted me only because I am a girl. It proves that girls can be strong pro players, just as guys do.” – Xiaomeng “VKLiooon” Li pic.twitter.com/1PQczUHwim
— Hearthstone Esports (@HSesports) November 2, 2019
[ad name=”article4″]
BlizzCon 2019 comes to an end
Blizzcon 2019 might not have had the same huge announcements for Hearthstone as it did for Overwatch or World of Warcraft, but VKLiooon’s championship run will definitely live on in years to come.
What makes this even better though, is the story VKLiooon shared about her Hearthstone esports experience.
Two years ago, the pro said she was in line for a Hearthstone major tournament when someone told her this event wasn’t for her because she’s a girl.
Two years ago, #VKLiooon said she was in line for a major tournament and a man told her that because she's a girl, the event wasn't for her — now she's the HS Grandmasters champion :tada: pic.twitter.com/0BAMoQZHL8
— Nicole Carpenter (@sweetpotatoes) November 3, 2019
[ad name=”article5″]
Now VKLiooon is officially the best Hearthstone player in the world – and that salty dude is probably stuck in ladder play somewhere.
