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HoK Invitational S3: Teams, format, schedule, and more

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As a gaming enthusiast, I’m on the hunt for all the deets about the upcoming Honor of Kings (HoK) Invitational Season 3 happening next month right here in the Philippines. Let’s dive in together to uncover what’s in store!

As a dedicated fan, I can hardly contain my excitement as the Honor of Kings (HoK) Invitational S3 is about to commence! Teams from all over the globe are finalizing their preparations for this historic event – the inaugural HoK international esports tournament of 2025. The tournament promises a grand total prize pool of $300,000 and will unfold its magic from February 21st to March 1st at SM City North EDSA in the heart of Manila, Philippines. I can hardly wait!

This competition signifies the third installment of the Invitational series; the inaugural event took place in Turkey, followed by the second one in Malaysia – both held back in 2024. For the first time in the global Honor of Kings tournament, they will incorporate a Global Ban & Pick system.

HoK Invitational S3 teams

Twelve regional squads have earned a place in the tournament via the Qualifiers, much like last year. However, similar to last year’s event, international teams are being invited, but unfortunately, the Chinese team is not included this time around.

HoK Invitational S3 format and prize pool

At the HoK Championship 2024, the overall prize fund amounts to $300,000. This amount is divided among all competing teams according to their finishing positions, as outlined in the following breakdown:

[Details of the distribution can be added here]

  • 1st Place: $100,000
  • 2nd Place: $50,000
  • 3rd-4th Place: $25,000
  • 5th-8th Place: $15,000
  • 9th-12th Place: $10,000

The tournament will be divided into two stages: Group Stage and Knockout Stage.

Group Stage

12 teams will be divided into four groups, each consisting of three squads during the Group Stage. One team from the seeded group (Blacklist International, Bigetron Sigma, Nova Esports, or Alpha7 Esports) will join two unseeded teams in each group. The matches within these groups will follow a single round-robin format with best-of-five series.

In simpler terms, the best two teams from every group move on to the Elimination Round, and the team that finishes last in each group gets knocked out of the competition.

Knockout Stage

8 teams will form a single-elimination tournament bracket. The winners of each group will receive higher seedings for the knockout round. During the preliminary rounds, teams from the same group won’t face off until the quarterfinals. All matches will follow a best-of-seven series format, with Ultimate Battle Rules being enforced throughout.

Ultimate Battle

In HoK tournaments, the deciding match of a best-of-seven series is called the Ultimate Battle, which operates under unique rules. In this Ultimate Battle, players can select mirror heroes and the hero that was globally banned in previous games may be utilized once more (this is known as blind draft).

Following a 3-3 tie in the game, the referee will invite both team’s head coaches to the center of the field. Both teams’ staff, including assistant coaches, analysts, and other personnel, will be permitted on the platform. They will have three minutes to deliberate and finalize their draft decisions. Once the time is up, the head coach must submit their “hero lineups” and “challenger spells” to the referee, after which they will exit the stage.

In each match, the opposing team won’t see the star player formations and special abilities chosen by their own team until the game commences. Players are expected to adhere to the hero lineups and special moves selected by their coach beforehand.

Global Ban & Pick

In the Global Ban & Pick, or Fearless Draft, each team is restricted to choosing a specific hero only once during an entire match series. This unique drafting style was initially employed in the playoff phase of the King Pro League (KPL) Fall 2018 tournament.

To finish a best-of-seven series, a player must become proficient with at least seven to nine different characters. This is because they cannot choose the same character twice, and there are extra bans enforced during the selection process.

HoK Invitational S3 location, schedule, and how to watch

Group Stage

  • Location: SM City North EDSA, Manila, Philippines
  • Schedule: Feb. 21-24

Knockout Stage

  • Location: SM City North EDSA, Manila, Philippines
  • Schedule:
    • Quarterfinals: Feb. 26-27
    • Semifinals: Feb. 28
    • Grand Finals: Mar. 1

Besides attending in person, fans from around the globe can catch the tournament live online since it’s broadcasted across numerous streaming platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Facebook Live. Moreover, players themselves have the option to follow the tournament within the game through the HoK streaming feature.

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2025-01-22 08:10

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