Story Highlights
Recently, Echo emerged victorious at World of Warcraft’s The Great Push 2024 event. This is an annual event where the world’s best teams compete against one another to see who can clear Mythic Plus Dungeons the fastest. Fan-favorite Echo was expected to win, but the competition this time around was a lot closer than it usually tends to be.
This was because Blizzard had changed the format for The Great Push. While not everyone was in favor of these changes, personally, I think they ended up being great. The adjustments to the format included enforcement of the 1 Tank, 1 Heal, and 3 DPS group composition. This was enough to dramatically shift how different teams approach the competition, making it more competitive overall. Here’s why.
About the Author: Danish Bukhari has played World of Warcraft since 2014, both on retail and private servers. With over 1000+ hours across several characters and realms, he is an expert in the game and the discourse around it.
Teams Actually Pushed Keys
Previously, many teams taking part in The Great Push tended to have 4 DPS characters, with just one Tank. As a result, much of the first day of the competition was simply spent on playing up keys. This was generally a less fun experience for viewers, as the actual point of the tournament: pushing higher-level dungeons wasn’t achieved. The competition, as a result, didn’t heat up until the day had already passed.
![Pushing Challenging Keys Is The Whole Point Of This Tournament (via Blizzard Entertainment).](https://cdn.exputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Pushing-Challenging-Keys-Is-The-Whole-Point-Of-This-Tournament-via-Blizzard.jpg)
Based on the previous format, eliminations were not really based on a team’s ability to push massive keys, but on whether they could play them as fast as possible. That seems antithetical to the core idea of the tournament, which is all about teams going head-to-head to see who can push the highest keys. This adjustment might not seem huge, but it does have large implications for how the tournament functions overall.
The Competition Was Exciting
The format change helped to make the competition a lot more exciting, with many close calls and great moments. Fans are now hoping that a similar format is adopted for the game’s upcoming expansion, The War Within. Another great aspect of the change-up was that other teams got to shine this time around. While Echo still clinched the win, in the end, Mandatory was a close second.
![Team Echo Pulled Through Despite A Volatile Day 1 (via Esports.gg).](https://cdn.exputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Team-Echo-Pulled-Through-Despite-A-Volatile-Day-1-via-Esports.gg_.jpg)
For a second, it looked like it was actually going to win, especially after Echo’s rough start. But their Day 2 performance blew every other team out of the water. In the end, Mandatory struggling with its Brackenhide and Azure Vault keys ended up being the deciding factor. Still, the fact that other teams got so close is pretty indicative of the fact that Echo’s dominance in the MDI and TGP circuit might be coming to an end.
If seeing all these professional players clash against one another has excited you enough to try pushing Mythic Plus keys yourself, then now is as good a time as any to hop back into the game. And for those struggling with the challenge, using a WoW boost service is also a possible option.
The Changes Indicate Blizzard’s New Philosophy
As I said, not all WoW players might be fans of these new rule changes being introduced to The Great Push. But the fact that it led to a much more exciting experience for both the players and the spectators, is reason enough to keep it. The team behind World of Warcraft has been doing some great work nowadays. After a series of poorly received expansions, the developers really took a lot of the feedback they received to heart.
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And so, they’ve been a lot more flexible with the changes being brought to the game nowadays. Some of the upcoming features teased for The War Within, like Warbands and Delves look like they’re going to further continue on this trend of giving players things they’ve been asking for a long time. Hopefully, the dev team will keep on delivering great quality.
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