It is a general fact that Canadian star Hamzah “Hera” El-Baher is the best player when it comes to the Age of Empires, spanning his dominance across Age of Empires I, Age of Empires II, and even Age of Empires IV. At the age of 25, he continues to dominate and carries the flag of GamerLegion with his success so far.

So when he lost to Gan “Yo” Yangfan in the final of the Medieval Masters last Sunday, fans were left with more questions than praises for the Chinese star. After all, it is super rare for the Canadian star to even lose a single tournament at this point in time. For many players, it doesn’t make that much sense, but then we all know that nothing is impossible in the esports world.

Considered to be the best AoE player out there, Hera losing this Medieval Masters to Yo was more of a change of scenery for fans. It was rare air, and it cannot be denied that there are a lot of expectations when it comes to the Canadian’s dominance in the game and how it even happened at this point.

How Did Hera Lose?

Both Hera and Yo were invited into the Medieval Masters, and both even finished second in their respective Group Stages. Both players also took down top seeds in ACCM and MbL in the quarterfinals before Hera took down another top seed in Liereyy. So when they met in the final, it was expected that Hera would be the one setting the tone and defining the success for his games once more.

Yo stole the first game in Enclosed, making quick work of Hera’s tactics even when he played his favorite Hindustanis. Hera would then surge back to take a 2-1 lead after winning in Socotra and Fortress using the Inca and Bohemians against Yo’s Khitans and Bengalis. By that time, all the momentum had shifted into Hera’s favor once more.

That’s when Yo played the best of his cards – using the Armenians, Teutons, and the Lithuanians in the final three maps. Hera was usually the one dictating the pace in the matches, but it was Yo who had full control and put pressure on the Canadian star for most of the game.

So What Now?

Well, the loss for Hera was quite a scene-defining finish. It really felt that Hera was invincible for some time now, as he could not even lose to the best players in the game. Now that there’s a new strong competition for the Canadian star, there’s a sense of balance to look out for in the Age of Empires scene moving forward.

For what it is worth, Hera is still the best in the Age of Empires scene, no doubt. But having competition finally kicks this game back into the influential space as it means that there’s a lot of excitement to look forward to. This just means that the expectations are higher than ever, and now Yo would become a promising performer to watch as well.

Imagine – an Asian star rising in AoE dominance to challenge the best of the best. Now we have a promising set of tournaments to look forward to – with these two stars at the helm and making their presence felt now more than ever.

Finally, a challenge for Hera to expect in the coming tournaments.