BlizzCon 2019 Hearthstone Grand Finals Winner Makes History

History was made this weekend at the BlizzCon 2019’s Hearthstone Global Finals. 23-year-old Xiaomeng “VKLiooon” Li was crowned this year’s Global Hearthstone Champion. Not only is she the first female to win a Hearthstone Grand Masters event, Li is also the first Chinese player to secure the title. Her victory also marks the first time a female player has taken home a championship trophy at BlizzCon across all Blizzard titles.

Li’s incredible run up to the finals included taking down Hearthstone’s 2017 World Champion, Chen Wei Lin, better known by his handle “tom60229,” sending him to the loser’s bracket immediately. In the finals, she faced Brian “bloodyface” Eason, who she made quick work of, sweeping him 3-0 to claim her title and take home the $200,000 grand prize.

Suicide Squad: Check Out this Image of Jared Leto’s Joker from Deleted Scene

Jared Leto, and the Joker he played in Suicide Squad, have been in the news a lot these days, what with THR’s article stating the actor felt blindsided by Warner Bros. when they greenlit a solo Joker film separate from his character, and that Leto reportedly tried to put a stop to the Todd Phillips’ film when it was in development.

Separate from all this, we also knew that a lot of Leto’s Joker scenes from 2016’s Suicide Squad got cut from the final film.

His Dark Materials Season 1, Episode 1 Review

This is a mostly spoiler-free review of His Dark Materials Season 1, episode 1, which premieres on BBC One in the UK on Nov. 3 and HBO in the US on Nov. 4.

His Dark Materials fans have been hurt before. New Line’s 2007 adaptation of the first book in Phillip Pullman’s young adult series boasted an impressive cast and the budget necessary to bring the world to life, but they squandered those riches on a story that didn’t dare address the book’s more free-thinking themes. Thankfully, co-producers the BBC and HBO have learned from those mistakes to deliver both spectacle and story in their adaptation.

For those who haven’t read the books, His Dark Materials takes place in an alternate world where the human soul manifests as an animal companion called a Dæmon, its form ever-changing during childhood before settling on one in adulthood. This world is ruled by the Magisterium, a theocratic government that suppresses free thought everywhere save for scholastic institutions, and even then, with strict guidelines forbidding outright heresy. The story follows Lyra (Dafne Keen), a young girl left at Jordan College as a baby by her uncle, noted explorer Lord Asriel (James McAvoy). The pilot throws a lot of mythology and world-building at viewers up front, so if you’re not familiar with the source material, this approach might make your head spin, but stick with it and you’ll be rewarded with a rich world that grows far wider and deeper as the story progresses.

Box Office: Here’s How Terminator: Dark Fate’s Opening Compares to Other Terminator Movies

Terminator: Dark Fate may have won the weekend’s box office, but it came up far short of expectations for the first film since 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day to have both series creator James Cameron and star Linda Hamilton on board.

Does this make it a box office bomb? We’ll have to wait and see how Dark Fate plays out in the long run. It’s certainly the third Terminator film in a decade to flame out at the start.

Despite being the best reviewed Terminator film since Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Dark Fate earned an estimated $29 million which is far less than the $40 million plus that was first predicted. Per Variety, Dark Fate brought in another $72.9 million overseas, bringing its grand sum so far to $123 million.

Why Terminator: Dark Fate Does Not Have an After Credits Scene

Thanks (in part) to the MCU, it’s commonplace now for big franchise installments to contain post credits scenes. Which makes it all the more surprising that Terminator: Dark Fate doesn’t have any. You’d think a series famous for the tagline “I’ll be back” would want to tease more with after credits tidbits.

Talking to Fandango back in October, Director Tim Miller explained why Dark Fate had a normal end credits roll.

“I love

,” Miller said, “but I think it’s a uniquely Marvel thing. So, no.”

Where (and How) to Watch Apple TV Plus

Apple TV+ is the latest à la carte premium streaming service to enter the highly competitive TV landscape – which will also include Disney+ in a few weeks and HBO Max this coming May. Apple TV Plus launches Friday, November 1, and has a relatively low price point, at $4.99 per month. Here’s a quick breakdown of how you can (or can’t) get Apple TV+ on your various devices and PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or Switch:

Save Almost 50% on the Overwatch Official Cookbook and More

Saving the world every day can take a lot out of you, so don’t forget to fuel up. We spotted a great deal on the Official Overwatch Cookbook (now with an extra discount), and it’s a treasure trove of recipes from almost every current character, up to Hammond. If that isn’t enough food for you, we’ve included a couple of other options.

Overwatch: The Official Cookbook

overwatch cookbook

Overwatch: The Official Cookbook on Amazon – $18.27 (save $16.73)

Daily Deals: Pre-order Credit for Pokemon, Huge Nintendo Switch Games Sale and Much More

Welcome to IGN’s Daily Deals, your source for the best deals on the stuff you actually want to buy. Follow us at Twitter @igndeals. We bring you the best deals we’ve found today on video games, hardware, electronics, and a bunch of random stuff too. Updated 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Get $10 Amazon Credit When Pre-ordering Pokemon Sword and Shield

If you still haven’t pre-ordered the latest Pokemon games, consider doing so through Amazon. If you’re a Prime member, you will get a $10 credit for your pre-order, which will be sent to you a few weeks after the purchase date.

Rian Johnson Explains How Last Jedi Outrage Inspired Knives Out

With Knives Out — which hints theaters on November 27 — already garnering rave reviews, writer/director Rian Johnson recently spoke about how his wicked whodunnit uses the polarizing aspect of social media as central theme. It’s a concept he, naturally, experienced first hand when some Star Wars fans directed their venom at him following The Last Jedi.

Johnson, who attended Deadline’s The Contenders Los Angeles, mentioned wanting to turn rampant online toxicity into laughs.

Joker: Joaquin Phoenix Was Thinking About a Possible Sequel During Filming

Though it was never really designed to spawn sequels, Todd Phillips’ Joker has now grossed over $900 million worldwide and you have to assume most everyone involved wants this story of Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck to continue.

While talking to the LA Times’ The Envelope, Phoenix and Phillips spoke about what it might take for them to return for more, and that they’d even started musing about a follow up during production.

“Long before the release or before we had any idea if it would be successful, we talked about sequels,” Phoenix stated. “In the second or third week of shooting, I was like, ‘Todd, can you start working on a sequel? There’s way too much to explore.’ It was kind of in jest — but not really.”