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FNCS Season 6: The Heartbreak Of Competitive Fortnite

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FNCS Season 6: The Heartbreak Of Competitive Fortnite

ESTNN recaps some unfortunate developments from the FNCS Season 6 Semi-Finals.

On the heels of an exciting Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) Semi-Finals weekend, more than six teams in each region secured their ticket to the main event. With $3M USD and the Axe of Champions on the line, all seven server regions will do their best to etch themselves in the Fortnite history books via the Season 6 Finals.

However, some stumbled and fell in a genuinely heart-wrenching fashion. Competitive Fortnite affords countless opportunities but these moments from the FNCS Semi-Finals are unfathomable. There’s no question that random elements exist inside and outside the game.

Kami, Setty, Teeq Come Up Empty

It’s not all fun and games, a lesson that professional players Michał “GAMMA Kami” Kamiński, Maciej “GXR Teeq” Radzio and Iwo “BL Setty” Zając learned in the worst possible manner. The innovators of the “Kami Split,” arguably competitive Fortnite’s most robust loot path, suffered an unfathomable string of bad luck that dates back to the second FNCS Qualifier.

Needing a top-three finish to advance directly to the Season 6 Finals, Kami, Teeq and Setty proceeded to place sixth and fifth in the last two FNCS Qualifiers. In weeks two and three, game crashes prevented them from the crucial top-three result. That meant, unfortunately, that the three European players would need to battle through the Semi-Finals to continue their bid for the Axe of Champions.

In the Semi-Finals, Epic Games assigned Kami, Teeq and Setty to Heat B. After six matches, the trio found themselves in seventh. While an impressive result, the magic number was six. That number reflects both the points and final placement they desperately needed to qualify. Despite not advancing through the Semi-Finals, Kami, Teeq and Setty had one last opportunity in the Reboot Round, a last-chance Qualifier outstanding to watch but nerve-wracking to play.

Three Reboot Round matches separated the three Euros from the Season 6 Finals. Success in the Reboot Round hinged upon a Victory Royale in a format where eliminations do not matter. It’s one of the most challenging games in competitive Fortnite, and it continued a run of unfortunate outcomes for Kami, Teeq and Setty. The three players finished second, fourth and sixth and have exited the FNCS competition without a single dollar earned. It was a tragic end to an otherwise excellent season for Kami, Teeq and Setty.

Account Issues

Veno

Earlier this week, ESTNN covered two stories from top players within the European scene. In the case of rising star Veno, a decision to purchase an account years ago led to his team’s disqualification from the Semi-Finals. His teammates — Fortnite World Cup Champion David “aqua” Wang and Chris “FNATIC crr” Anderson — suffered their same consequences. It prevented a comeback story of the ages after the all-time player returned from a Season 5 hiatus for aqua.

Crr missed out on his second FNCS Final in his career, the last being Chapter 2 – Season 3. It is something that fans never want to see in competitive Fortnite. Unfortunately, Veno, aqua and crr could only watch as the Semi-Finals unfolded. They’ll have to look ahead to next season for more redemption.

LeTsHe

Another well-known competitor in the scene — Kevin “G2 LeTsHe” Fedjuschkin — fell victim to an account issue that he, G2 Esports and Epic Games could not resolve in time. The infraction is a tad unclear, but it appears LeTsHe linked his Epic and Xbox accounts together, resulting in a lockout.

Unfortunately, it was the account that he used to qualify for the FNCS Semi-Finals. The confusing circumstance led to the removal of his team, including Sevenjosh and IboooHai, from the competition. Like Veno, aqua and crr, LeTsHe’s team is onto next season.

KadenOX — Untimely Power Outage

https://twitter.com/kadenoxx/status/1396638827674963969?s=21

Professional NA West player known as KadenOX had all the tools required to smash the FNCS Semi-Finals competition. He joined veteran western players Reza “CLG Symetrical” Ebrahimi Manie and TurtleTavern in nearly qualifying for the Season 6 Finals in weeks one and two. They respectively finished fourth and seventh. Three additional points in the first qualifier would have allowed them to bypass the Semi-Finals. Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition.

Instead, they were assigned to Heat A with hopes of finishing inside the top-six, thus avoiding the Reboot Round. As fate would have it, KadenOX, Symetrical and TurtleTavern completed their heat with 129 points. Landing them in a devastating seventh place. Like many before them, the NA West trio had to endure the unforgiving Reboot Round.

KadenOX, Symetrical and TurtleTavern hoped to secure one of four Victory Royales in the Reboot Round; pushing them through to the Season 6 Finals. However, an untimely power outage foiled their plans. Symetrical took to Twitter, stating, “gg @kadenoxx power is out don't even know how to feel right now, @FNCompetitive please let us play as a duo or something.”

The promising trio would not queue into a single Reboot Round match as a result.

KadenOX reacts

KadenOX went on Twitter with his reaction to the situation, and it’s painful to read.

“my mom wants to do things almost every weekend this summer, which means I most likely won’t be able to play on A LOT of the weekends. and so with that being said, obviously I won’t be playing fncs if it’s on weekends during this summer. she also wants me to get a job in the fall, because she has told me that all of this “‘isn’t real life’” and is pretty much “‘pointless’.”

We’ve all been there; parents generally aren’t accepting of their children playing video games up to 12 hours per day as competitive Fortnite demands. At 15-years-old, KadenOX managed to land a high-level trio to compete in the FNCS. There’s no telling what could have happened if not for the unfortunate power outage. It’s devastating to see a young talent with a high skill ceiling have to sacrifice what he calls “wasted potential.” Hopefully, he can bounce back next in Season 7.

Other Wild Developments from the Weekend

Some other storylines developed throughout the weekend, including professional player “Paper” suffering a ban on Twitch and Fortnite for threatening physical harm against another team. Additionally, Fortnite veteran and Season X Champion — Jonathan “BBG Calc” Weber — flirted with retirement after falling short in the NA East Reboot Round. Let’s not forget Timothy “FaZe Bizzle” Miller, who received the brunt of criticism after he and his teammates Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf and Cody “Clix” Conrod lost the Sweaty Sands showdown.

These unfortunate situations serve as a reminder that competitive Fortnite is much more than money, fame and notoriety. Not all stories are successful, and these players put their hearts and souls on the line with one common goal of achieving greatness.

Avatar of Matt Pryor
Matt Pryor
Matt is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University. He appreciates all esports titles but primarily focuses on Fortnite and Call of Duty. Matt continuously analyzes gameplay and plays the games himself to better understand in-game decisions by the best players in the world.