Fortnite Champion Series Finals: Day One Recap

The Fortnite Champion Series Semi-Finals are officially underway. Day one did not go as planned for Epic Games. The livestream was inconsistent at best, and eventually, the Fortnite developers disabled in-game viewing due to several complications. On top of these issues, Epic Games delayed several Heats per region due to technical malfunctions within matchmaking. Under much scrutiny, the livestream raged on and players geared up to earn a piece of $3M USD.

We're experiencing issues w/ the scheduled matchmaking for the FNCS Finals in the EU region. We are delaying Heat 1 of EU to start at the same time window as EU Heat 4 (Saturday 7-10pm BST)

All points earned from match 1&2 will still count. Matches 3-6 will start at the new time

— Fortnite Competitive (@FNCompetitive) September 20, 2019

Day one ultimately provided some unbelievable performances out of highly recognizable professionals and even some lesser-known Fortnite players. As a quick refresher, the top 8 teams out of NA West, NA East, Europe and Brazil per heat advance to finals. For Oceania, Asia and Middle East, the top 16 teams per heat advance to the finals.  Let’s jump in for a recap of the events so far in Fortnite Champion Series Semi-Finals.

NA East

Although the final match did not play out as intended, it’s safe to deem SEN Bugha, RS clarityG and STRETCH as the Heat 1 victors for NA East. In a bold move, Bugha was one of the only top players to stream the first five matches of the competition. The results were exactly what he, clarityG and STRETCH were looking for. Over 5 matches, they earned 1 Victory Royale and 3 runner-up finishes. No other team could rival their consistency or their communication. Going into the final match, Bugha, clarityG and STRETCH have a 30 point lead over second place and are looking strong as Grand Finals Approach.

So I now have the winter royale clip… the 1v6… and this 😀 pic.twitter.com/5DzfqidHpT

— ZexRow (@ZexRow) September 21, 2019

Other notable teams within the top 8 include FaZe Megga, Rogue Eclipsae and FaZe Dubs. This trio achieved a Victory Royale in match number two and they comfortably sit in 3rd place heading into match 6 of Heat 1. TSM Zexrow, yung calculator and MackWood1x took the match 1 Victory Royale with an unbelievable play by Zexrow. With the Storm Circle slowly closing in, Zexrow picked up the final three eliminations and the win for his trio. Other teams to earn a 15-point Victory Royale included Knight, RogueShark and Dr Flossen KBM as well as Anaax, sportykid2019 and YT.Zimeo.

NA West

Continuing their trios dominance in the NA West region, NRG Edgey, Liquid Cented and rehx safely advanced out of Heat 1 in first place. Over six matches, this dynamic trio completed 1 Victory Royale and 38 eliminations. The trend continues for the best team during the FNCS Qualifying period. Their momentum will carry them into the Grand Finals where they are looking to take down all other trios and crown themselves the kings of NA West once and for all.

Second place went to RichHomieQuinn, KNG Barl and Wheels who accumulated 79 points across 6 matches. Although they did not achieve a Victory Royale, their worst finish was 8th place in match number 2. This sort of consistency is necessary if a trio hopes to compete in a high stakes competition like the Fortnite Champion Series. RichHomieQuinn, Barl and Wheels put up 28 eliminations in addition to their top 10 placements.

1400 Rhux, 1400 Pika and 1400 Joel walked away with third place for Heat 1. Their effort produced 28 eliminations and 1 Victory Royale. The trios’ lone win took place in match number 4 where they also dominated with 14 eliminations in total. Rhux, Pika and Joel possess the results and pedigree needed to compete in a region that Cented, Edgey and rehx control. All it takes is a couple of lucky breaks and clutch plays to swing momentum.

Europe

In spite of some notable technical difficulties, FaZe Mongraal, mitr0 and NRG benjyfishy are off to an expected start. Heat 1 produced many technical issues that prevented it from completing on schedule. Nonetheless, the trio often referred to as MMBB are in first by 7 points as 4 matches still need to take place. TrainH Falconly, TrainH Robabz and LeStream TheVic sit just behind Mongraal, mitr0 and benjyfishy heading into the final three matches of Heat 1.

RBK Ritz, MSF Endretta, and Pate1k lead the way for Heat 2 in the Europe region. With 77 points overall, they completed 1 Victory Royale to compliment 38 eliminations. Their best singular effort took place in match number 4 where they put up 10 eliminations collectively on top of the aforementioned Victory Royale. This places them safely at the top heading into Grand Finals where they will meet other qualified teams.

In second place with 71 points, we have hoppy, Clement and Vitality BadSnpR. Much like our first place team, hoppy, Clement and BadSnpR achieved a Victory Royale along with 32 eliminations. Their best match was match number 3 where they put up 11 eliminations and the Victory Royale. On top of this, their worst placement over 6 played matches was 20th place finish in the final match. Much like every other European team, they will be aiming to take down a stake lobby when Grand Finals time arrives.

Rounding out the top three is the team of G2 Tohaj, hREDS BELAEU and Kaxie. We’ve seen this team show up in multiple instances through the FNCS Qualifiers. Landing in Heat 2 proved to be a blessing seeing as none of these teams would ultimately match up against Mongraal, mitr0 and benjyfishy. This trio did not earn a Victory Royale, but all of their matches yielded top-10 finishes. Tohaj, BELAEU and Kaxie will look for more of the same in Grand Finals.

Brazil

No surprises here as Tox, xOwn and K1ng come out on top for Heat 1 of the Brazil region. We’ve seen K1ng dominate the World Cup in terms of eliminations, and this team further solidifies themselves as the team to beat in Brazil. What’s most impressive here is that Tox, xOwN and K1ng missed the first match due to a matchmaking error. This did not stop them from putting up 39 eliminations and 1 Victory Royale. The Brazil region is in play to provide an outstanding Grand Finals considering the pool of talent within.

Oceania

Heat 1 of the OCE region produced javery, cobs and legoninjer iwnl as the winner. With an astounding 73 points, this trio ran away with the ultimate victory ahead of names like Link, Gooboz and worthy. The first step in these heats is to play conservatively to ensure survival and advance to the Grand Finals. The Finals are where players can earn a piece of the $3M USD prize pool up for grabs. Javery, cobs and legoninjer earned a whopping 2 Victory Royales over their final two matches with 15 eliminations in that stretch. This is a solid primer heading into the OCE Grand Finals tomorrow.

The trio of skyla, slaya and Gheez accomplished what many predicted in Heat 2. They dominated the field with 92 points over 6 matches. With an average placement of 5.5, it is no surprise to see skyla, slaya and Gheez grab the top spot. Their first two matches yielded a 5th place finish and a Victory Royale with 25 eliminations. The OCE trio is in great position with Grand Finals looming.

Another familiar OCE trio of x2Twins Jordan, x2Twins Jesse and volx finished in second place with 84 points.  With 4 Victory Royales, our first and second place teams accounted for 4 of the 6 Victory Royales in Heat 2. Jordan, Jesse and volx accumulated 12 and 13 eliminations during their two victories and are likely to massively impact the OCE Grand Finals.

Asia

We have two usual suspects in first and second for Heat 1 of the Asia region. In first place was the familiar trio of CR Ruri, CR RizArt and Riddle Maufin. This trio qualified multiple times over for the FNCS Finals and continued their dominance in Heat 1. With 75 total points, Ruri, RizArt and Maufin achieved 1 Victory Royale in addition to 36 eliminations. They averaged 7.8 for placement over their 6 matches, which sets up nicely for the Finale.

In second place we saw OPGG_FaxF0x, T1 Sexyboy and OPGG FaxFox put up a 73 point performance. Just two points short of 1st place, this trio is one of the few who consistently performed well during the qualifying period. With their worst finish being 11th place, FaxF0x, Sexyboy and FaxFox rode a wave of consistency to the Grand Finals.

Heat 2 for the Asia region belonged to one team and one team only. T1 SinOoh, T1 Hood.J and T1 Peterpan decimated all trios in their path. With an unprecedented 121 points, SinoOh, Hood.J and Peterpan put up the single best performance out of any region thus far. With 2 Victory Royales and 2 runner-up finishes, Heat 2 was never in doubt. On top of their high finishes, this trio put up 55 eliminations collectively. Add SinoOh, Hood.J and Peterpan to the list of teams vying for the FNCS Asia victory.

Middle East

POWER FHD, POWER Yonx and POWER Nm7 did their due diligence with a first place finish in Heat 1 of the Middle East region. As one of the favorites coming in, the expectations were high for this trio. Their effort amounted to an impressive 95 points over 6 matches. Finishing 19 points ahead of 2nd place is no easy feat, but the POWER trio was ready. FHD, Yonx and Nm7 completed 4 Victory Royales accounting for over half of their matches. They only needed 35 eliminations to secure their spot in the Middle East Grand Finals.

Heat 2 of the Middle East region went to MES Obito, MES Nxghtmare and MES Ranger. In a closer overall heat, our first place finishers accumulated 72 points in 6 matches. They achieved a Victory Royale in match number 4 and collectively managed 39 eliminations overall. The margin of victory was 9 points for Nxghtmare, Obito and Ranger over the likes of Dexefite, I4xPRO and ToRmen. In such a closely contested region, you can rest assured that the best teams will do battle to decide the ultimate victor of the FNCS Middle East.