After a weekend full of battle, all the Fortnite regions have their new champions. Who are the proud owners of the Axe of Champions?
With Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 drawing to a close, the Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS) Invitational brought many of the best players around. After two weeks of qualifiers and one last day of heats before the grand final the best of the best from all regions came together for twelve more bouts with $2 million on the line.
Europe
After starting in the lead, Wave Esports’ JannisZ slipped behind COOLER Esports’ David "aqua" Wang after several great games by the Duo Fortnite World Cup Champion but rallied as they day went on. It all went down to the final match, where JannisZ outlasted his rival, ending with a 12th place that sealed his first place and a $120,000 payday. 37 eliminations propelled Duo World Cup runner-up Jaden "Wolfiez" Ashman to second place, while aqua took third. Favorite NRG benjyfishy, who won the first two weeks of the FNCS invitational, struggled on the day and only finished 57th in the Grand Finals.
North America East
After ending in 16th place on the first day of finals, Outcast Region’s Furious was up to the challenge when it counted. The controller specialist went on a rampage, racking up 29 eliminations over the 12 games and overtook competitors like TSM.NA’s Leon "Khanada" Khim and Team Liquid’s Stretch..The runner-up was Assault, formerly of Ghost Gaming, with the consistent VANISH jahq. rounding out the top 3. NRG Zayt, one of the favorites of the event, led the rankings early on Sunday but slipped to 9th place despite his two Victory Royales.
North America West
It was a dominant performance by 100T Diego "Arkhram" Lima as the Fortnite World Cup finalist showed his proficiency with the game’s weapons. Boasting 30 eliminations and one Victory Royale, he racked up 292 points - a record for these finals over 70 more than runner-up Luke "Rift" Greenbaum. Arkhram had already had multiple Cash Cup victories and reached fifth place at the 2019 World Cup, but this is his biggest solo win yet. Third place went to Nathan "Reet" Amundson from XTRA Gaming. Previous FNCS champion Shane "EpikWhale" Cotton from NRG Esports NA and his frequent duo partner Brodie "rehx" Franks from 100T ended sixth and seventh respectively.
Asia
The competition in Asia was marred by cheating allegations that led to the disqualification of the to-be winner, who will not be named here. With this, second place cr qjappy became the grand champion with 198 points, one more than third place ASF.Magu. Qjappy, who won week two of the FNCS invitational, had a good first day last weekend but a less stellar performance on Sunday. In the end, however, the 68 points he took which ended up being just enough to inch out a resurgent Magu.
Brazil
It was once more the Frosty show as the Brazilian ace reigned supreme in the Grand Final after taking the crown in both previous weeks. Two Victory Royales and no less than 40 eliminations - the record for the finals - left no doubters as to who the worthy owner of the Axe of Champions is. Second place goes to Fishy L2R2, who built up on an already good performance from day one, while third place went to Sarah Cameron.
Oceania
212 points were what it took for x2Twins’ Jordan "Jordan" Eckley to finish in first place in the oceania region. He was third on day one, but a series of solid performances allowed him to inch out the competition. The runner-up was RepulseGod, competing under the name apu on a bicycle, who took second place after a strong day 2. Third place went to Blessed Esports’ Muz. Australian Open’s top 2 Breso and looter both made it to the top 10.
Middle East
Matches in the Middle East were played on Friday and Saturday unlike the other major regions. After several tries where he could not crack the top of the region’s tournament, this time ASMR’s KiritoKun took the top spot with 247 points. Second place went toTeam Saqr’s QnDx with 235, while one half of the previous FNCS champions - BarQ Esports’ unit - finished third.
With the next season of Chapter 2 already on the horizon, we will stay on the lookout for more competitive news. Epic Games has already stated they have big plans for the rest of the year. In the meantime, you can check out our other Fortnite coverage.