The $2 Million Gamers8 Saudi Arabia Fortnite LAN came to an end on July 31st. The event was a giant success, with two teams walking away with life-changing winnings and a championship title.
The event was split into two sections spread across four days. The first two days were the zero-build tournament and the last two days were the battle royale tournament.
The tournament started off with a bang with Pinq & Anas proving that they not only can dominate the EU region, but also on LAN.
Throughout Day 1, only two other popular teams won a match. Jelty & Vico and zAndy & Chapix put on a clinic with their respective victory royales.
Two lesser-known teams proved that they could run with the big dogs. UNHydra & NaiadFN, who won the qualifiers, showed that a zero-build pro team is not something to mess around with. Stenno & Liwshe are from the EU region and dominated Day 1. They finished in first place on 208 points, with 20 eliminations and two victory royales.
After Day 1, many of the other teams who just were not performing as well, hit the replays to see if they could figure out what Stenno & Liwshe were doing to win.
It was discovered that Stenno & Liwishe had meticulously prepared for the zero-build event by planting reality seeds near their drop and by preparing their tents with rare loot.
Teams like Arab & Bloomy stayed up all night planting and farming their reality trees to develop a strategy that could push them higher on the leaderboard.
Day 2 finally came, and did it ever leave an impact. Most teams had prepared their reality trees and had found mythic or legendary loot to put in their tents.
This had an enormous impact on the games; most matches were going all the way to the last zone, with a sea of port-a-forts, and constant rifts.
It was spectacular to watch at all stages of the game and kept the viewers on the edge of their seats. The leaderboard was close, anyone could win, and it all came down to Game 6.
Early on in Game 6, 4/5 of the top teams went down earlier. Leaving Pinq & Anas with the ability to secure this tournament and become the zero-build champions.
Through sheer skill, Pinq & Anas were able to earn just enough points to overtake first place. Finishing on 320 points, with 61 eliminations, and averaging 16th place per match. Pinq & Anas are now the zero-build champions and are heading into the battle royale tournament $250,000 richer.
Most of the teams at the event were primarily building teams. The battle royale tournament is the biggest LAN event since the World Cup and the winners would be the next best Duo champions.
Game 1 of battle royale starts, and NA is on top (Like they should be), with Okis & Nut earning themselves the victory royale after taking down Epikwhale & Malibuca.
The next five games were filled with constant action and insane level clutches that you’ll only see at LAN.
The energy on stage was astonishing, seeing your favorite pro team winning a game and celebrating with their duo, was a feeling that many Fortnite players missed.
Heading into Day 2, Setty & Kami were in the lead on 204 points, with 21 eliminations, and two victory royales. They played so consistently Day 1, if they could keep that momentum going then they would win this tournament.
After a close Day 2, every team was playing their 100%, trying to earn as many points as possible to excel themselves to the top.
But only one team could win it all, whatever team plays with the most consistent, getting as many elimination points as possible, and providing the viewers with the utmost highest Fortnite gameplay.
Epikwhale & Malibuca became the champions of battle royale earning themselves $250,000. Additionally, Malibuca was voted the MVP of the tournament and earned himself another $100,000.
The final standings were a shock, with NA making a massive impact by placing 8th and 9th. With insane teams like Aqua & Veno, Queasy & Hen, and Clix & Dukez just falling short.
No one could have predicted that the first time ever playing together, team Epikwhale & Malibuca, could mesh so well to become LAN champions.
Overall it seems all of the players really enjoyed this event. It was an overwhelming positive response from everyone who attended and from those who watched.
The outcome looks really good for competitive Fortnite LAN events to become more prevalent in the future. If the participants are enjoying themselves and the viewing experience is good then it vastly increases the chances of future LAN events.