The third edition of Twitch Rivals: Road to TwitchCon ft. Fortnite Zero Build took place on August 25th. The event saw 32 trios from North America, Europe and the Middle East, and Latin America competing in six rounds of Fortnite Zero Build to secure one of the last tickets to TwitchCon in San Diego.
Image Credit: Epic Games
With all games hosted on a local server, the trios, who didn’t qualify for the Semifinals or Finals of FNCS 20 and/or FNCS 21 battled to find their spot in the sun. Twitch Rivals, as usual, banned tents from in-game lobbies. The trios were awarded points for both placement and elimination, with Victory Royale awarding the most resilient and persistent players with 18 points.
The total prize pool for this round of Twitch Rivals was $50,000, with the winners taking not only the ticket to San Diego, but also $7,500 equally divided among the team members. Each subsequently-placed team received only $1,500 less. On top of this, the individual with the most eliminations over the course of the event received an additional $200.
EMEA
Even though the opening games are normally calm, with trios methodically gathering loot and mentally preparing for the imminent adrenaline-packed adventure, game one of the EMEA event began with minor skirmishes across the map that immediately eliminated a handful of teams. Team Solary has, as per usual, showcased a strong performance from the get-go. However, Team XEWER showed their incredible resilience and ability to withstand any presented adversity.
In the second game, Team Jolavanille, which fell short in the last Fortnite Twitch Rivals event, dominated the map by eliminating the players left and right. The team led by Giorgio “POW3R” Calandrelli, which by a sliver missed two opportunities to secure the tickets to TwitchCon, entered Twitch Rivals: Road to TwitchCon ft. Fortnite Zero Build Part 3 with an unyearning desire to prove themselves. In the end, Team Xiuder_ took the win thanks to incredible amounts of high-quality loot.
The third game once again gave Team Solary and Team POW3R a window of opportunity to showcase their game and tournament experience. Although their efforts were undeniably praise-worthy, the final battle was held between Team Xiunder_ and the team of Nico “Harmii” Harms, with Team Xiunder_ coming out on top.
After the dust had settled, the trios approached game four of Twitch Rivals with the utmost caution to avoid getting eliminated quickly. Largely because of this, the first skirmishes only began as the storm began closing in. Although the teams displayed great control, Team Archie won the round.
With game five, the European and Middle East Twitch Rivals event returned to the idea of playing for placement and surviving as long as possible. With this in mind, teams carefully picked their battles as they heavily focused on gathering the best possible loot for the late game. After an intense skirmish, the team led by Riccardo “Pizfn” Pizzinelli outsmarted the last standing trios with a Boogie Bomb play, and secured the Victory Royale.
The final game of the day was nerve-wracking as usual, with players avoiding each other, jumping in the air on every slightly unusual sound, and hoarding weapons for the late game. With more than one team playing incredibly safe, the final game was slightly slow. In the end, Team Archie, which has been consistent over the course of the tournament, took home the win.
After the final points were added to the standings, Team Archie was lucky enough to secure their spot on a plane to San Diego with 126 points. Crrr was awarded the eliminations bonus, with 24 kills throughout the event.
NA and LATAM
The team led by Nicholas “Thiefs” Smorto dominated Fortnite’s island from the beginning of game one with aggressive plays and eliminations left and right. Although teams tried to repel their forces with Port-a-Forts, there was no stopping Team Thiefs from easily taking the win in round one.
Game two of North American Twitch Rivals was marked with teams desperately looking for Port-a-Forts that would give them a safe refuge from Team Thiefs. However, Martin “Pilky” Pilkington found almost each and every player hiding in a Port-a-Fort and eliminated them with his incredible mechanical skill. Ultimately, Team Thiefs were once again victorious.
In game three, the trios began looking for any kind of lead that would skyrocket them to the top of the scoreboard. The team led by Marcus “Ranger” Pereira, which didn’t miss an opportunity to try to obtain the tickets for TwitchCon, had a strong early game and seemed promising. However, Teams Thiefs and HippieHabitat both had stronger lineups and coordination. In the end, Team Thiefs took their third win in a row.
With game four, Team Thiefs abandoned their overwhelmingly aggressive tactics and opted for a somewhat careful playstyle that would guarantee them a win in the long run. Finally seeing their window of opportunity, Team HippieHabitat swooped in and took Victory Royale.
Game five had players unbelievably divided. Some trios were playing as passively as possible, only chasing the placement points, and the other teams were chasing kills left and right. Eventually, Team HeadshotChick rediscovered their playstyle, eliminated everyone in their sights, and won the round.
The final game of the day brought out the best in everybody, with teams sparing no effort. Although every participating team should get a round of applause, the team of Jack “Sticks” Splett proved to be the best.
In conclusion, Team Thiefs, with strong first games and plenty of eliminations, won the North American Twitch Rivals and will be traveling to San Diego in October.
In LATAM, Team Palermo, by a narrow margin, won the Latin American Twitch Rivals: Road to TwitchCon ft. Fortnite Zero Build Part 3, securing their travels to San Diego.
