With the launch of season 8, all eyes were on the ESL Katowice Royale. Viewers were excited to see their favorite players compete for a share of the $500k total prize money that was allotted. The event was hosted in Poland from March 1st- 3rd. Almost all the big names including Nickmercs, Ghost Aydan, TSM_MYTH and many more pro-players participated in this event.
The first day was exclusively for the solo event and prize money worth $100k was distributed among the top spots. Day 2 and Day 3 was all about duos with a whopping $400K allotted as prize money.
Vinny Gilgan A.K.A Vinny1X Bags the Top Spot in the Solo Event
WE HAVE A WINNER!
Congratulations to @TSM_Vinny1x!! ?#ESLKatowiceRoyale pic.twitter.com/Lg3kuPOJHP— ESL Fortnite (@ESL_Fortnite) March 1, 2019
It was a tight finish to the top spot as Vinny beat Team Atlantis’ Max Merrien (Magin) by just three points. After the initial 5 rounds of the match, Ghost Bizzle who previously won the secret skirmish was quick to snatch the top spot.
We have our winner of the first round! It's @Ghost_Bizzle!! ?#ESLKatowiceRoyalehttps://t.co/9CWABykL8X pic.twitter.com/ziCLxQcmVh
— ESL Fortnite (@ESL_Fortnite) March 1, 2019
At that stage of the tournament, Vinny was in the top 3 and had been dominating the lobby with solid performances. In the final stage of the tournament, Bizzle was knocked out of the top three and finished 4th.
Vinny was on the scoreboard from the first round and he kept his momentum going throughout the tournament. Congrats to Vinny on lifting the trophy and hopefully we’ll be hearing a lot about him in the competitive scene this year.
Ghost Saf and Zayt crowned Katowice Royale Duos Champion
HERE ARE YOUR #ESLKatowiceRoyale CHAMPIONS: @GhostSaf & @zayt! ?? pic.twitter.com/Fj205qLGPc
— ESL Fortnite (@ESL_Fortnite) March 3, 2019
Ghost Saf (Rocco Morales) and NGR Zayt (Williams Aubin) dominated the tournament and finished it 200 points clear of the second spot. Both players pulled off some insane plays throughout the tournament. There was a moment when Zayt got the ultimate high ground and did the “Take the L” emote to taunt the remaining players. An epic moment of confidence.
Sadly, the majority of the celebrity pro-players had a tournament to forget. Pro-players like NICKMERCS, Ghost Aydan, FunkBomb and Natehill were not able to cash in on the prize money, finishing in the bottom half of the table.
Both Saf and Zayt were able to take home $40k each. Getting a 200 point lead over the 2nd spot is the key highlight of the event. They did put on a show for their fans by pulling off some ridiculous moves. In a match where they got a victory royale, Zayt rifted two opponents into the storm allowing his teammate to heal-up and stay alive while the remaining players including Zayt were eliminated in the storm. With such a power-packed performance which included show-boating, they clearly seemed to be in total control of the tournament.
Vinny1X the winner of the solo tournament had teamed up with ZexRow and managed to finish third. Ultimately, this whole tournament is about Vinny1X and his accolades. He was able to cash in a good amount of prize in this edition of Katowice Royale.
Congrats to all the winners!
Did you watch the event Live? Which team/player were you rooting for? Who impressed you the most?