We’re partway through the Third Circuit of the Wild Rift Summoner Series, and this week saw the completion of Qualifier 2! With only the Last Chance Qualifier to come after, this would be one of the last opportunities for teams to make their way into the NA Regional Championship. The top two teams from this Qualifier would go on to Major 3, where they could battle it out for a spot at the NA Regional Championship; and we had 16 teams all hungry for that chance.

We started Day 1 with Haters vs Choncc Chortle to kick off the Group Brackets. While the series may become one of the closer matchups, it started with a disaster for Haters as their dive onto a Malphite in the Baron lane gave over a Doublekill for the Shard of the Monolith. In return, Choncc Chortle dived the Dragon lane, claiming another two Kills to start off the series at 4-2. Even so, as the game settled to a slower pace, it allowed Haters to get back in and feed their Rengar; 4/1 by 5 minutes. It was only a 2k Gold lead, but it gave Haters enough of a lead, and enough damage, to take the game. Less than 19 minutes to round out Game 1 of the day.
A swift Game 2 for Choncc Chortle took us to Game 3, utilizing the global power of Pantheon and Twisted Fate to lead the way; supported by a fed Nori who was getting solokills throughout the game. This one was a lot cleaner, and a lot more onesided, finishing before 15 minutes with a 13k Gold lead.
Going into Game 3, Haters made the grave mistake of giving Mali the Katarina; something we’ve seen him power through games on in previous events. Mali may have had a huge impact on Twisted Fate in Game 2, but the Katarina is something else. The phrase is ‘getting away with murder’ and murder is exactly what Mali was doing; knowing the limits of the champion just allowed them to do the unthinkable and get out with a slither of health. A Quadrakill rounded out the dominant performance from Choncc Chortle, and Mali dying in a Pentakill attempt took the score to 20-6 at the 13:47 end. A near 25k damage done by Mali in that game.
Off-stream, Tilt City Banditos 2-0’d Dojo Ninja’s to take them to a matchup against Choncc Chortle. Group A saw Rock Solid and Team SNO 2-0 their opponents too, as both Nhà Văn Hoá and Chunkey Monkeyz also 2-0’d in Group B.
We, however, jumped to Group D. Code Blue had 2-0’d Dino Nuggets, a team we had seen do well in previous qualifiers, while Team Menace found a 2-1 victory over Chilly Mountain to bring us the next streamed matchup.
This was a quick 2-0 for Code Blue, who led from the start with strong engage tools for Game 1. While the conversation was about Kennen, it was Neilsen4’s Rakan that made the impact; a double knockup to give two kills to Code Blue before we hit 2 minutes. While the fights were explosive, with Tokki and California fighting to keep Team Menace in the game, it was Code Blue who simply stayed ahead; racking up the Dragons and getting enough of a lead so that they were soon able to end the game at 20 minutes. It was a bloodthirsty game, with nearly two kills a minute, but the 10k Gold lead was too much for Team Menace to overcome.
Game 2 saw highly aggressive drafts once more, and in a repeat of Game 1, Code Blue found early kills with Team Menace pulling back to equalise 4-4; albeit with a Gold lead on Code Blue’s side. With a 10-10 scoreline, Team Menace saw some respite at 14 minutes after finding a pick; allowing them a Baron attempt. However, the threat of Code Blue and their near 8k Gold lead forced them off the objective, and Code Blue took it for themselves instead. After minutes of calm pushing, one pick exploded into a fight that allowed Code Blue to end the series and advance to the Finals; securing their spot in Day 2.
Once more, there was plenty of action off-stream. Rock Solid took down Team SNO in Group A, while Chunkey Monkeyz fell to Nhà Văn Hoá in Group B too. Choncc Chortle continued their run with a 2-0 victory, and these winning teams all set themselves up for the Day 2 bracket. The losers, however, had one more chance; and we followed Team SNO and Lunchables to see who would make it from Group A along with Rock Solid.
Game 1 of Team SNO vs Lunchables started with some shenanigans. A Thresh locked in for Lunchables had us excited, but he fell for First Blood to ADai’s AD Twisted Fate in the Dragon lane. With a gank going wrong for SNO in the Baron lane, and a Thresh hooking Senna under Tower, Lunchables found themselves 4-1 by 3 minutes. While Lunchables had the pick power, SNO grouped and brought the game back with various skirmishes; by 15 minutes there was only 1k Gold separating the two teams. With SNO stacking the Dragons, however, and a falter at Baron on Lunchables’ side, the game soon swung into the Team SNO’s favour and the game closed at 21 minutes, the teams 22-21.
With such a close Game 1, is it any surprise that this series went to a full three games? SNO’s relatively standard draft was met with some less common picks from Lunchables; namely Fiora and Aurelion Sol, with a Riven Jungle. There were some definite fumbles from both sides, and we won’t embarrass them so you’ll have to watch the VoD to find out, but it was SNO who came out on top. Even as Team SNO took over the game exposing Lunchables' Nexus, their opponents wouldn’t back down and they were stacking up the Dragons. With Baron under their belts, Lunchables were able to add the Elder Mountain Dragon as their fourth Dragon, and the ensuing teamfight allowed them to finish the game. While SNO had plenty of engage tools and a sizable lead, Lunchables were able to work around it with the Riven and Fiora leading the way in skirmishes. An 18:21 win with a 5k Gold lead for Lunchables, 21-21 on Kills.

(Team SNO vs Lunchables Game 2 - Gold Graph)
So Game 3, with the NA Regional Championships hopes essentially on the line, we saw a very slow start to the game. Both teams had some close calls, getting away with slivers of health; but it took until 5 minutes for the first kill to come through as the teams grouped. While Lunchables had the initial engage, and early disengage, to help them get initial kills, Team SNO were regularly able to extend the trades and bring themselves even. Both teams claimed a Baron, but neither seemed able to do more than the other with the buff, so it came down to the Elder Cloud Dragon. It felt like Team SNO had the upper edge, getting into the late game with a strong Vayne, but when it mattered most Chachuke came up clutch on the Galio as Soou cleaned up SNO’s backline. Able to lockdown the Vayne and get the Ace, it allowed Lunchables to walk the minions down to the Nexus and claim the win at 19 minutes.
This was an insane series, and shows the high calibre of talent that are fighting to get into Major 3 and the NA Regional Championship.
Off-stream saw one more 2-1, with Team Menace taking the win over Chilly Mountain, while Haters and Chunkey Monkeyz found 2-0’s to take them to Day 2.

Day 2 gave us the last chance for teams to qualify for Major 3. The top two teams from the bracket would go on to join the six already qualified teams. Unfortunately, Lunchables couldn’t make it to this bracket, so Team SNO took their place.
We started the bracket watching Nhà Văn Hoá vs Haters. We had seen Haters put on a strong performance the day before, and Nhà Văn Hoá showed up in the previous week too; and they had only dropped one game in the previous day.
An explosive start came in for Nhà Văn Hoá, they gave over First Blood as a split map allowed Haters to dive Hieuvietnam, but the Mid laner and Jungler came together to extend the fight as the champions hit level 5; with their Ultimates unlocked, Nhà Văn Hoá were able to give a Triplekill to the Ziggs to start the game. With such a sizeable lead on the impactful champion, Nhà Văn Hoá played around the Mid lane; able to claim the Rift Herald and Dragon as they utilised the AoE damage of Ziggs which had been boosted by the early kills. But just as it seemed like it was all going Nhà Văn Hoá’s way, Haters found their entrance. It started with a huge 3-man Seraphine Ultimate, before Haters stole Baron minutes later, essentially putting the nail in the coffin. With the thirty second death timers, the fed Ziggs wasn’t available to help Nhà Văn Hoá defend. Haters took the first win in under 14 minutes at just 8-7.

(Nhà Văn Hoá vs Haters Game 1 - Gold Graph)
Game 2 saw a similar draft running back from Nhà Văn Hoá, while Haters switched to something new. A Rengar gave constant pressure to Nhà Văn Hoá’s backline, while a Nasus + Senna Dragon lane just gave so much power. More high impact Ultimates from a Seraphine helped Haters find a lead, and by 15 minutes they were 10-6 and 4k Gold up. It was going on longer than the last game, but this time Haters were sat firmly in the driver’s seat. As we approached the 18-minute mark, Nhà Văn Hoá threw everything at Vael’s Nasus, and during that 5v3 Apex was in the Dragon lane pushing to expose the Nexus. With their backdoor set up, it just took a clean 19-minute Ace for Haters to knock Nhà Văn Hoá out of the Third Circuit.
Meanwhile Choncc Chortle had also 2-0’d Team SNO, and this set them up for a Semifinals match against Haters.
Not only did Choncc Chortle take the Nasus + Senna lane away from Haters for Game 1, but they also grabbed Mali’s Katarina. While Mali may have faltered slightly in the early game, a 9-minute fight around Dragon redeemed him; a Triplekill going over in the three-for-one trade. Even when Haters focused the Katarina, they just opened themselves up for the rest of Choncc Chortle to wipe them instead. A Baron and teamfight wipe is all Choncc Chortle needed to close the game within 14 minutes, 13-3, a 7/2/4 Katarine and a near 20k Gold lead to their name.
Haters hoped a revised draft would take us to Game 3, banning away Mali’s Katarina as well as Senna to stop the Nasus + Senna lane, while also taking Seraphine which had given them so much success previously. With their backs against the wall, Haters weren't afraid going into Game 2, and they invaded the Red Buff. This only gave Mali First Blood as Choncc Chortle were not only able to defend the buff, but also took a one-for-one trade in the 4v3. While Happay had helped give Haters a 2-1 Kill lead early on, Choncc Chortle controlled the game as they held a Gold lead, Tower lead, and Dragon lead; and by 10 minutes they had exploded as a near Ace took them 7-3. High impact Ultimates once more from Hater’s Seraphine helped them stay in the game, even helping to take Baron away, but, in a repeat of Game 1, Haters focused Mali in a 16-minute fight which ended as a five-for-one trade in Choncc Chortles’ favour; allowing them to push for the end. They weren’t quick enough, and Haters respawned to defend their base, but Mali was also alive and able to respond too. A Triplekill went over to the Akali, and Choncc Chortle looked for Baron before ending the 20 minute game. 24-15 and a 13k Gold lead, Choncc Chortle had qualified for Major 3.
On the otherside of the bracket, Rock Solid and Chunkey Monkeyz had both 2-0’d their opponents, Team Menace and Code Blue respectively, in the Quarterfinals and now we were there to watch their Semifinals match. The winner would join Choncc Chortle in the Finals and qualifying for Major 3.
With a Senna + Malphite Dragon lane to open the series, Chunkey Monkeyz came in hot as they sent four men to the duo lane for an early 2-0 lead in Game 1. This was soon lost, however, as Rock Solid’s draft thrived on close range skirmishes, and with Champions that wanted to come to them, that is exactly what Chunkey Monkeyz was forced to do; a four-for-one trade at 6 minutes put Rock Solid ahead, and a repeated fight gave a Quadrakill to Hitman’s Darius before we hit 9 minutes. While the game started to stabilise for Chunkey Monkeyz as they focused on picks rather than teamfights, a stolen Elder Dragon just sealed their fate. A Baron to close out the game, and Rock Solid took the first win at 22 minutes, less than 8k Gold ahead but 19-14 in this bloody game.
Repeating the first game, Game 2 opened with Chunkey Monkeyz going for a four man dive in the Dragon lane, again gaining a 2-0 lead before 2 minutes. This time, they had more engage tools and could punish with their lead, returning to the Dragon lane for another dive. By just 6 minutes they were 8-1 up, with clean dives and a stark contrast to the previous game. A 13-minute fight sealed the deal, as Rock Solid funnelled into a choke against a Wukong, Xayah, Orianna, Nami and Gragas. A clean four-for-nothing trade meant another Dragon and, more importantly, a 14-minute Baron. One more fight is all that was needed for a 15:48 win, a clean 17-1 game to take us to Game 3.
WOAH LOOK AT THE WOMBO COMBO, THAT WAS FILTHY
Like a broken record, Chunkey Monkeyz opened Game 3 with a four man trip to the Dragon lane, but Rock Solid had heard this song before and were able to respond and protect their duo lane. We finally saw First Blood at 5 minutes, as the teams took a one-for-one trade. With such a slow game, by 10 minutes we had only seen four kills as the teams were even on Gold and Towers, the only advantage was Rock Solid’s control over the Dragons. Clearly neither wanted to make a mistake as Major 3 was on the line. Even with an explosion of action, they stayed even on Kills as we approached the 16-minute mark. As the third Dragon respawned, both teams wanted this fight. While Chunkey Monkeyz secured the Dragon, it essentially cost them the game; Baron going over to Rock Solid allowed them to expose the Nexus at 19 minutes. Chunkey Monkeyz put up a heroic defence, but Rock Solid just needed one more Baron to close the game at 21:42; 11-7 on Kills and just a 6k Gold lead.
Choncc Chortle vs Rock Solid
Both teams had now qualified for Major 3, so this was all about seeding and bragging rights. Choncc Chortle had definitely made a case for themselves, but Rock Solid proved to be an obstacle for them.
It felt like Rock Solid were trying to bait Mali onto the Katarina for Game 1, leaving the pick open but drafting plenty of crowd control to deal with it. Choncc Chortle didn’t fall into this trap, and both teams drafted hard teamfighting compositions; meaning we didn’t really see any action until a 10-minute Dragon. The teams were even, only 2-1 on the scoreline, and even in the 5v5 it only ended up being a three-for-two trade in an extended fight, taking Choncc Chortle to a 5-3 lead. However, the power of Lich Bane, Deathcap Gragas helped to swing the game in Rock Solid’s favour. With no Varus to wave clear, Rock Solid were able to push for leads and within a minute they had gone for a 6-3 deficit to a 7-6 lead on Kills, momentum was all in their favour. With dead members on Choncc Chortle’s side, it meant an easy 5v3 fight for the Elder Dragon for Rock Solid. A 21:42 win, only just scraping a 1k Gold lead, as Rock Solid took Game 1.
Mali went onto the Akali for Game 2, and with a Kennen to provide more teamfight power, this felt like a very comfortable Choncc Chortle. With little action to start the game, Choncc Chortle used the first Dragon to kick things off; a Slicing Maelstrom from Łuân split Rock Solid apart, allowing Mali to run freely through the backline. Even though Rock Solid were able to steal a Rift Herald away, it was a clean early game for Choncc Chortle and it slowly snowballed; Nori even diving between Towers in the Mid lane to take Choncc Chortle to 7-0 by 14 minutes. With little engage on Choncc Chortle’s side, they had to wait for Rock Solid to come to them; and that is exactly what they did for the 15-minute Dragon. A clean Ace for Choncc Chortle as they sprang from the River Bush, and a 16-minute, 12-0 win.
We couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the Qualifier, as we went to Game 3 of the Finals. With both teams unwilling to pull the trigger, it came to more of handshake. A clean Rift Herald take came in for Rock Solid, as Nori pushed the Dragon lane uncontested for Choncc Chortle. While the Rift Herald didn’t claim too much for Rock Solid, Łuân was able to solokill Hitman in the Baron lane, giving Choncc Chortle the edge as they moved for the first Dragon of the game. By 10 minutes, it was only a 2-1 scoreline, but that was going to change. Rock Solid thought they had found a pick, but they couldn’t chew through all the healing and the skirmish ended with no casualties. With eyes on the Dragon, and a lot of tools used in that pick attempt, we saw an Ace come through less than a minute later; the five-for-one trade set Choncc Chortle up for success. While Rock Solid were able to weather the storm, even finding favourable trades to draw it out, the 20th minute saw Choncc Chortle claim Baron, take a three-for-nothing trade, and start attacking the base with a near 9k Gold lead. Before Rock Solid had even respawned, the game was over and Choncc Chortle took the first seed going into Major 3.

Major 3 will see Jotu is Cuter, Yawn, Immortals, Cloud 9, Grilled Cheese and Sentinels joined by Choncc Chortle and Rock Solid as they fight for a place at the NA Regional Championship this weekend. The top 4 teams will qualify, leaving only the Last Chance Qualifier as the final entrance into the Regional Championship. Be here on Saturday to find out which four teams will join NME and Tribe Gaming, as well as fighting over that $10,000 prize pot!