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TFT

Set 6 Challenger Series Recap

We kicked off this year’s North American competitive TFT circuit with the third season of the Challenger Series. 

The top 16 players on the NA leaderboard (based on the January 5 snapshot) battled over the weekend for $2,500 and one of two direct invites to the Gizmos & Gadgets Mid-Set Finale.

Day 1

On the first day, each of the 16 competitors played five games, with the Top 8 players advancing to Day 2. 

NA Leaderboard #1 Sètsuko topped the first day's scoreboard with three wins to go along with his second and third place finishes! 

AD comps dominated Day 1, with Urgot, Yone, and Jhin as the most popular carries.  

Day 1 - Final Standings

Day 2

On the final day, players needed to first reach 24 points, then either win a game or reach 40 points in total to secure tournament victory.

Game 1

Kurumx looked invincible in Game 1 and was at 98 HP when it came down to the Top 2! He had a unique Chemtech Urgot board that included a two-star Chemtech Mutant Jayce! 

His final opponent was fellow Team Liquid player Robinsongz, who had taken Junkyard as his first augment. The extra items from Junkyard allowed Robin to itemize multiple carries, but could he end Kurumx’s 20-round win streak?

Robin was able to end Kurumx’s streak, but Kurumx bounced back and took Robin down to 12 HP! With only a single life remaining, Robin rolled down and found the fabled three-star Heimerdinger!

The power from the three-star Heimerdinger turned the game around, and Robin won four straight rounds to snatch victory from his teammate!

Game 1 winner

Game 2

Spicyappies and Kurumx traded spots at the top all the way until the Top 4 was decided. Kurumx’s Bodyguard Yone team was destroyed by Spicyappies’ Socialite Kai’Sa. At the same time, Souless’ Mutant Chemtech Bruisers knocked out Robin’s 6 Arcanist board. 

The final rounds saw Kai’Sa on Kai’Sa action for the win! Souless’ Mutant Kai’Sa had the better items and a stronger 5-cost support crew; he won the game with an 11-round win streak!

Game 2 winner

Game 3

Game 3 saw Spicyappies again at the top for most of the early to mid-game. When it came down to the Top 5, he was at the bottom with only 2 HP! Four of the five players were in a one-hit range; only Sètsuko and his 6 Assassin Shaco carry had two potential lives. 

Aesah’s Syndicate Assassins with a Protector Akali fought hard, but Kiyoon’s three-star Jhin could not be felled. On another board, Spicyappies’ Clockwork Challenger Yone was able to take out Robin’s 5 Mutant Cho’Gath! 

In the next round, Sètsuko’s three-star Shaco went up against Spicyappies, but the mighty Shaco was enforced, chain stunned, and died before it could cast a single crit! Sètsuko took a huge 21 HP loss and was out in third!

In the final battle, Spicyappies was able to Zephyr Kiyoon’s Jhin, but Kiyoon’s itemized Sion was unkillable and once Jhin came back down, his bullets cut the enemy down with impunity! Kiyoon secured his first win of the night.

Game 3 winner

Game 4

Kurumx’s Chemtechs led until the second half of stage 4, but he was unable to find a two-star Urgot, and was taken out in sixth when he went up against Spencer’s three-star Fiora!

Kiyoon’s Chemtech Urgot board faced off against a similar board from Sètsuko. But Sètsuko had a two-star Tahm that gobbled down multiple enemies and sent Kiyoon out in fourth. Spencer’s Challenger board took out Aesah in the same round.

In the final match-up, Spencer’s Fiora was able to take a round win against the mighty Urgot. Before the deciding round, Sètsuko found their two-star Jinx! The added AOE damage, combined with a well-fed Tahm, saw Sètsuko take his first victory of the night against the titan that is three-star Fiora!  

Game 4 winner

Game 5

Coming into Game 5, Spicyappies had hit the 24-point threshold and only need a first to end the tournament!

Spicyappies was able to put together a strong 7 Syndicate board at level 8 (including a two-star Syndicate Viktor.) Unfortunately for Spicyappies, Aesah’s two-star Akali was the stronger Syndicate, and Spicyappies took a heavy loss.

Fortunately for Spicyappies, Sètsuko knocked Aesah out in the next round!

Spicyappies could end the tournament now if he could beat Sètsuko’s Socialite Enchanter Challenger board. Sètsuko would end the tournament in second place overall and secure his spot in the mid-set finale! Despite that, Sètsuko was in it to win! 

Spicyappies was able to three-star his Shaco and take some HP off of Sètsuko in their first meeting. Sètsuko was still at 60 HP and in the following round, Sètsuko caught the Shaco with his Zephyr and ended the game!

Game 5 winner

Game 6

Coming into Game 6, five players were in reach of victory. And when the Top 4 was decided, three of the four remaining players (Spicyappies, Souless, and Aesah) were poised to close out the tournament!

The hopes for a Game 7 rested on the shoulders of Spencer’s three-star Assassin Samira! The powerful Samira felt the power of the Enforcer trait and was taken out by Spicyappies’ Jhin/Jayce board!

That sealed the tournament’s fate; we would be crowning a winner in Game 6! Spicyappies took a huge loss against Aesah’s Yone board and was eliminated from the running.

The tournament-deciding round saw Aesah’s 6-Challenger Yone take on Souless’ 6 Assassin Talon carry! 

Souless was able to hit Aesah’s Yone with a Shroud, but the double Knife’s Edge augments combined with the 6 Challenger Yone dealt too much damage, and Aesah claimed the tournament victory!

Game 6 winner

 

Aesah claims his first tournament win in the competitive TFT circuit!  

In the first five games, Aesah's best result was third place, but when it mattered most, he was able to secure the win, a spot in the Mid-Set Finale, and $800 in prize money. 

This is not his first time on the main stage as we saw him take a fourth-place finish in the Piltover Cup last November. We hope to see more of him in the future! 

Spicyappies tied with Aesah in points but fell just shy of the win. His second-place spoils include a spot in the Mid-Set Finale, $500, and at least one new Twitch follower. (it's me!)

Sètsuko won two games and ended in third place. Some would argue that he should have thrown the win in Game 5 to secure second place, but he didn’t and we thank him for keeping the competitive spirit and putting on an amazing performance throughout the entire tournament! 

I’m sure we’ll see more of him in the next tournaments!

Speaking of tournaments, the $5,000 Zaun Cup is happening on January 21 and you can sign up here.  Sign-ups close on January 16th 11:59 pm PST so make sure to register before then! (NA residents only.)

See you then!

Set 6 Challenger Series VOD: Day 1, Set 6 Challenger Series VOD: Day 2 

Set 6 Challenger Series - Final Standings
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