The very last of the MK11 XP Cups for Season 1 took place this past weekend where players were fighting for their last chance to get into the Top 16 Online Pro Cup, scheduled 6th of July. The online top 16 qualifier is vital for the players as it grants direct entry into the Grand Finale at Fire & Ice Menlyn. On the line there is R30,000, a trip to Ireland and more up for grabs. 

A handful of players sat comfortably at the top of the leaderboard, with the knowledge that they were simply playing for their pride and seed for the Top 16 qualifier. For most, however, they were fighting to maintain or overtake their position on the leaderboard. At 14h00, the time had come for the players to click their fingers and raise their controllers in the effort to fight for their lives in the tournament. 

The Winners Bracket

Our winner in the previous XP Cup, Mr 5000 started off proceedings with yet another fantastic run. His first challenge rose up in the third round where he faced FTG PARASURAMA. The challenge, however, was short-lived as Mr 5000 only lost one match and followed up with a clean 3-1 victory against his opposition. Next up on Mr 5000's hammering list was PTR who was nailed down into the losers bracket to join the rest of the fallen. The winning streak continued unchallenged until Mr5000 was matched up against XRay_92. The match was tightly contested as after four rounds of play, both players with two wins each. Mr 5000, however, pulled through to take the match and progressed to the Winners Bracket Final. 

On the other side of the bracket stood the highest ranked South African player, FTG Sho Kahn. Coming into the tournament with the number one seed, Sho Kahn proved his worth as he progressed to the fourth round of the winner's bracket relatively uncontested. In the fourth round, however, he faced FTG Moseey's Jacqui Briggs which beat him down 3-0. 

FTG Moseey's next match was more closely fought as he went up against one of the top players from Kenya, ArybaStacks. The match was another nail-biter as it went to the very last round where Moseey came up clutch to win 3-2. After one of his best tournament performances, FTG Moseey had managed to make it all the way to the winner's bracket final where he would face Mr 5000. 

Both players were inseparable after four matches and it would come down to the very last match to decide who would progress to the Finals of the XP Cup. Mr5000 was using his main character Geras, whereas FTG Moseey sided with his Jacqui Briggs. Once again, the thick arms of Geras prooved too much to handle as he strangled Jacqui and knocked her out cold to the losers bracket. 

The Losers Bracket 

The Losers bracket was starting to get filled with hungry sharks that were out for blood, as the next few matches would settle their placement on the leaderboard. The ultimate aim was to make it into the top 16 but there were three players (AI_Cortex, Scyn and Law-837) tied on points (16th place) going into this final XP Cup.

AI_Cortex (17th seed) found himself with an important fixture in the fourth round of the losers bracket where he faced off against Scyn (18th seed). The match between the two would determine who would make the Top 16 as their closest competitor, Law-837 (16th seed) fell out of the competition in the same round versus FTG Parasurama. AI_Cortex managed to pull through with a solid performance by winning 3-0 and therefore secured his placement into the Top 16. 

Some honourable shoutouts must be given to xKWx_Apollo (21st seed) and GinoRyuZ (28th seed) who finished in 13th and 9th place respectively in the last XP Cup. Their efforts, however, were not worthy of making it into the Top 16 but their attempt and final placement in the tournament was highly respectable. 

Unfortunately for GinoRyuZ, his stellar run in the losers bracket came to an end when he saw Sho Kahn fall down from the winner's bracket to face up against him. The match was over quickly as Sho Kahn progressed to face up against ZeeTheJanitor in the next round. Zee came through the previous round battered and bruised after rtkay123 pushed him to his very limits, the match finishing 3-2. Now Zee, once again, faced up against the player that has beaten him time and time again, FTG Sho Kahn. Zee wanted to prove he had what it would take to challenge his opposition but his efforts did not find the result he wanted, as Sho Kahn progressed by winning 3-1. 

The next few matches for Sho Kahn followed a similar pattern as he won his following matches 3-1 against XRay_92, FTG Aryba Stacks and FTG Mosley, respectively. Finding himself in the same position as the previous XP Cup he, once again, faced up against Mr5000 in the Final. 

Mr 5000 stood awaiting his challenger, FTG Sho Kahn. In the last XP Cup FTG Sho Kahn managed to make his way from the losers bracket to reset the match. This time, however, the players were locked head-to-head after the first four matches 2-2. The deadlock was finally broken as Mr5000 clenched the match to win yet another XP Cup! 

The Top 16 Qualified players

After the last XP Cup came to a close, players waited to see where they finished on the leaderboard. After several minutes the scores finally updated and we had found our Top 16, all of which can be seen below: 

Last Chance Qualifier - Tickets Now Available

The tickets to compete at the LAN event for Mortal Kombat 11 are now available to purchase. The event will be hosted at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! in Menlyn on Saturday 27 July 2019. 

Tickets for the event are R100 per person. Alongside entry to the tournament for the day and its prizes, competitors will each receive a six-pack of Fokof Lager vs Mortal Kombat gamer cans, a Mortal Kombat T-Shirt and a Famous Fire & Ice! Milkshake.

All necessary equipment will be supplied, but should you prefer to use your own controller, you may bring it along. The PlayStation 4s are supplied by PlayStation South Africa, while Apex Interactive will supply headsets for competitors to use. Apex interactive have also sponsored additional Razer and Turtle Beach products as prizes.

Prize pool breakdown: 

  • 1st Place: R15,000 cash + Trip to Celtic Throwdown in Ireland + Razer Raiju Ultimate PS4 Controller
  • 2nd Place: R7,500 cash + Razer Raiju Tournament Edition PS4 Controller
  • 3rd Place: R5,000 cash + Turtle Beach Recon 200 White Headset
  • 4th Place: R2,500 cash

Event details:

  • Date: Saturday 27 July 2019
  • Time: TBC | Morning to Afternoon: LCQ | Afternoon to Evening: Grand Finale
  • Where: Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Pretoria Menlyn, Summit Place Precinct, 221 Garstfontein Rd, Menlyn, Pretoria, 0181
  • Entry: R100 per person | Add Ticket to Cart

    The tournament is open to all residents in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some terms and conditions will apply, and players will need to be 18 years or older on the 1st of June 2019. Additionally, you will need to ensure your Passport is valid for the trip to Ireland. The tournament will be run on PlayStation®4 using the NetherRealm Studio’s developed fighting game, Mortal Kombat 11.

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