Ninja Fails to Qualify for Fortnite Champion Series in Week Three

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is consistently a measuring stick for the current state of competitive and casual Fortnite. At times, he is the voice of reason, and other times his frustrations with the direction of Epic Games boils over. Ninja has been in and out of the high-level competitive Fortnite scene since the game first launched. After shifting to a more content-driven model, Fortnite Esports has taken a backseat for the former Halo professional. In spite of this, Ninja still managed to put effort into the Fortnite World Cup qualifiers. Although this venture proved unsuccessful, Ninja continues to dip his feet in the competitive waters.

Fortnite Champion Series Week Three

During the September 1st qualifier for the Fortnite Champion Series, Ninja teamed up with Chance “EG Monstcr” Duncan and Alex “LG Destroy” Benabe. This trio seemed to have formed out of nowhere, but Ninja refocused his sights as a competitor with aspirations of making the Grand Finals. Having virtually no practice going in, Monstcr, Destroy and Ninja hoped to catch lightning in a bottle. Seeing as most of the top trios play consistently in scrims and tournaments, the prospect of qualifying seemed unattainable for this team.

Session One

The first session provided moderate results for the newly formed trio. Although they only managed to accumulate sixty points, they finished in 801st place, which was safely inside the top 1000. This ultimately was enough to advance Ninja, Destroy and Monstcr to the second session. After thinning out several thousand players, the trio went on to compete in session two against a tighter core of skilled professionals. It was a challenge difficult beyond comprehension for a seldom practiced team.

Session Two

Session two is where the wheels came off for Ninja, Destroy and Monstcr. The trio managed just thirty-three eliminations over ten matches and forty-five points overall. The strategy for the trio mirrored that of Ninja when he competed alongside Malachi “Reverse2k” Greiner. Lazy Lagoon was the location of choice and unfortunately struggled to remain on the same page. Their ultimate finishing place was 644th. Communication lacked and the trio tried their best to work together, but their exit came before the final round of the FCS week three qualifier.

Moving Forward

Ninja has yet to explicitly state whether he planned on playing out the final two qualifying weeks for the Champion Series. Glimmers of hope presented themselves for Ninja, Destroy and Monscr. The trio will have to perform much better than their first run should they decide to attempt qualification yet again. It will take an unfathomable effort for these three to secure a spot at the FCS Grand Finals.

The results in their first qualification attempt is a reality check. Less experienced squads are naturally behind the curve after a late start. With only two remaining qualifiers, time is ticking as the Grand Finals rapidly approach. Ninja brings eyes to Fortnite Esports, but his struggle to regain a spot at the top is notable. The fact that he is even attempting to run with the best players in the world may indicate that Ninja will continue this journey. His drive to continue competing is an overall positive for competitive Fortnite.