ESTNN revisits the best Fortnite tournaments of 2020.
Competitive Fortnite in 2020 featured mostly online tournaments mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, one of the most significant LAN tournaments in the game’s history went off without a hitch before the world went into chaos. The remainder of 2020 offered players multiple online contests, including Cash Cups, third-party competitions, and of course, the primary Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS). Epic Games continues to learn from Fortnite’s competitive scene with each passing season, and the developer’s communication and understanding has improved dramatically. With all of that in mind, let’s take a look back at the best Fortnite tournaments of 2020 as we move into the new year.
Also Read: Fortnite Player of the Year 2020
DreamHack Anaheim
The final offline event of 2020 brought Fortnite players from all around to the state of California. More than 1,000 entrants competed in the event with hopes of taking home a piece of $250K USD. It was a rigorous competition where competitors had to advance out of the heats and then finish inside the top-100 to reach the Grand Finals. Despite the lack of a dedicated broadcast, some of the world’s best players such as benjyfishy, MrSavage, Wolfiez, Khanada and EpikWhale secured themselves a spot in the finals. The closing eight matches were unbelievable to watch, and it was unquestionably the best tournament of the year.
MrSavage claimed first place after a clutch performance in game six. Some others atop the leaderboard included Secret Skirmish winner Bizzle, Australian players RepluseGod and Alecc, benjyfishy, Wofliez and Rehx. It is undoubtedly worth a rewatch for those who may have missed it back in February.
FNCS Chapter 2 - Season 2
Epic Games had a response ready for the online-only tournament environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. March marked the Fortnite Champion Series' (FNCS) return after two previous successful endeavors, first in Season X and then in Chapter 2 - Season 1. The developers selected duos as the format, much to the delight of players. Four qualifiers played out over four weeks, where teams needed to secure a high placement in one of those weeks or enough series points to reach the next stage. What transpired was magnificent, including a return to glory for veteran players Zayt and Saf.
Zayt and Saf won in the NA East region, and not far behind them were World Cup Finalists Dubs & Megga, Knight & RogueShark and Bugha & Stretch. For Europe, the French tandem of Andilex and Nayte took first place while others like World Cup Champion aqua & Stompy, mexe & Verox and Kami & Kubx all finished near the top of the leaderboard. Epic Games did not provide a dedicated stream, but some archived streams and compilations are available on YouTube.
Also Read: Best Fortnite Moments of 2020 - Honorable Mentions
FNCS Chapter 2 - Season 4
Fortnite’s first-ever exclusive Marvel Comics crossover season led to a unique competitive environment. The Pump Shotgun returned, as did some other fan-favorite items, in what became one of the most competitive seasons in history. Epic Games selected trios as the format in Chapter 2 - Season 4 for the first time since Season X. Players were elated to revisit trios, especially after two seasons of purely solo competitions. Although the Marvel-themed Stark Industries and Doom’s Domain locations dominated the narrative, FNCS Chapter 2 - Season 4 was arguably the best competition from all standpoints.
Mongraal, mitr0 and TaySon dominated from Stark Industries, leading to their first collective Fortnite tournament win in the European region. Across the pond, Reverse2k, Deyy and Mero claimed first as underdogs in the NA East region. FNCS Chapter 2 - Season 4 gave us the best indication of what to expect in 2021, considering Epic Games will stick with the format next year.
Also Read: Best Fortnite Moments of 2020
DreamHack Online Open
DreamHack’s answer to COVID-19 came in the form of a $1 million prize pool spread across three regions and seven months. In July, the Swedish organization celebrated the DreamHack Online Open’s commencement, offering players the chance to win a piece of the $250K USD up for grabs each month. The competition saw European players teeq and k1nzell collect multiple tournament victories amongst many others in NA East, NA West and Europe. Players grew a bit tired of the initial solos format after a while, which led to DreamHack’s decision to replace it with duos. It was inspiring and refreshing to see DreamHack provide third-party support to the Fortnite scene and up the stakes in a world with no LAN tournaments.
Also Read: Fortnite Players to Watch for in 2021
Ninja Battles
Fortnite “OG” and streaming superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins worked closely with Fortnite tournament operators to produce a new competition in the summer of 2020. Their collaboration spawned the inconsistently scheduled “Ninja Battles” tournament series, featuring an invitational format with nearly $500K USD on the line over several individual weeks. Content creators, including Ninja himself, and professional players all joined in on the action, making it one of the most inclusive and unique tournaments of the year. The general response was positive from the community. Hopefully, Epic Games will do the same in 2021 and offer different opportunities for the professional Fortnite scene.
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