This week saw Ariana Grande, one of the biggest pop stars in the world, crash land in Fortnite, and the Vancouver Titans, one of the worst Overwatch League teams, finally giving everyone the Pizza Hut breadsticks they deserved. Things are only going to get crazier as we approach even more action for VALORANT, League of Legends, Counter Strike and so much more in the final months of 2021.
Five W’s is an ongoing series that highlights the biggest wins in gaming and esports each week. August and September are packed with championships and tournaments from the Call of Duty League Championship at the University of Southern California, to Smash Ultimate Summit 3 in a warehouse somewhere outside Los Angeles. While it can be tough to narrow down the biggest things in gaming, we’ll do our best to highlight the most notable events across the industry.
Here are our 5 W’s for the week of August 3-9.
The Vancouver Titans capture Pizza Hut breadsticks for their fans
The Vancouver Titans of the Overwatch League were one of the two winless teams heading into their final games of their season. They were playing for pride rather than playoff hopes, which are mathematically unlikely but possible under perfect circumstances. The Titans must’ve known this, as their game against the Boston Uprising was something their fans hadn’t seen all year: a dominant win. The Titans weren’t ending their season winless.
Not only that, but the Titans’ sponsorship with Pizza Hut has promised breadsticks for certain in-match achievements. With their 3-0 win over the Boston Uprising, they achieved a bingo on their Pizza Hut achievement bingo card on the first map. The community was finally going to get its Pizza Hut breadsticks courtesy of the Titans.
But that didn’t stop the team. If anything it raised their mood enough that they swept their opposition. Two players from the Titans stepped up their game against tough opponents, specifically Moon “ChangSik” Chang-sik and Dalton “Dalton” Bennyhoff. Vancouver Titans fans got their bread in two ways, both the Pizza Hut breadsticks and the tastiest bread of all: victory.
— Michael Czar
Leffen continues his undefeated Guilty Gear Strive record with an Evo win
Despite being one of the best players in the history of Super Smash Bros. Melee, William “Leffen” Hjelte has always refused to be boxed in as “just a Melee player.” In the past, he has earned high placements at prestigious tournaments for Dragon Ball FighterZ and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Now, Leffen has added Guilty Gear Strive to the list of games he is capable of dominating.
Leffen won the European Guilty Gear Strive bracket at Evo 2021 Online without dropping a set. It marked his fourth tournament and his fourth first-place finish in Guilty Gear Strive. Like at Evo, Leffen did not lose to anyone at any of his other tournaments. As a result, he stands as the self-proclaimed King of Europe, with a stranglehold on the European scene that no one has been able to wrest from him thus far.
While Leffen has only entered region-locked online tournaments, his one major showing against North American competitors further cemented his status as one of the game’s greatest talents. He went undefeated in three sets during a 10-versus-10 crew battle, where Europe came out on top against the East Coast. Whenever international in-person Guilty Gear Strive competition begins, Leffen will undoubtedly be vying to confirm his status as one of the best players in the world.
— Dylan Tate
PSG Talon achieve a perfect PCS regular season with an unbeaten 18-0 record
When MSI 2021 concluded and the summer season began, a number of teams struggled to find form in their regional competitions. Prominent examples were Royal Never Give Up and MAD Lions, with RNG — the MSI champions, mind you — going 1-5 after Week 4 in the LPL. But one team did not face such issues, and that was PSG Talon. They have flourished since their foray into the volcanic landscapes of Reykjavik, Iceland, bringing the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) to its knees since their return. PSG Talon’s top 4 finish there has only served as impetus for them to achieve greater heights.
Returning to the PCS with the starting bot laner Wong “Unified” Chun Kit, PSG Talon have looked in nigh-impervious form. No matter the odds, no matter the adversity in-game, they somehow always overcome. One of the closest games was in Week 3 against BOOM Esports, where the game was almost even in kills, gold and even drakes taken for 48 straight minutes. PSG Talon spotted one opportunity to teleport bot lane and straight up ended the game to preserve their unbeaten record.
With 18 straight wins, PSG Talon currently hold the longest ongoing win streak among the Riot-sanctioned competitive leagues. As they enter playoffs, that could change with the format shifting towards best-of-fives, but with an entire arsenal of options at their disposal, they are undoubtedly heavy favourites.
And when in doubt, support Ling “Kaiwing” Kai Wing’s 300 IQ builds certainly reassure.
PSG Kaiwing casually building Mejai's on Alistar in the #PCS pic.twitter.com/z9pTEa1BzR
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) August 6, 2021
— E.G Kant
Ariana Grande pops off in Fortnite
It didn’t feel as notable as a giant Travis Scott stomping over the map, but Ariana Grande’s 15-minute performance was still something to write home about. All other game modes were shut down around 15 minutes before the concert as players queued up to see Grande sing about Mack Miller and dance among a starry skyline.
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/1423776149365084160?s=20
The best part about events like these is that they include skins of the celebrities in question, meaning I’ve been killed by nothing but Ariana Grande in the last week. It’s not so bad, except for when she dances on my corpse.
— Aron Garst
Vision Strikers become the first to qualify for VALORANT in Berlin
After weeks of preparation, an unfathomable amount of upsets, and new teams rising to the top, we finally have our first qualifier for VALORANT’s Masters 3. Vision Strikers punched their tickets to Berlin after defeating TNL Esports during the South Korean Challenger Playoffs. Alongside Vision Strikers, F4Q will be joining them at Masters 3 as the second seed for South Korea.
While NUTURN Gaming will not be present at Masters 3 like they were during Masters 2 in Iceland, their spirit will live on through a familiar face. Kim “Lakia” Jong-min, who previously played on NUTURN Gaming back at Masters 2, will be returning to the international stage with Vision Strikers. Lakia made his name known across the globe for his performances, that led his team to a third place finish at Masters 2. But the question is, will Lakia be able to lead Vision Strikers to a similar victory? In the coming weeks as more regions begin to play out their own Challenger Playoffs, we’ll see new teams filling up the slots in Berlin.
— Danny Appleford
