A New King Crowned In APAC

APAC has shown itself to be one of the most dynamic regions in the game, with a host of players all vying for dominance despite the region’s small size. And this week, another new contender rose to the occasion to take the crown in a day of upsets, big performances, and overall high quality Sideswipe gameplay.

DrabDart Out Early

With a top 4 finish in week 1, as well as placing top 4 in 2s, there were high hopes for DrabDart to make a run within last night’s bracket, but he was instead eliminated in heart breaking fashion.

In uppers, he appeared bound for a break through win over Seynn as he raced out to a 2-0 series lead, but the Malaysian mechanical god clawed his way back to find a 3-2 win over DrabDart.

And when sent to the lower bracket to play team mate Ihanzl, he was once again just off the pace, losing 2-1 to drop out in 7th-8th place. Certainly a tough draw to go up against, but had the opportunities to leave his mark on the scene last night with a big win and was unable to do so.

Hellfire Struggles To Stay Cool Under Pressure

The runner up in the first 1v1 series, and champion of last week’s 2v2 event for Shoguns, Hellfire came into yesterday’s events with high expectations on his shoulders. After beating Ihanzl 3-1, who was ear marked as a dark horse contender, in his first series, all appeared fine for the Indian phenom.

But from there, Hellfire was defeated when it mattered most. In his upper bracket semi final matchup with team mate Seynn, he was taken down 3-2, and in lowers, was again defeated in game 5, this time by eventual champion Ihanzl.

Although the 4th place finish was certainly nothing to scoff at, it will be a disappointing result given he was labeled as the contender to Shuka’s reign.

Ihanzl Runs The Gauntlet To Dethrone Shuka

After being eliminated from the upper bracket early by Hellfire, Ihanzl’s run seemed to be doomed for mediocrity. Yet what would unfold instead, was nothing short of brilliance, as Ihanzl exhibited first hand why a lower bracket is much needed in Sideswipe events.

Following a tough 2-1 win over team mate DrabDart, he breezed past the top Japanese player LemonadeLime to set up a top 4 1s berth. And it was there that he was able to not only get revenge over Hellfire, 3-2, but dominate his Shoguns team mate Seynn in a 3-0 sweep, more than cementing himself as a contender for the title and guaranteeing himself his first earnings of his career.

But Ihanzl wasn‘t finished just yet. Despite Shuka’s upper bracket dominance, Ihanzl was utterly unfazed by the 2-time champion’s presence. Even with a 1 game advantage granted to Shuka due to coming from the upper bracket, Ihanzl’s ability had certainly heated up by the time grands arrived as he took the win in a convincing 4-2 fashion.

Ihanzl takes home $400 USD, and the pride of glory, and the Singaporean rising star now appears to be the player to beat in weeks to come. However, don’t write Shuka off just yet, as you can be sure that the king will be looking to reclaim his throne.