NA Rivals 2v2 Clash #4: Back To Back Boys

Another exciting day of play in the 4th edition of the NA Rivals 2v2 Clash which had it all; losers bracket runs, domination in winners, upset victories, and a final heartbreak to cap off a day of high octane gameplay.

Aslan Fails To Back Up 1s Performance:

After a jaw-dropping 2nd place finish in Thursday's 1v1 event, all eyes were on Aslan's 'Elmo's World' with Wallaby_Gangster as questions were asked of it he could replicate his success in 2s.

Unfortunately for Aslan, today was certainly not his day, as they fell in two shock upsets to wizbabe and fox in groups, before losing out to Aphelion Elite in losers bracket round 1. Despite losing to solid players, a 13th place finish won't be satisfactory for a player of Aslan's talent, and questions will need to be asked about whether this pairing is suitable for his future in the esport.

Amir Stuck Between Teammates:

Amir has once again changed team mates, and this time for the 4th event in a row. Having previously teamed with rayzoxxs, Aslan, Haru and now Teehan, Amir and Teehan's 'Big Bods' appeared disconnected in their bracket run today.

With losses to former team mate Haru's Llama Killers and a strong Yallah lineup sending them home in 7th, Amir needs to find himself some 2s stability, and fast. Whether that's staying with Teehan and ironing out the errors, or making another switch, is to be decided internally, but chemistry and internal trust are important factors to success that are unlikely to be currently present.

Binky Boys Dominate Uppers:

Last week's champions were keen to prove from the beginning that last week was certainly no fluke, and did so in emphatic fashion. After taking down the solid 'Axey-Hamid', aNoahh and HowlGarrett breezed past giant slayers 'riiiight' to secure a top 3 finish. And it was here that they produced their best performance of the afternoon, producing a near shut out of Llama Killers to clinch a dominating 4-0 sweep, with all eyes on them to be the champions.

With a 4-3 grands win locking in back to back victories for the Binky Boys, as we'll touch on later, this success is certainly something for competitors to take note of, as the young guns are now the team to beat.

StripeyBeepy Almost Do The Impossible

A run filled with inspiration and resilience powered StripeyBeepy to an incredible result. After falling to Llama Killers in groups, StripeyBeepy tried to do what no one had ever done before and run the entire lower bracket.

From the get go, they appeared strong, with wins over 'We are plats', Axey and Hamid, and the rising stars Eswens and Punta securing a top 6 finish, the run seemed destined to end there with a matchup against top calibre team Aphelion Esports.

Yet StripeyBeepy seemed to be unfazed, pushing past 2-1, before a dominant performance of up and coming giant slayers 'riiiight', who had defeated rayzoxxs' 'Yallah' in the previous round, secured $600 USD and a top 3 finish.

Here, in lower bracket finals, StripeyBeepy showed that revenge is a dish best served cold, conceding just the 1 goal in their 4 victories with near perfect defence guiding Striped and Beeps to a 4-2 win over previous conquerers Llama Killers.

With a matchup against Binky Boys secured for grands, StripeyBeepy appeared wounded and worn out, immediately pushed back against the wall by Binky Boys' speed and aggression to fall to a 3-0 deficit. But as a team built on resilience and comebacks, StripeyBeepy weren't finished just yet, reminding everyone of their superior defence as a dunk from Striped brought the series back to 3-3.

Unfortunately for StripeyBeepy, there's a reason Binky Boys are the best in NA, as a Garrett 50 and slot into the top of the net would end their chances of victory to fall 3-4. Despite the loss, it was an unbelievable effort and performance from StripeyBeepy, who go home with $1000 USD, and strong credentials for the invitational and weeks to come.