The NA TFT Regional Finals wrapped up over the weekend. Months of play led to the event, with the 16 best players fighting for three spots at the TFT Reckoning Championship. After the dust settled and history was made, some players lived up to the hype, while others were humbled.
Robinsongz cements himself as one of the greatest tournament players ever
Congrats to @robinsongz on the DOMINATING FIVE FIRSTS! Such amazing skill, I'm sure @LiQuiD112 is proud.
Also congrats to @DeliciousMilkGG & @THGSpencerZ as the other two reps for NA. Well played. (Pockygom so close!!!!)
Honestly all 8 players did well. Was a joy to watch!! pic.twitter.com/BhsdiWpJwZ
— Riot Mort (@Mortdog) September 6, 2021
Team Liquid’s Robin “Robinsongz” Sung has historically been one of the best tournament players in NA. With big tournament wins like the Liquid Galaxy Finals and the TFT Fates Qualifier #2, Robinsongz has the accolades to back it up. He also just came off a win a week ago at the Giant Slayer Series 3 championships. In that event, Robinsongz and his partner “Ramblinnn” took down a field full of players he would be facing at the Regional Finals. At this point in Robinsongz’ career, only two events have eluded him. The TFT World Championship and the tournament to get him there, the NA Regional Finals. Robinsongz accomplished one of these goals over the weekend, and not only did Robinsongz manage to beat his competition, but he did so in a manner that may not be seen ever again.
After barely squeaking into the finals in the very last game of Day 1, Robinsongz took Game 1 of the finals. He earnt the first-place finish in that game to set the pace. But then, he did the same thing in Game 2, taking back-to-back victories, following that up with a Game 3 win. Through three games, Robinsongz was untouchable. With a commanding 12 point lead heading into Game 4, Robinsongz had virtually locked up one of the three Worlds spots, but he didn’t let up. After taking a fifth in Game 4, Robinsongz finished the finals with two more first-place finishes. He ended up with five wins in six games, a record in professional TFT play.
With a score of 54 out of 60 possible points, Robinsongz dominated the NA Regional Finals and was crowned the champion of North America. With only the TFT Reckoning Championship left to conquer, Robinsongz has become one of the greatest tournament players ever and is an early favorite to become the greatest heading into Worlds.
DelicousMilkGG lives up to the hype
LETS GO I WENT TOP 2 AT REGIOANLS AND GOING TO PLAY AT TFT WORLDS.
ALSO LISA SOLO DROPS IN 4 DAYS ITS A GOOD WEEK. pic.twitter.com/gKr2k3qKy5
— DSG Milk (@MilkTFT) September 6, 2021
Ever since TFT came out in 2019, one of the most talked-about players in North America has been Jeffery “DeliciousMilkGG” Pan. Milk has peaked Rank 1 on the NA Ladder in every single season of TFT. Because of that, he has garnered the respect of many of his peers. So much so that when the topic of TFT GOAT is discussed, Milk’s name is brought up frequently. Milk, who was once a member of the esports organization Golden Guardians, also has a few tournament wins under his belt. Most notably, he won the Cloud9 Nebula Invitational back in Set 3. He also won the first season of the Giant Slayer Series.
However, he has historically done very poorly when it really matters, at the NA Regional Finals. In fact, Milk didn’t even qualify for last season’s NA Regional Finals but he still maintained the hype from other players in the region. Heading into Set 5, Milk was starting to show why he has been praised his whole career. Milk finished first overall in the Set 5 Snapshot system, leading him to qualify for the NA Regional Finals. At the Finals, Milk showed that his ladder performance was no fluke.
During Day 1 of the Finals, Milk started with a win and ended with one. His performance on Day 1 netted him first place and with it, a spot in the Day 2 finals. During Day 2, even though Robinsongz was doing something historic, Milk attempted to keep pace. Robinsongz won Game 1 but Milk came in second. In the one lobby Robinsongz didn’t win, it was Milk who picked up the win. Heading into the final game, Milk was safely in second place. That’s where he finished, locking up a Worlds invite for the first time in his career.
He will have a chance to prove to his peers why he’s considered one of the greatest TFT player of all time at the TFT Reckoning Championship.
Soju turns a new leaf but comes up short
Another player in NA that’s talked about often is Cloud9’s Michael “k3Soju” Zhang. One of the most popular TFT streamers is always at the center of attention, for his personality and his gameplay. Soju presents himself as a very confident player but one that often blurs the line between confidence and cocky. After failing to earn an invite to NA Regional Finals through the Set 5 Snapshot and the Mid-Set Finale, Soju only had one option left. His last chance was the one-week race for the last two spots through the Set 5.5 Snapshot. Soju’s dedication is unmatched in NA. He played 160 games in only 150 hours of the set being live, grabbing one of the final two seats.
Despite his early success in Set 5.5, Soju didn’t look so hot heading into the NA Regional Finals. With modest results at the Giant Slayer Series 3 finals and recent ladder performances, Soju wasn’t among the favorites to head to Worlds in NA. But Soju brought that newfound dedication and decided to leave it all on the Convergence. Day 1 of the NA Regional, Soju put on a show in front of his Twitch audience. He ended Day 1 in third place, good enough to progress to Day 2.
With a new slate, Soju had a disastrous start to the Day 2 finals, finishing eighth. He picked it back up in Game 2 with a second place finish, to keep his Worlds hopes alive. After up-and-down performances for games three through five, Soju headed into Game 6 alone in third place. If he kept his lead he would secure the final Worlds spot. Even with a one-point lead, Soju controlled his own destiny in the final game. Unfortunately his good run came to an end. Soju took a seventh in the final game, knocking him out of the event and with it, Worlds contention.
most fun i've had competing ever. tournament was fucking stacked with 16 insane players. feeling down that I couldn't make it to worlds but also happy with my play this week
NA is gonna be stacked at worlds this year
Robin, Milk Spencer 123 angle
— k3soju (@k3soju) September 6, 2021
Despite his disappointing TFT NA Regional Finals performance, Soju impressed his peers and gained new respect with his humbleness on social media. Soju’s season might be over but with an improved attitude, Soju looks to come back even stronger in Set 6.
Published: Sep 7, 2021 06:06 am