Qrei, treciux and ArmoR — three unusual Fortnite players — were hiding in the outskirts of Slurpy Swamp early in a match. They carried no weapons, instead holding onto a handful of fish they used to heal. They are the Fortnite Championship Series‘ famous pacifists.
Ilya “Toose” Chernyshov and his trio began moving through the area. Qrei and his teammates hid in a bush. Toose’s two teammates started to break up boulders for building materials nearby. Meanwhile, Toose walked through the very bush that Qrei and his fish were hiding in.
“Toose is right there,” the in-game commentator yelled as Toose nearly touched the hidden trio. “They’re not even moving!”
In a terrifyingly close game 1 moment, Toose walks straight through the bush of Qrei’s trio and he somehow does not notice the three free 50 pots sitting in a bush
byu/alric8 inFortniteCompetitive
Qrei is an enigma in the Fortnite Championship Series. He and his team haven’t fought anyone during the entire qualifications process. They focus on fishing and healing during matches, mitigating storm damage with floppers pulled from the rivers of Slurpy Swamp and elsewhere.
Not much is known about the Polish trio outside their in-game infamy. They did not respond to Upcomer and have not shared their real names.
Fish, Freedom and Fortnite
Fortnite, and the battle royale genre in general, was designed with freedom in mind. Players can choose one of many ways to go about a match. They can hunt down other players after getting a strong loadout, focus on movement to get the best positioning of anyone in the server, or hide and avoid conflict until the last possible moment. Qrei and his team approach the game with a mixture of the latter two options.
Qrei’s strategy is to land near Slurpy Swamp. He then grabs a fishing pole by breaking open a barrel and fishes for most of the match. That is until the storm forces him to move into the circle. It’s a good tactic — fishing at various watering holes, netting Qrei Floppers, Small Fries and other fish that restore a small amount of health. Weapons can also be found via fishing, but Qrei and his teammates ignore them in favor of more fish.
This strategy has kept Qrei and his team alive throughout the FNCS’s second qualifier. This was before Epic Games made a big change, however. They changed the time of loot that comes out of fishing spots, prioritizing weapons over fish.
“It’s unfair Fortnite,” Qrei tweeted. “I hope in FNCS it will be all good with small fry like on casual.”
The Fish Goat
Still, Qrei’s strategy had worked. He and his squad qualified for the FNCS semifinals on May 22. The Polish squad’s infamy has only grown, spawning copycats and pushing other players to offer their bodyguard services.
“You come fish next to us bro,” said Aleksa “Queasy” Cvetkovic in a tweet. “Bro I got you.”
The Fortnite community has been rallying behind Qrei and his fun strategy. Top Fortnite player Benjy “Benjyfishy” Fish has been supporting him on social media for the entirety of the FNCS this season. He posted a goat emoji in response to Qrei’s qualification post on May 7.
Qrei’s response? “🐟.”
