OP Gaming Rangers are the winners of the FACEIT PUBG Global Summit.
The South Korean squad sealed up first place with a dramatic chicken dinner on the final map of the grand finals. The win averted what was shaping up to be an epic collapse for the team and allowed the teary-eyed squad to hoist the 70-pound trophy at the end of the event.
OP Gaming Rangers entered the last day of the grand finals as the clear front-runners, with 64 points through the first six maps. A rocky start to the final push saw five other teams creep forward with the top six being separated by just six points heading into the final map.
The deciding showdown on Erangel opened with a series of shock eliminations that removed most of the top teams. Struggling Cloud9 and Ninjas in Pyjamas squads eliminated top-four teams Armory Gaming and Team VSG. This was followed by Team Liquid and OGN Entus Force getting caught in an unfortunate crossfire that took two more potential contenders out of the equation.
This made the game two horse race between Shoot To Kill and OP Gaming Rangers. The Koreans opted to lay low and play the long game while Shoot To Kill scratched their way up the ladder with kills. The circles were perfect for OP Gaming Rangers, allowing them to take easy pickoffs and watch other teams fight for position. Shoot To Kill was eventually forced into a firefight with Four Angry Men, which allowed OP Gaming Rangers to mop up the stragglers and seal up the chicken dinner.
That ending gave OP Gaming Rangers a narrow first place finish with 101 points, edging out Shoot To Kill’s 97.
The storybook ending capped what was an exceptional first major event in the new PUBG pro circuit. The event featured a number of twists and turns and was hotly competitive throughout. The FACEIT Global Summit also showed that there is a surprising parity when it comes to regional strength in the global PUBG scene.
Throughout the event South Korea established itself as possibly the best region in the game with OP Gaming Rangers topping the scoreboard while OGN Entus Force and Team VSG stayed in the hunt for the trophy until the very end. But teams from Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia all had first place within reach on the final day.
The top teams now have a few weeks to rest, and those underneath have an opportunity to rebuild. Phase two of the pro circuit kicks off in the second half of May, with start dates varying by region.
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