Good Week, Bad Week: PUBG PCS4 Americas Grand Final Week 2 recap

Week Two of the PCS4 Americas Grand Final has laid the groundwork for the series finale next week. Excellent play from the Soniqs added another $20,000 USD to their total prize pool earning.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It didn’t take long before last week’s winners returned to form during PCS4 Americas Grand Final Week Two. Following the two opening matches, Soniqs and Dignitas jumped out to an early lead, regaining they held just one week prior.

Many teams saw major improvements from their Week One showing, including TSM and Trogloditas. Parallels between the two weeks didn’t stop there, as the Soniqs marched on to claim their second victory in consecutive weeks.

Despite the Soniqs dominant showing, the lobby has continued fighting for its share of the prize pool and PGC Points. Due to PCS4’s ‘Most Chickens’ format, no team in the first-place position is truly safe. Teams must either stockpile kills or win at least two matches more than their nearest competitor. It made for an exciting finish to this week’s 12-match series as Soniqs sought their second win of the week.

Chicken Dinners seemed easier to come by for several teams during Week Two. Ten different squads claimed a match victory over the twelve rounds, with the Soniqs and Oath Gaming securing two. Those two would highlight the 12th and final match as each fought to claim the $20,000 USD first-place prize.

GOOD WEEK: Soniqs, Oath Gaming, TSM, Spacestation Gaming

Soniqs recovered their position atop the standings after an incredible final match to close out Week Two.

In the matches prior, Oath Gaming claimed two victories, sending the Soniqs into the final match one win behind. Their only chance of claiming a second consecutive week victory was with a win on Erangel in Match 12. Soniqs had gathered enough kills to surpass Oath if they could capture their second win, but the pressure was on.

From the perspective of Oath Gaming, a simple strategy would have been to hot-drop Soniqs — spoiling their chances of winning the final match. The problem for Oath was that Soniqs, TSM, and Trogloditas were within striking distance heading into the last round. It forced the team to stick to their guns and hope that their leaderboard neighbors dropped out early.

Unfortunately for TSM and Trogloditas, the two would be eliminated early, ending their impressive Week Two performance.

The removal of the third and fourth place teams meant that everything would come down to the Soniqs and Oath. Needless to say, both teams wanted this final win more than anything. In the end, Oath Gaming played the final round extremely well, but the Soniqs played better.

Looking over the Week Two leaderboard, you wouldn’t expect Spacestation Gaming on this half of ‘Good Week, Bad Week.’ If I were to hand out an award for the most unlucky team, SSG would be runaway favorites. The team ranked inside the top three of nearly every important statistic this past week: Kills, Damage Dealt, and Average Placement.

They’re doing everything right, but this format has not been kind to them. They may not have been awarded for their play, but this team is a formidable contender heading into Week Three.

BAD WEEK: Latin Dominous, Guadalajara Gascans

It was a tough week for the Guadalajara Gascans and Latin Dominus. The two finished in 13th and 14th respectively, extending their struggles from Week One. Fortunately for both teams, the only direction on the overall leaderboard was up after a challenging Week One.

Gascans had two top-five placements and collected enough kills to contest the top-eight teams. Had the team found at least one Chicken Dinner this past week, the Gascans could have finished inside the top-six easily. Moving into the series’ third and final week of play, the Gascans have some positives to build on.

As for Latin Dominus, the team managed to put together a decent number of kills. However, their problems rest within match placements – the primary focus in this format.

They improved their total kill count from Week One to Week Two but failed to find a single top-five placement over 12 matches. Their roster of excellent players is more than capable of fragging with the region’s best. Still, team performance their placement will need to improve for Week Three.

The PCS4 Americas Grand Final returns for Week 3 on Thursday, June 24.