Five Stories From the Gears Pro Circuit San Diego 2018 Open
Gears San Diego hosted over 40 of the world’s best Gears of War teams all competing for their share of the $250,000 prize pool.
Unlike the previous tournament, Gears New Orleans in July, there was less upsets in early stages, but they were made up for later in the event.
The top two teams were deserved grand finalists, as OpTic cemented their dynasty with yet another championship, taking down Ghost Gaming to secure the trophy.
Spacestation proved they remain Europe’s top talent
These players were orgless at New Orleans, and so used the name ‘EU’s Finest’. Now represnting Spacestation, they lived up to their slogan.
They won their group 3-0, and even put OpTic to the test in the championship bracket, taking the first map and forcing OpTic to reverse sweep (they did). They fell down to losers but still had enough in the tank to defeat New Orleans runner-up Echo Fox.
An extra push, and this European squad has a trophy within reach.
Ghost Gaming back to being the biggest challengers to OpTic
After a disappointing fourth place finish at New Orleans, it looked as though Ghost Gaming’s spot as the team right on the heels of OpTic was gone. Instead Echo Fox looked like the biggest challenger.
But, after making it to winners finals without dropping a single map, and then bouncing back to make the grand final after being knocked to losers, Ghost reclaimed their spot as the number two team – and are once again the biggest threat to OpTic.
Nimbus make a splash from Open Bracket
After making it into groups, Nimbus made the strongest case for being a pool play team in the future. They managed to take the number two spot in Pool B.
They went on to beat Fable and Elevate in the losers bracket, securing a top 6 finish. Another Open Bracket team, Fable (their US roster), also made a run to finish top 12, all the way from the gauntlet.
New Organizations Impress
Two organizations made their debut in Gears of War at San Diego, Spacestation and Reciprocity. It was only Rise Nation’s third event too, and they are quickly making a name for themselves in Gears.
Spacestation secured third, while Reciprocity made a deep run too, placing top 6. It wasn’t so good for Rise, but they still managed a very respectable top 8. More big name organizations with competitive rosters in Gears is always a good thing.
Roster Changes didn’t stop OpTic
There was a host of roster changes to many of the top teams in Gears. Spurred on by eUnited’s departure from Gears, there was suddenly a slew of top talent entering free agency.
Most of the changes, certainly amongst North American teams, were all aimed at creating a roster capable of taking down OpTic. But, as history shows, there is simply no defeating the Greenwall when it comes to Gears of War esports.