Some of the youngest players in this week’s Friday Fortnite tournament have claimed the $10,000 grand prize.
The Team Secret duo of Domeniks “Domentos” Bunts and Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson defeated Thomas “72hrs” Mulligan of Team Liquid and compLexity’s Michael Hogman in the grand finals to become the fifth different Friday Fortnite champions.
Before meeting 72hrs and Hogman in the finals, Secret had to fight through tough opponents such as OpTic’s Jack “CouRage” Dunlop and Kenneth “Baldy” Anderson, as well as Guy “DrDisRespect” Beahm’s team. The Europeans even faced 72hrs and Hogman in the winners bracket quarterfinals.
After losing to Domentos and Mongraal, 72hrs and Hogman took out the likes of Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, Bryan “RiceGum” Le, and former champions TSM en route to the grand finals. There they got an opportunity to avenge their loss from earlier—and they actually did.
With the tournament having a double-elimination format, 72hrs and Hogman needed to beat Team Secret in two separate series to become the tournament champions. The first series went their way, with Mongraal’s comeback in game two cut short due to a bug where a trap facing the opposite way knocked him out.
The second series wasn’t as good for the Americans, however. Hogman’s game experienced major lag and FPS issues, which led to him not being able to save an injured 72hrs early in the game. With 72hrs out with zero kills, Hogman’s five paled in comparison when put up next to Secret’s 22. Riding such a comfortable lead, it was rather easy for the Europeans to hold on in game two for the victory.
The win over 72hrs and Hogman not only made Domentos and Mongraal the fifth different set of Friday Fortnite champions, but it also made them the youngest pair to win the tournament. The 17-year-old Domentos looks like a veteran when compared to Mongraal, who at 13 is already one of the best Fortnite players in the world.
Unfortunately, the duo may not be able to compete in future tournaments. Daniel “KEEMSTAR” Keem, who co-hosts these weekly competitions, says he has banned Team Secret from competing in any more Friday Fortnite tournaments for comments made by the organization’s Twitter account.
Following the tournament, Team Secret tweeted its players were “real pros, not entertainers,” possibly poking fun at some of the lesser-skilled but popular competitors in the tournament. KEEMSTAR responded swiftly, banning the team from future tournaments, saying “entertainers build this scene with pros together. You have [no] understanding of community.”
In a later tweet, KEEMSTAR clarified that the individual players would be allowed to play if they compete under a different team name, but he reiterated on Twitter that Team Secret’s name will be “nowhere in the event.”
Whether Mongraal and Domentos will get a shot to defend their title remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the young pairing is supremely talented and may be a formidable force when it comes to major events in the future.
