Cypher wins record fourth Quakecon championship

This week esports history will be made in Seattle at The International, where $11 million will be awarded to the best Dota teams in the world.

History was also made in Dallas, where Belarussian Quake Live player Alexey “Cypher” Yanushevsky won a record fourth QuakeCon championship.

The victory pulls him ahead of legends John “ZeRo4” Hill and Shane “Rapha” Hendrixson, who each have three wins, squarely placing the Yanushevsky atop the conversation for the best Quake player in history.

Yanushevsky faced Tim “DaHang” Fogarty in the final, a rematch of the 2012 Quakecon finals. In that match, Yanushevsky narrowly beat the American in a close 3-2 series.

This time around, it wasn’t nearly so close.

Fogarty has never won a major international Quake tournament, but he’s a master of top four finishes. This was his third Quakecon final, another chance to finally win that elusive title. It was also his birthday. Yanushevsky didn’t care.

The Belarussian was simply superb, dismantling Fogarty in three straight maps. The American took an early lead in every single game, but Yanushevsky utilized his superior aim to turn each game into his favor, winning fights that just wouldn’t be possible for most top tier duelers.

The first map, Aerowalk, perhaps best exhibited this. DaHang quickly put up six frags, but the Belarussian would seize control and put up double digit frags in an instant. “You rush too much =)” Yanushevsky typed into chat, as he took a 20-6 kill lead, punishing a desperate Fogarty trying to make something happen. Yanushevsky hit an insane 22 of 29 rails. Fogarty didn’t stand a chance.

Toxicity, Fogarty’s map pick was next. But it went much the same—an early lead evaporated and turned into a nightmare for the American.

Fogarty would take a 3-0 lead in the first minute on Lost World, a massive lead on the slow paced map. But after securing a full stack of health and armor, turning the American into a nigh indestructible machine, Yanushevsky pulled off a miracle. In a straight lightning gun fight, Yanushevsky took Fogarty down to just thirteen health, and managed to survive. He’d leverage that fight into map control and eventually a 4-3 lead. Fogarty would die twice on the mega health platform just before he could grab the life-giving orb, capping off a frustrating day for the American.

Yanushevsky took home $9,000 for his championship, while Fogarty walked away with $6,000.

For Fogarty, it was another disappointing finish. His third QuakeCon final and third loss, another chapter to a career of barely-not-enough.

For Yanushevsky, it’s the victory that secures his legacy as not just a legend, but the most legendary of all. It was his eleventh major tournament victory in Quake Live. No player has won as many QuakeCon titles. Many players have Yanushevsky’s instincts and ability to read the game. Some even have his prodigious aim and gun talent. But none have the complete package he brings to the table, and that’s why he’s the best player Quake has ever seen.