Bugha and Ninja return to a very different Fortnite Friday

Fortnite
August 9, 2019
Jordan Ashley

Fortnite Friday returned from its hiatus earlier this year, as something of a PR-resuscitation move for sponsors FaZe following tfue’s departure and lawsuit. As that storm has blown over, the tournament has continued. It has offered a refreshingly different take on competitive Fortnite, something completely different from Epic’s ongoing events. This something different will be more in play than ever this week.

While the World Cup may have the prize pool, and the pomp and ceremony, Fortnite Friday remains a fun event to watch. It is looser, more chaotic, more RNG reliant, and often more entertaining than the deadly serious cups. Who’s to say you can’t have fun playing a game where 100 people drop from the sky to take on giant robots in an old-west town?

Friday Fortnite Week 8

© Epic Games

Why is this Fortnite Friday different?

Fortnite Friday has something of a different air to it this week. The Season 10 meta-game has been firmly assessed by players, and largely judged to be a hot mess. The B.R.U.T.E mechs aren’t perfectly balanced, but little in Fortnite is. This round of Fortnite Friday is due to begin in the same week that many of its participants have found the game completely unplayable.

Unlike competitive events run by Epic, Fortnite Friday has some different rules. It is a doubles tournament. They fight out against each other, but two at a time through a bracket. Players are dropping into public matches in open lobbies rather than protected games.

The Duo that racks up the most eliminations of the general Fortnite playing public advances to the next round. Fortnite Friday asses how well pro players perform at rising above every Fortnite player, rather than outplaying other really talented players.

It is this interaction with everyday players that makes it so entertaining to watch, but it is also what makes it a strange tournament to play right after a major update. The competitors in this Fortnite Friday will have to compete against each other both for eliminations and against the elements of the game they’ve been dramatically railing against for the last week.

Bugha has even entered the roster of Fortnite Friday after his victory at the World Cup and the press storm that followed. He is playing with the streamer Ninja, in a move that is sure to boost his new Mixer viewership.

Who is playing in Fortnite Friday?

This round of Fortnite Friday kicks off on Friday at 1 PM PT. The teams in the competition are:

  1. FaZe Mongraal & Mitr0
  2. LG Destroy & Ghost Assault
  3. NYhrox & NayteFN
  4. Bobo & Vinny
  5. MarioHTXX & BigEx
  6. Gotga & Mickalow
  7. FaZe Dubs & OPEN
  8. DJ Akadimiks & Grandmateets
  9. LG Problem & Wavyjacob
  10. Hogmanzlol & ehPom
  11. Ghost Aydan & FaZe Sway
  12. AlexiRamiGaming & DuckyT
  13. Nickmercas & SypherPK
  14. Wizardyensid & Open
  15. TSM Zexrow & 100T Akhran
  16. FaZe Tilt & Ship
  17. NRG MrSavage & NRG benjy
  18. 100T Ceice & Luquid Riversan
  19. FaZe Replays & Nick Eh 30
  20. TSM Chica & MatthewEspinosa
  21. Aqua & Stompy
  22. LG Gunfly & danyacat

The winners of each pair of teams will progress onto the next round, where previous winners FazE Natehill & FaZe Funk, Typical Gamer & FaZe Theifs, Nick28T & NepentheZ, LG Kiwiz & LG Formula, and Ninja & SEN Bugha will join the bracket.

The competition might not be carrying as high of a prize pool as recent events, but Fortnite Fridays have a kind of unpredictable chaos factor going for it that always makes it essential viewing.