Down but not out: the April Mortal Kombat X Challenger Cup Finals

Season 3 of the Mortal Kombat X Pro League introduced new ways to play and win! Each week, if a player does not make it to the top eight of the MKX Pro League, they are eligible to compete in the weekly Challenger Cups. We saw the culmination of these events on Saturday with the MKX Challenger Cup Monthly Finals, where the top challengers across the world fought for cash prizes in their respective regions. The double-elimination setting left room for some of the most outstanding sets and runbacks that we have seen yet. Read on to find out what happened in Latin America and North America!

LATIN AMERICA

Shamanz and Crazy_Faster_88 kicked off the Challenger Cup Monthly Finals for the Latin America region. Shamanz quickly became a fan favorite by playing one of the rarest variations in the game, Warrior Predator.

While Shamanz had a great start, he was eventually sent to the losers bracket by Crazy_Faster_88’s Shirai Ryu Takeda.

BM Dante and Konqueror were next to fight their way into the Semifinals. Dante had some impressive victories throughout the Challenger Cup, including a win against Latin American legend uB-KillerXinok. However, his Week 3 run was ended by none other than Konqueror. While Dante showed signs of life by taking a game, he was eventually sent to the loser’s bracket.

Crazy_Faster_88 and Konqueror have also had run-ins in the past. In Week 4 of the Latin America MKX Challenger Cup, Crazy_Faster_88 prevailed over Konqueror in a tight 3-2 set. Hungry to take out Konqueror once again, Crazy_Faster_88 had some unbelievable comebacks.

Despite a miraculous comeback by Crazy_Faster_88, Konqueror made it known that he would not go down easily, as he quickly took the next game to tie the set 2-2. The last match reached the last round, with Konqueror edging out the win, thus getting revenge for his Week 4 loss.

In the Grand Finals of the Latin American MKX Challenger Cup Monthly Finals, we had a classic runback: Konqueror against Crazy_Faster_88. Faster, fighting from the losers bracket, would need to beat his nemesis twice for a Challenger Cup victory. The war eventually came to an end, and Konqueror was crowned the Champion of the Latin America MKX Challenger Cup Monthly Finals by once again taking out Crazy_Faster_88 3-2; exacting his revenge from his defeat in Week 4.

NORTH AMERICA

The North American MKX Challenger Cup Monthly Finals consisted of a war among MKX Pro League veterans. Dragon, RedRaptor, and DoctorStabs were all undoubtedly familiar with the MKX Pro League. Due to a conflict in scheduling, Season 1 and 2 finalist Pig of The Hut was unfortunately unable to compete in the MKX Challenger Cup Monthly Finals.

RedRaptor’s first opponent was none other than Dragon, who who has been dominating the North American Challenger Cups. While RedRaptor’s Takeda seemed to be no match for Dragon, a surprising change to Marksman Erron Black proved successful as he almost took two straight games after being down 2-0. Dragon eventually adjusted correctly and took the set 3-1, ultimately sending RedRaptor to the losers bracket.

Due to Pig of the Hut’s absence, DoctorStabs took his first win of the night with a bye and had to face Dragon in Winners' Semifinals. Despite Dragon’s impressive win streak, DoctorStabs held his ground and took the first game rather convincingly. While Dragon answered back with a victory of his own, DoctorStabs caused one of the biggest upsets this league has seen yet by sending Dragon to the loser’s bracket 3-1!

After a tough loss against DoctorStabs, Dragon was immediately sent to fight RedRaptor in the loser’s bracket to determine who would be eliminated from the Challenger Cup Monthly Finals. RedRaptor stuck to his guns with Shirai Ryu Takeda and quickly gained a 2-1 lead. On the brink of elimination, Dragon took the set to Game 5 and tied the score 2-2. Both players played cautiously, knowing that one mistake could mean elimination. One devastating mistake by RedRaptor in the third round gave Dragon the opportunity to take the set 3-2.

In the Grand Finals for the North American MKX Challenger Cup Monthly Finals, DoctorStabs comfortably sat in the winner’s side against Dragon. The set seemed like Déjà vu with DoctorStabs taking the first game, although not as easily as when they met earlier. Each game went down to the wire as Dragon and DoctorStabs seemed to exchange wins, eventually tying the set 2-2. With some ferocity by Dragon, he clutched a 3-2 set against DoctorStabs and reset the bracket!

After resetting the bracket against DoctorStabs, Dragon had momentum in his favor and took a quick 1-0 lead. DoctorStabs maintained composure and tied the set 1-1. Refusing to go down another game, Dragon exemplified near flawless gameplay. The perfect blend of aggressiveness and cautious defense made it difficult for DoctorStabs to open Dragon up. What seemed like a never ending bloodbath between these two competitors resulted in Dragon taking the victory, adding yet another tournament to his win streak!

The intensity of the April MKX Challenger Cup Finals begs the question: who will be next to take the community by surprise? Don’t miss the next Pro League broadcasts on Wednesday, May 4 and be sure to grab your spot at the Season 3 Finals in Burbank, California while seats are still available!

For all the latest information about the #MKXProLeague, be sure to follow ESL Mortal Kombat on Facebook and Twitter, as well as the official Pro League and Challenger Cup websites.

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