Benjyfishy is back on top: Week 1 FNCS results & highlights

The first week of FNCS Season 7 Qualifiers wrapped up on Sunday with some exciting matches across all the major regions. We saw impressive displays from brand-new teams, huge solo clutches and as always, a great selection of commentary and analysis on the official broadcast.

With a guaranteed spot in Finals going to the top three trios each week, everyone was out for blood. For those who fell short, Series Points will be awarded to help them progress towards the next stage of the tournament.

Europe

Following a string of disappointing performances in recent seasons, fan favorite “Benjyfishy” and his new trio “Joe” and “Shadow” made a splash in EU, topping the leaderboard with 186 points. The UK boys didn’t need a single Victory Royale to get the win, instead they remained incredibly consistent, placing inside the top ten in five of the six games.

A lot of Benjy’s previous struggles have come down to drop spot drama and a lack of planning for mid-game. Joe and Shadow, who may now finally start to receive the credit they deserve, have already helped him become a far more rounded player and this result was a testament to that.

Just two points behind was another newly formed outfit, the self-proclaimed "Kings of Highground", “Aqua”, “Noahreyli” and “Vadeal”. Combining a World Cup winning in-game leader with two of the best fighters in Fortnite was always going to be a recipe for success, and a couple of high-kill VRs did the job nicely.

Excluding a strong showing in Duos, Aqua has had a rough time in Chapter 2, and even earned a temporary ban from competitive towards the end of last year. It’s good to see him doing well again and he could be exactly what Noah and Vadeal need to go from regularly placing top five to becoming FNCS Champions.

An insane solo clutch by “TaySon” in game five was not enough to secure automatic qualification for his trio, who were beaten to third place by Season 5 champs “Hen”, “JannisZ” and “Chapix”. Hen and co picked up a Victory Royale in the first match, and only finished below 11^thon one occasion.

idk u guys probably dont understand me but we actually want to keep playing weeks to get better and only finishing it with the worst qual placement feels shit

— GUILD JannisZ (@JannisZFN) August 1, 2021

JannisZ was not satisfied with their showing however, taking to Twitter to explain that third wasn’t good enough and that they would rather “keep playing weeks (Qualifiers) to get better”. With this mindset it’s not surprising that many people consider them to be the strongest trio in the world.

NA East

Tru North Gaming pro “Eomzo” has had a crazy couple of months, winning a Solo Cash Cup, the UEFA Solo Cup and now, translating that over to Trios. He, “Nut” and “Chukky” claimed the top spot in NAE for week one, popping up in every endgame like it was nothing.

This wasn’t a one-time thing either, they have been on a fantastic spell of form so far in Season 7. This includes some solid placements in Cash Cups and third-party events, as well as taking first in last week’s Bugha’s Late Game tournament.

Speaking of “Bugha”, he and teammates “Nosh” and “Avery” were the ones narrowly nudged into second by Eomzo. They got off to an unbelievable start, finishing 1^st, 2^nd, and 2^ndin the first few matches, but a poor game six was enough to leave them one point behind when all was said and done.

Having failed to make it to Finals last season after refusing to back down from Sweaty Sands with “Clix” and “Bizzle”, the World Cup Solo Champion will be delighted to have qualified at the earliest possible opportunity.

Rounding out the top three in NA East was “Degen”, “Ajerss” and “Skqttles”. They were one of the lower scoring trios in terms of eliminations, and instead relied on flawless fundamentals to rack up their 161 score.

After similarly qualifying in week one during Season 6, a subpar second half at the Finals kept them off the podium. Degen’s team will be landing at Corny Complex this time around and looking to make amends.

View the full FNCS S17 Qualifier 1 leaderboards for each region here.