Rugratz and timbermen prevail in ESEA Pre-Season Circuit qualifier

timbermen and a newly revitalized Rugratz have come out on top in the first open qualifier for ESEA's Pre-Season Circuit North American Final, an event created to provide ECL players a chance to earn money while waiting for the delayed start of the league.

The first of eight qualifiers for the $20,000 event featured 58 squads, with notable established teams including timbermen, Wildcard, the recently-signed Reason, FLUFFY AIMERS, and Detonate. Certainly one of the most interesting sides featured in the event was Rugratz, revitalized by Gage "Infinite" Green and Danny "cxzi" Strzelczyk, rounded out by Marco "Pol0" Hernandez, Anthony "CLASIA" Kearney, and Josh "JBa" Barutt.

Rugratz made light work of their opponents throughout the bracket, with 16-5 victories against both Ex-BHOP and Reason, with the team's closest match being a 16-8 win over Advanced side PSISTORM. timbermen, notably making use of Dongfeng "Project90" Liu and Dwight "Calix" Nguyen, had a similarly straightforward run through the bracket, facing no ECL competition en route to their qualification. Their most difficult foes came in the form of Slove's Ciao Scuzzi and Advanced side Hound, both featuring 16-8 scorelines.

The second open qualifier for the ESEA Pre-Season Circuit Finals kicks off later this week, on July 15th. Interested teams can sign up here.