Like a poorly baked loaf of bread, Arkosh Gaming failed to rise to the occasion, dropping out of NA Closed Qualifiers in the Lower Bracket.
Arkosh Gaming has been eliminated from DPC NA 2023 Tour 1: Closed Qualifier after being defeated by NA stack monopoly (also known as bad guys) in the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals. Despite a seemingly all-star roster, the lineup of Max "qojqva" Bröcker, Steve "Xcalibur" Ye, Jaron "monkeys-forever" Clinton, Zakari "Zfreek" Freedman, and Kim "Febby" Yong-min were defeated 2-1 by a team of relative unknowns (at least outside of NA pubs).
The defeat brings to the end the hopes of Arkosh qualifying directly to the NA DPC, and comes after a humbling run in Closed Qualifiers. After edging into the lineup during the Open Qualifier, Arkosh were immediately defeated 2-1 series that featured three Arkosh alums on the other side. Brian "BSJ" Canavan, Andrew "Jenkins" Jenkins, Jason "Newsham" Newsham, formerly Arkosh’s Palehose, Gremlo, and Crow, dealt defeat and humiliation to their opponents under the mantle of Fart Studios.
This led to Arkosh falling to the lower bracket, where a questionable bit of bracket management from organizer PGL saw Arkosh’s opponent switch to Team Magnus, who they barely edged by. This would seemingly set them on a collision course with Fart Studios again, in a grudge match for the ages. But it was not to be, as monopoly defeated Arkosh in both the opening and final game of the series, humbling the NA team.
What now for Arkosh Gaming?
With the defeat, questions about Arkosh and its future will now swirl. The team, on paper, looked incredible this season. The decision to drop its squad of dota personalities in favor of pros and streamers seemed like a great choice. With a dramatic rebrand, an incredible launch, and many of NA’s staple teams and missing in action this season, it looked like the stars were aligning for Arkosh Gaming
But the results don’t tell the same story. A surprising struggle through Open Qualifiers, and now a shock defeat means Arkosh’s goat has been gelded. Even before the defeat, the team was joking about disbanding.
Arkosh Gaming will now have to look into alternative methods to make it in the NA DPC this season (such as purchasing a slot), or just bide their time until the Tour 2.