Who are the favourites to win? Our FNCS Grand Finals Season 6 Preview for EU & NAE

After weeks of competition, the field is set for FNCS Grand Finals. The top 33 trios in both Europe and North America East prepare for battle. Several teams distinguished themselves as clear contenders throughout the season. A few others squeaked into the Grand Finals, but could surprise the field. This weekend, past performances are irrelevant. Only 12 matches determine the victor.

In NAE, five trios won every Trio Cash Cup or DreamHack Cash Cup Extra, besides two. The same trios finished on top of the region in the previous FNCS Grand Finals. Without a catastrophe, the same trios stand poised to finish at the top once again.

Jack “G2 Jahq” Downs, "LG Slackes," and "1% Acorn" clearly proved they had not lost a step in Season 6. The reigning champions went on a historic run to start the season, winning the first three events. Since then, the trio cooled off, but still achieved three more top 10 placements to finish the season.

When asked about his thoughts heading into Grand Finals Jahq responded, "I'm really confident going into this FNCS because the meta is very similar to last season. I think we can definitely win it again"

The trio does not lack the confidence or skill to win back-to-back FNCS Grand Finals. They plan to return to Slurpy Swamp and should remain uncontested off spawn. This provides the team the freedom to play the game they want. Expect Jahq, Acorn, and Slackes to appear with multiple Floppers, Shield Fish, and the Chug Cannon throughout FNCS Grand Finals.

This season,  “FS Degen,” “FS Ajerss,” and “skqttles” wasted no time qualifying for the FNCS Grand Finals. The trio took home first place in the Week 1 Qualifier, propelling them to Grand Finals. After a quick start to the season, the team continued to win events while taking home two wins and a fourth place in three straight Trios Cash Cups.

Degen stayed light-hearted ahead of the big tournament. He said, "If Acorn doesn't pull every zone then we will win."

High spirits for the trio who cemented themselves as a contender this season. Degen, Ajerss, and skqttles created a unique drop spot. Instead of landing at a named POI, the trio splits the area from Orchard up to the Radio Tower. The strategy works well and provides them flexibility in their rotations. On the other hand, their split leaves them vulnerable to attacks from Craggy or Steamy.

The former FNCS Champions look to return to their throne. Malachi “Endl8ss Reverse2k” Greiner, Dejsean “Endl8ss Deyy” Hew, and “Mero” won the Season 4 FNCS Grand Finals and narrowly missed out on an auto qualification in Season 5 Grand Finals. They finished in fourth place in Season 5, only five points less than third. This will be the trio's third straight FNCS Grand Finals.

Mero showed belief in his trio, "We have pretty good odds if we are uncontested. We need to get zones." He said.

The trio should be uncontested. Fighting Mero, Deyy, and Reverse2k offspawn would be a mistake. Consistently, the team eliminates the most players throughout tournaments. At times, their aggressive playstyle causes them issues, but ultimately it is the key to their success.

The trio of Josh “Commandment” Roach, Evan “FaZe Cented” Barron, and Ben “NRG Edgey” Peterson developed a unique playstyle. They play the ultimate low ground position. Previously, that position meant players were in shambles and barely navigating through the game. Now, Commandment, Cented, and Edgey own the low ground and excel at playing down below. They claim every build and punish players who drop down to low ground.

After finishing in third place last season, the owners of Craggy Cliffs hope to improve in Season 6. Logan “BBG Bucke” Eschenburg, Leon “BBG Khanada” Khim, and Mack “G2 MackWood” Aesoph won two Trio Cash Cups and a DreamHack Cash Cup Extra. Without a doubt, the trio posses the ability to win. Unfortunately, the zones tend to pull South.

Their northern drop spot of Craggy Cliffs provides the trio everything they need to succeed. The only question is: Will this trio be rewarded with zones?

In Europe, several trios hold the skill necessary to win the FNCS Grand Finals. A couple of trios standout based on previous performances, but could easily be overthrown by a newcomer. Almost every contender qualified for Grand Finals. Although, a few notable names missed out, such as Benjyfishy, Mexe, Kami, and Aqua.

Currently, the reigning champions of Europe appear contested at Craggy Cliffs. Fighting teams off spawn typically leads to poor results. The amount of time and resources to win fights causes trios to enter the later stages of a game in weakened positions. If they is a trio that could pull off a win while being contested, it is Henrik “Guild Hen” Mclean, Jannis “Guild JannisZ” Matwin, and Moussa “chapix” Fh.

When asked about Grand Finals, Hen replied "We are hoping to be able to win most off spawn fights and win the tournament." He continued, "I think if we prepare mentally and physically in game, it should be free off spawn as long as we have the right mindset."

Physically, the trio possesses the ability to win FNCS Grand Finals. The team contesting them, "Hycr1s," "Vortex," and "OVA Night", landed at Craggy Cliffs for multiple seasons. The battle for Craggy Cliffs projects to be the best off spawn fight in Europe. A rivalry is set to begin.

One of the scariest trios in Europe returned to form this past weekend in FNCS Semi Finals. Jérémy “Grizi 4zr” Dang, Tai “Guild TaySon” Starčič, and Nathan” Grizi Nayte” Berquignol showed everyone why they started the season as a favorite to win FNCS. The trio dominated their Heat in impressive fashion.

After winning the first two events of Season 6, TaySon, 4zr, and Nayte struggled to reach the top of the leaderboards. Individually, this trio stacks up against any other with three FNCS titles between them. They are peaking at the right time.

TaySon believes in his trio. When asked about his chances of winning FNCS, he said, "I think we have pretty high chances of winning showing on our past results. We are really confident. We have an uncontested spot and if we just get storm surge we should be fine."

The trio deploys unique strategies in the end game. Most players disabled pre-edits, but this trio commonly uses pre-edited walls in order to gain refreshes. Their strategy could be the difference this weekend.

After fighting off spawn all season, Manoel "Solary Floki" Da Costa, Clement "Homyno Clement" Lesobre, and Thomas "GO Decyptos" Cottu own Pleasant Park all to themselves. The trio battled with Benjyfishy, Matsoe, and Umplify. In Week 3, Floki, Clement, and Decyptos qualified to Grand Finals while the opposing trio did not.

Pleasant Park uncontested boosts this trios chance of performing this weekend. The trio finished top 3 in three Cash Cups this season. Currently, Floki, Clement, and Decyptos enter FNCS Grand Finals as a forgotten underdog. They have yet to win an event in Season 6, but consistently place near the top of leaderboards.

As players prepare for the FNCS Grand Finals, fans and viewers do the same. The viewing experience ranges from player's streams to watch parties to the official Fortnite broadcast. Fortnite is one of the few competitive games that provides this range of options. The ultimate winner of this weekend: Fortnite fans everywhere!