With a whopping 54 points on the final day of competition, Setsuko more than convincingly took home the Noxus Cup victory.
At the Noxus Cup, the final "regular season" tournament of TFT (Teamfight Tactics) Set 9.5, Setsuko did the unthinkable. Boasting a 1.92 average over the course of 13 games, Setsuko showcased exactly why he is the best player in North America.
After being Noxus Cup Day 3's point leader, he broke the "winner's curse" by continuing his winning formula on the final day. Setsuko topped his Day 3-winning performance with an absolute masterclass across seven games of the Noxus Cup Finals.
Noxus Cup winner Setsuko
Setsuko received a Bye to Day 3 of the Noxus Cup based on his ladder performance. Outranking Dishsoap by a single point, Setsuko ranked first on the Noxus Cup TFT NA (North American) Power Rankings with a chance to prove why he was the best. And when he showed up on the tournament realm, victory seemed inevitable.
Setsuko: "It's the first time I've performed under pressure so it feels really nice"
For a period of time, Setsuko competed in League of Legends, both in collegiate and in the amateur scene. Unable to find much success, Setsuko transitioned to Teamfight Tactics. A formidable foe on ladder was not able to translate his results competitively in the beginning parts of his TFT competitive career. But across the past two sets of competitive TFT, there is no doubt who is the top dog of North America.
It feels good. It feels really good. I'm proud of myself. I used to play League of Legends and I always choked in crucial matches. In TFT, the same thing was happening, but now I've figured it out. It's the first time I'm performing under pressure in my life. I always choked at the last minute or didn't do a little thing that caused me to lose. But in TFT, it's the first time I've performed under pressure so it feels really nice.
Any winner who is asked what their goal in TFT is seems to have the same answer. Setsuko is no exception, as he kept it simple.
"Winning Worlds, that's pretty much it. Every top player's goal is just to win worlds. Nothing else really matters."
The final day
In Setsuko's first six games of Noxus Cup, he never placed outside of top 4.
Game | Setsuko Placement |
|---|---|
| Game 1 | 4th place |
| Game 2 | 1st place |
| Game 3 | 1st place |
| Game 4 | 3rd place |
| Game 5 | 3rd place |
| Game 6 | 1st place |
He led the field with 41 points, earning himself three bonus points for the final day. Not too far behind was Guubums, who also received three bonus points via a 38-point Day 3. This proved to be a preview to the finale as first and second place-finishers of Day 3 found themselves neck-and-neck for the final game of the Noxus Cup Finals.
The final game of Noxus Cup
For the final game of the Noxus Cup, Setsuko needed to place fourth place or higher to secure the tournament victory. Even if Guubums placed first in the final game, a fourth-place finish would make it impossible for Setsuko's lead to be overtaken. However, instead of just getting a safe top 4, Setsuko added more to his legendary tournament run.
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The finishing touches of Setsuko's win
Setsuko and Guubums were locked in for one final battle in Game 7 of the Noxus Cup. Guubums took his shot at the king with a Soraka, Neeko, Taric Reroll composition. This team composition garnered a relatively high winrate over the course of the tournament, a solid choice to dethrone Setsuko.
To index into this strategy, Guubums selected Golden Ticket as his 3-2 prismatic augment. Golden Ticket grants a 50% chance of a free refresh after every shop refresh, perfect for a reroll composition. In contrast to this selection and strategy, Setsuko went for Hedge Fund+ on 3-2. Hedge Fund+ grants 32 gold and increases a player's maximum interest to 10. This set Setsuko up to maintain high economy in order to win the game with a level 9 capped board.
Although Guubums was able to hit his Soraka 3, Taric 3, and Neeko 3, Setsuko managed to reach level 9 with health to spare. From there, Setsuko put on the finishing touches of his winning squad. Full of 2-star legendary units in a 6 Shurima Azir Carry board, Setsuko would not be denied his second tournament victory of Set 9.5.
Setsuko won five out of seven games in the Noxus Cup finals, with his lowest placement being a fourth place in Game 5. Going back to Day 3 of competition, Setsuko earned eight firsts across thirteen games. It was total domination at the Noxus Cup in a performance that may never be seen again.
Noxus Cup Prize pool distribution
This is how the competitors split the $12,500 USD prize pool:
Placement | Prizing | Competitor |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | $3,500 | Setsuko |
| 2nd | $2,500 | Guubums |
| 3rd | $1,750 | Filup |
| 4th | $1,250 | Xnieamo |
| 5th | $900 | Dpei |
| 6th | $700 | Milk |
| 7th | $500 | Aesah |
| 8th | $400 | Robivankenob |
| 9th-12th | $250 | |
| 13th-16th | $250 |
You can check out the full scores and standings of the event here.
Other qualifications
While Setsuko and Guubums already qualified to the Runeterra Reforged NA Regional Finals via ladder snapshots, Filup, Xnieamo, Dpei, and Milk qualified to the Set 9 NA Regional Finals through their respectable Noxus Cup performances.
What's next in North America?
One final tournament of Set 9.5 will determine the final two competitors at the NA Regional Finals. Be sure to tune in to the broadcast of that tournament, the NA Last Chance Qualifier, on Oct. 14 to 15 at 1 p.m. PT.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest TFT news and updates.
