We’re recapping all the thrilling tank combat and more that took place at this year’s WGL Grand Finals.
From April 8–9, Torwar Hall in Warsaw was transformed from a mere stadium into a competitive gaming coliseum. 12 sets of battle lines were drawn, and behind each stood a team vying for glory. The ultimate victors would take home a hefty chunk of $300,000, the famed “Monolith” trophy, and, something money couldn’t buy, the title of Grand Finals champion.
The Teams
Teams from across the globe reported for duty in Poland, ready to forge themselves into champions in the crucible of the Grand Finals… and maybe have a few tank battles too. From North America arrived former Silver League champs eClipse, and veteran team SIMP, who recently switched up their lineup. From the EU were two giants of the League: Wombats on Tanks and Tornado.RoX, who locked horns at last year’s Grand Finals. The CIS sent reigning champs Natus Vincere (Na’Vi) and WGL Gold Series Season 2 runners-up Not So Serious Team. Last Grand Finals’ silver medalists EL Gaming and relative newcomers Gold Bass represented Asia.
M41 90 GF Black German Bulldog
It wouldn’t be a true Grand Finals without a few wildcards dealt to shake things up: Yato from China, Kazna Kru from the EU, 2015 World Champions HellRaisers, and Red Canids—the first team to ever take part from Brazil.
The Attractions
In true Wargaming fashion, we weren’t happy with bringing you just tank battles. This year’s event was also the first time that a lot of people had the chance to check out warships blowing each other apart in the name of competitive gaming. The first World of Warships show match took place, featuring Jingles, PointyHairedJedi and more, who fought in a 7-vs-7 battle.
Making of the Monolith
Inside Torwar Hall was a Free-to-Play Zone, with 28 gaming stations and VR-headsets. Visitors could play their favorite World of Tanks and World of Warships games and take part in a master class from eSports pros. For the first time players had a chance to feel the rush of battle watching the action in 360° with their VR-headset. Console tankers were able to jump into 7-vs-7 competitions, or battle on six additional PlayStation®4 gaming stands.
Along with the action inside the arena, visitors and tank enthusiasts alike could check out two real steel beasts outside Torwar Hall. A T-34-85 and an M4A1 Sherman were guarding the exterior of the hall, offering fans a great photo opportunity.
The Matches
Day 1
The group stage was the name of the game on the first day. Group A featured last year’s silver medalists EL Gaming, YaTo gaming, and Not So Serious (NSS). Group B had Wombats on Tanks, SIMP, and Red Canids. Group C had Na’Vi, Gold Bass, and HellRaisers. Group D featured eClipse, Kazna Kru, and Tornado.Rox.
Grand Finals 2016 Day 1 recap video
HellRaisers and 2014 champions Na’Vi left Gold Bass in the dust 5:0 and 5:1, respectively. Wombats on Tanks crushed SIMP and Red Canids 5:0 and 5:1. eClipse were sent packing by Kazna Kru 3:5 and Tornado.Rox 1:5. In total, Gold Bass, eClipse, Red Canids and EL Gaming headed home while the rest advanced to Day 2.
Day 2
No time to mourn the fallen, because the second day of Grand Finals hardly left any breathing space. Here we had the quarters, semis, and “super-finals”—just so fans knew that it truly was THE grand finale of the Grand Finals.
In the semi-finals, HellRaisers beat NSS 5:3, and Na’Vi took down Wombats on Tanks 5:2. With Na’Vi’s stellar performance throughout the Grand Finals, there was no doubt that they were the favorites to take the crown. However, there was the little matter of third place to decide before the super-finals. So, Wombats on Tanks clashed with NSS, with the former reclaiming some glory with a 5:3 victory.
Now, on to the main event, a real battle of the best. While on paper it appeared like Na’Vi should take the win quite easily, history has shown us that the Grand Finals always have a few tricks up their sleeve. Bullets flew, Tier 10 tanks butted heads, and one by one, players fell.
Close to the end of the match, it looked like HellRaisers had all but wrapped it up. It was two to one in their favor. AppleWoW and Grifon were busy hunting Inspirer from Na’Vi. The champagne was on ice; the confetti had HellRaisers name on it.
Then, the unexpected happened. Rock, meet hard place. Hammer, meet anvil. AppleWoW found himself caught on a cliff (not World of Tanks’ fault). All he could do was watch in horror as Inspirer took out Grifon, which let Na’Vi win 7:6. It doesn’t come much closer than that.
At the end of Grand Finals 2016, this is how it all shook out:
- 1st Place—$150,000—Na’Vi
- 2nd Place— $75,000—HellRaisers
- 3rd Place—$35,000—Wombats on Tanks
- 4th Place—$20,000—Not So Serious
- 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th place—$5,000—Tornado.Rox, YaTo, SIMP and Kazna Kru.
This year’s Grand Finals was a true tank roller-coaster ride, and we can’t wait to see you all at the next one. Check out the official WGLeague.net site to see even more great videos and info on your favorite teams.