The start of the competitive segment for the Mortal Kombat 11 Series kicked off this past weekend with the first of three XP Cups. Players from all around Sub-Saharan Africa gathered to fight for their shot to get on the leaderboard, which would get them one step closer to qualifying for the LAN Finale at  Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! by Marriott Menlyn. The LAN Finale will see R30 000 in cash up for grabs and a trip to compete at the Celtic Throwdown event in Dublin, Ireland. 

The First XP Cup 

After six hours of intense competition, the first tournament came to a close on Saturday, 15 June. The action kicked off at 14h00, the First Mortal Kombat 11 XP Cup saw a stacked line-up of players ready to compete.

Winners Bracket

Last years Injustice 2 Legendary Series winner, GEM ZaZa, found himself in a very tightly contested fixture in his round-two match, where he faced off against ZeeTheJanitor, the 2nd place player in the Injustice 2 South African Cup. ZeeTheJanitor pushed him right till the end but it was GEM Zaza who came out on top, narrowly winning 3-2. GEM ZaZa's run in the winner's bracket, however, was shortlived as he faced a determined rtkay123 who managed to take the match, 3-0. 

rtkay123 was looking rather dominant with his performance in the winner's bracket, as he knocked down some of the top tier contenders. He went on to face FTG Aryba Stacks, one of the top fighters from Kenya, in the next round. Determined to prove his mark on the tournament, rtkay123 battled through another nail-biter of a match, taking it to the last round, where he produced another narrowly fought victory, 3-2.

His next match, however, was one which would prove to be his biggest test, as he faced up against the Injustice 2 South African Cup winner and Legendary Series runner-up, FTG Sho Kahn. The match didn't go as planned for rtkay123 as he struggled to get one match off of his opposition, losing 3-0. FTG Sho Kahn progressed, undefeated, to the winner's bracket final where he faced off against Killjoy369, of Zambia, who had an amazing run in the winner's bracket. The match between the two saw FTG Sho Kahn raise his fist in dominance as he knocked down Killjoy369 to the losers bracket, beating him 3-0.

Losers Bracket

The Losers Bracket, filled with bruised egos and morale, saw some of the best Mortal Kombat 11 players fighting for their last chance in the tournament. The fighters would have an extremely difficult road ahead as they were required to play through more matches, whilst keeping in mind that they could have their day ending abruptly at any stage of the competition. 

One of the most impressive runs came from XRay_92, who had managed to win seven matches in a row to make it through to the later stages of the bracket. He went on to face up against PTR who had won six matches since being knocked down from the third round of the Winners Bracket. The match proved to be the straw that broke XRay_92's back as he lost 3-0 to PTR who now progressed to face against Killjoy369 in the losers bracket final. PTR fought valiantly but couldn't push through at the last as Killjoy369 won the match 3-0 allowing him to face-off against FTG Sho Kahn in the grand finale. 

Grand Finale

FTG Sho Kahn had gone through the entire tournament undefeated, whereas Killjoy369 was fighting for revenge from his only loss so far. FTG Sho Kahn once again proved exactly why he is considered one of the best NRS players in Sub-Saharan Africa as he battered his opposition down and claimed the title of the first XP Cup champion (3-0), taking his place on the top of the leaderboard. 

The now battered and bruised fighters are left to tend to their wounds before the second XP Cup which takes place this Saturday (22 June).    

[View the Bracket] 

Leaderboard 

Here are your current Top 16 players:

To view the full leaderboard go here.

For More 

For more information about the ACGL Mortal Kombat 11 Season, tournament dates and rules, and the registration page, please visit https://acgl.co.za/mk11. Registration is open right now.

To learn more about Mortal Kombatâ„¢ 11, please visit www.mortalkombat.com or join the community conversation on Facebook (MortalKombat), Instagram (@MortalKombat), Twitter (@MortalKombat), Twitch (NetherRealm), YouTube (Mortal Kombat), Discord (MortalKombat) or Reddit (MortalKombat).

Photos of the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! By Marriott Menlyn are available here.

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