This might be Fortnite's most impressive near-miss ever

Before watching this clip from Reddit user not_five, I recommend shoving an ice pack and a pillow between your legs. Comfortably numb? Good. Now check it out

not_five's aim is true, but their shot found no purchase. On review in the replay editor, the reason becomes clear. That's one hell of an opportune toe-touch. Let's loop that last bit. (Again, watch the whole thing for proper context.)

In the title of the Reddit post, not_five quotes the note that rests at the bottom of the item store: "These items are cosmetic only and grant no competitive advantages." Apparently, that's not the whole story.

More Fortnite

What's new with the latest Fortnite season
The best Fortnite creative codes
The optimal Fortnite settings
Our favorite Fortnite skins
The best Fortnite toys

It's a fun jab, but I doubt the target player knew what was coming their way and, duh, emotes aren't actually going to become the meta. But in any other big-time competitive shooter, these shenanigans would not stand. Patched out tomorrow. Not so in Fortnite, where the 99 other players aren't your only problem. Awful luck is the true meta, and if we get clips like this out of it, I'm cool with emotes sometimes being Matrix-style bullet-dodging defense weapons.

James Davenport

James is stuck in an endless loop, playing the Dark Souls games on repeat until Elden Ring and Silksong set him free. He's a truffle pig for indie horror and weird FPS games too, seeking out games that actively hurt to play. Otherwise he's wandering Austin, identifying mushrooms and doodling grackles.