CD Projekt's Gwent Challenger Tournament went down this weekend, pitting four amateurs against four seasoned pros for a slice of $100,000 in prize money. The pros didn't completely have it their own way, although they did claim three out of four cash-winning spots, led by grand-prize winner Adrian “Lifecoach” Koy, who defeated Kacem “Noxious” Khilaji in a tense final match.
Lifecoach earned $60,000 for the victory, while Noxious pulled down a nothing-to-sneeze-at $20,000 payday as runner-up. Peter "ppd" Dager took home $10,000 for his third-place finish, while community qualifier Mikhail "Fion56" Yastrebov scored ten large for coming fourth.
In what has to come as good news for Gwent studio CD Projekt Red, Lifecoach described the tournament as a "great event," with "awesome people" working on it. "Had a lot of fun and I really liked it," he told us. "It's still at the beginnings and it was more than a great experience."
I am no longer part of the G2 team. Thank you for this great era & all experience gathered, and a big shout-out to @G2Thijs and @G2RduMay 15, 2017
Somewhat less happily—although again, easy to read as good news for CD Projekt—Lifecoach also confirmed that his decision to split with G2 Esports, which he announced this morning, arose from his desire to focus on Gwent exclusively, while G2 remains committed to Hearthstone.
He spoke more in-depth about his move from Hearthstone to Gwent in an interview with PC Gamer earlier this year, in which he discussed the shifting sands of the competitive scene and said he wouldn't be surprised if other Hearthstone pros began to move away from the game as well.
If the highlights above aren't enough for you, the Gwent Challenger Tournament is available in full on YouTube. It's about ten hours long in total, so you might want to snack up and hit the facilities before you dive in.
