That’s a wrap! The second $75,000 tournament for the Women of the eRena (WOTE) Featuring Fortnite took place on August 6 and 7. These teams of Trios were tasked to conquer the competition in both Fortnite Zero Build and Battle Royale, resulting in teams constantly evolving their strategies and thrilling gameplay.
We spoke with the winning team of the second WOTE tournament – Maddynf, Melanitra, and Sparkles_qt – about how they conquered the eRena, how they met each other and became Fortnite teammates, and more:
First off, congratulations on winning the WOTE Featuring Fortnite tournament! Can you walk us through what was going on in your head in those last, winning moments?
Melanitra: Thank you! Honestly, I was in total shock — it was pretty nerve-racking. We were fighting for first place and ended up winning by a few points. I honestly couldn’t believe we ended up winning since we had little time to practice, but the vibes were up and we ended up doing amazing.
Sparkles_qt: We played pretty well in the Zero Build portion of the tournament, which put us ahead by a lot. In the final game, which had building, it was stressful because we placed 19th (no placement points) and only had two eliminations. So based on scoring, that was only a two-point game. On top of that, the team in second was so close in points, so we were nervous that we would get passed by them. But after those anxious moments, we received the news we won by two! So those two eliminations actually meant a lot, and I’m extremely proud of my team!
Now, let’s take a step back: how did you go about meeting your WOTE Featuring Fortnite team?
Maddynf: Sparkles_qt has been a good friend of mine for a while. We met through Twitch and have been friends ever since... With only a couple of days from the tournament, we were searching for a third teammate and discovered Melanitra who is an incredible player. She fit in perfectly with the team. On the first day of practicing, we won our first scrim game which I believe gave the three of us a massive confidence boost despite putting our team together at the last minute.
Melanitra: Can you believe we had only met two days prior to the actual day of the tourney? I was scrolling through Twitter and saw that I was tagged in Sparkles_qt and Maddynf’s post about looking for a third player for that Saturday evening. I tried for weeks to get leaders to notice me, but since no one really knew me, they never answered or they had already found someone. But that Thursday night, I got a message from Sparkles_qt asking if I was down to play with them that Saturday. So we were a last-minute Trio, but I couldn’t have asked for better teammates. I thank them for giving me an opportunity to show my skills and would also like to thank them for putting their trust in me and letting me in-game lead (IGL) them in endgames.
What did preparation look like for you and your team leading up to the tournament?
Sparkles_qt: Maddynf and I practiced Zero Build customs, but other than that not much preparation! We found Melanitra two days before the event and kind of just went for it – but it worked out so well!
Maddynf: We focused very heavily on Zero Build scrims since that is a brand new mode. Both Battle Royale and Zero Build play out differently, so it forces players to adapt by learning new rotations, strategies, and playstyles. Considering this would be my first time IGLing in a tournament, I also worked hard on my own time to review VODs, study, and learn. My friends Tahrif and Opt helped a lot with VOD reviewing by breaking down our scrim games, pointing out our flaws, and suggesting how to improve.
Do you have any tips for players who are just starting to play Fortnite at a competitive level or anyone who is looking to create Fortnite content?
Maddynf: Fortnite has been out for around five years now and the skill ceiling is continuously rising, but I believe if you’re passionate about the game, it’s still possible to break into the competitive scene or have success with creating content. My best advice would be to find your niche and stick with it!
Melanitra: I would say that persistence is key. If you want to get better at the game, you have to keep trying and trying. I used to get stressed when I couldn’t do something, but as time went on, I ended up being faster and more precise with my builds, edits, and shots. On the other hand, for creating Fortnite content, I would recommend to just keep going – at least that’s what I do. I usually don’t have many viewers, but I keep streaming even when there are only a few people watching. With time, more and more people will end up joining your stream and little by little your community will grow as well.
Now that the tournament is over, what’s next for you?
Melanitra: I honestly hope that I get more opportunities like this to show off all my hard work and determination. I will continue to work hard on Fortnite so that one day I can end up in the big leagues with many other amazing people.
Maddynf: I’ve really been enjoying Zero Build comp. Although my main focus has been content creation for the majority of my career, moving forward I want to continue learning and improving in Fortnite Zero Build. I worked really hard to expand my knowledge on Zero Build before the tournament, and seeing that work pay off was such a rewarding feeling.
Sparkles_qt: The next thing for me is I am going to keep streaming and trying to improve at Fortnite! I’m also going to partake in more Zero Build tourneys and customs games when they’re hosted! And hopefully, if WOTE has another tourney, my team will be ready to play again and defend our crown!
