13 October 2016: The Call of Duty World League affiliated MAG Cup at rAge 2016 sees Energy eSports crowned champions in the country’s biggest console tournament to date. The Energy eSports team of eN_Astra secured the R60,000 cash and over R20,000 in products in the grand final of the MAG Cup after beating rivals Hi5 eSports 3-1.

In a weekend packed with excitement, the action kicked off with the Call of Duty Celebrity Challenge. It was Team Red, led by Ismail “Jakez” Jacobs from eN_Astra and featuring Jack Parow, Jason Goliath and Rohan Janse van Rensburg that secured the two map victory over Team Blue with Insane Gaming’s Kaelin “Tanker” Govender, Pippa Tshabalala, Ruan Ackerman and Deep Fried Man.

While the curtain raiser proved to be an entertaining and jovial affair, the action that followed was what many local Call of Duty fans had been waiting years for, as the final eight teams in the MAG Cup took to the stage for battle.

Over the course of three days and 13 matches – played in front of a live audience at the Ticketpro Dome and streamed to YouTube – it was the eN_Astra team that found themselves in the grand final against Hi5 eSports. In a thrilling match which saw the Hi5 team take an early lead, it was ultimately the tournament’s MVP Ismail “Jakez” Jacobs that led the eN_Astra team to a 3-1 victory to secure the title of ‘Champions of MAG Cup 2016’.

The final placings and prizes for the MAG Cup are as follows:

1st Place: Energy eSports (R60,000 cash + R20,000 ASTRO Gaming gear + R5,000 KontrolFreek hamper + Monster Energy drinks and swag)
2nd Place: Hi5 eSports (R25,000 cash + Monster Energy drinks)
3rd Place: Insane Gaming (R10,000 cash + Monster Energy drinks)
4th Place: Royal eSports (R8,000)
5th/6th Place: P41N Gaming and Stone Age Militia (R5,000 each)
7th/8th Place: Concept Nemesis and Mythic Gaming (R3,500 each)

The weekend was packed with highlights, all covered with entertaining and enthusiastic commentary by the team of casters which included Nick Holden, Cristiano Dos Ramos, Clint Smith and the UK and MLG’s Ben ‘Benson’ Bowe, with the MC for the event, Gareth Woods, ensuring continuity was maintained throughout.

Over the weekend’s action, around 5,000 viewers caught the action live on YouTube, while the around 400-seater space in the venue was generally filled with animated and enthralled spectators. In an interview conducted at the event, Ben ‘Benson’ Bowe said that it was “one of the greatest events I have ever been to,” and went on to commend the local community on their passion and abilities. He ensured that the crowd received his trademark enthusiasm in the conclusion to a thrilling exchange between P4IN Gaming and Royal eSports on day one which set the tone for the weekend.

[miptheme_quote author=”said Vuk Kočan, RSA Gaming Manager Monster Energy” style=”text-center”]The affiliation with Monster Energy and Call of Duty is well renowned globally, and the partnership with the MAG Cup was therefore a no-brainer for us. It is always great to support the local scene, and the MAG cup offered something new which received a lot of criticism initially, however was ultimately a great and exciting success! Congratulations, we are looking forward to working with you in the years to come![/miptheme_quote]

Clint ‘Zombie Dredd’ O’Shea of ACGL said: “The CWL MAG Cup was a chance for the local Call of Duty competitive scene to shine, and all the players, teams, supporters and sponsors ensured that was exactly the case. As tournament operators, it was very humbling to be offered the opportunity to operate the event, and we would like to thank everyone that made it possible, and acknowledge the crew that made sure the event ran as smoothly as it did.”

For photos of the event, head to the ACGL Facebook Page. The videos on demand, as well as additional video content, is available via the ACGL YouTube channel.