‘SMITE’ World Championship Quarterfinals

Welcome back to Breitbart Tech’s coverage of the SMITE World Championship.

The quarterfinals gave both fans and competitors their first taste of European sensation Paradigm. Alongside the nationally beloved Cloud9, they were automatically placed in the quarterfinals based on their wins in respective Super Regional competitions. Meanwhile, the winners of SWC 2016’s placement rounds were already riding their own newfound glory into the day’s matches.

PARADIGM VS OMG.B (W: PARADIGM)

OMG.B’s first and last bout in the quarterfinals set them against Paradigm. As expected, Paradigm taught the Chinese team a brutal lesson on the world stage. Despite OMG.B’s best efforts, their presence in the quarterfinals lasted no longer than their all too brief time with Europe’s finest.

ENEMY VS PAIN (W: ENEMY)

Spectators are finding themselves drawn to the North American team that shut down Avant Garde and Fnatic in the placement rounds. They compete like men possessed, aggressive and cunning in equal measure. They are very aware of their prowess, as well. Many consider them villainous for their utter lack of humility, and enthusiasm for getting under their opponents’ skin. In their first quarterfinals bout, they delivered on every promise. Guided by Captain PainDeViande — who, much to the chagrin of many fans, completely reconstructed the team mid-season — Enemy butchered Brazil’s paiN gaming. A stunned audience looked on as SWC’s dark horse rode away victorious.

CLOUD9 VS QG (W: CLOUD9)

Like their regional counterparts, the Qiao Gu Reapers eeked their way into the quarterfinals for the first time on Thursday. The next round of competition for China’s second seed set them against the defending world champions Cloud9. While the Reapers showed improvement over last year, they simply couldn’t match the laser precision of the 2015 champions. With this loss, China has lost their last chance for international glory in 2016.

EPSILON VS FNATIC (W: EPSILON)

Epsilon kicked off SWC 2016 with a momentous victory over first-eliminated Isurus, and solidified their position with the defeat of Brazil’s paiN gaming. Today they faced one of the most popular faces of e-sports in Fnatic, and once again they legitimized their presence on the world stage. By the end of the day, thousands who had once been sure of the charismatic Fnatic’s success were instead shaking the arena with adoration for Epsilon’s ice-cold execution.

Editor’s note: Hi-Rez Studios paid for travel and lodging accommodations in attending the SMITE World Championship 2016.

Follow Nate Church @Get2Church on Twitter for the latest news in gaming and technology, and snarky opinions on both.