The World Championship Qualifier determined which teams will compete in the Guild Wars 2 World Championship on September 17. Read on to see commentator Joe “Storm” Nowasell’s highlights from the event!

#5—

Ez Pz Lemon Squeezy and Never Lucky had two thrilling games, but game three panned out for Never Lucky. Tarcis of Ez Pz made quite an incredible play—one of the best all weekend—as he found himself in a 1v1 situation with less than 100 health, trying to battle his way back into the fight.

#4—

The Civilized Gentlemen (TCG, now known as Denial eSports) and Rank Fifty Five Dragons were down to the wire in game one, with TCG holding a lead and making a push for the lord. With Zan’s massive resurrection power, Rank Fifty Five was consistently able to get their lord out of the downed state. This created a sticky situation for TCG, who needed to come out on top in the fight at the lord—or lose the game after devoting all of their resources to the cause.

#3—

Team PZ, the massive favorite for the series, was already down 1–0, with their hopes for better seeding on the line in game two. Although Never Lucky was down a significant amount, they put many resources toward grabbing the tranquility effect. If captured, this would give them a needed boost of momentum to take the lead as Team PZ began a dangerous cycle of funneling players down to the effect.

#2—

Another base race seemed to be the case for the Civilized Gentlemen (TCG). They were forced to defend against Orange Logo, who were down a significant amount but could win if they grabbed the kill. They had the advantage in time; TCG were slow to react and make their own push for the lord, but they sneaked Denshee back to defend. His immense healing power on elementalist gave his team a 1–0 lead by buying them some time on the other end.

#1—

With one point left to go to give Rank Fifty Five Dragons the 2–0 sweep, Vermillion grabbed a decap at the last second to give them some hope of pulling a classic “Vermillion Comeback” on Temple of the Silent Storm. We’ve seen it before, and they were hoping to prove they could do it again as they fought for the tranquility effect and managed to find a three-cap without needing it. Rank Fifty Five had over two hundred points of breathing room, but with staggered respawns and three nodes to the opposition, things were looking rough for them in the final minutes.

Don’t miss the World Championship on September 17, beginning at 10:00 AM Pacific Time (UTC-7). You can watch the event—and catch a preview of the upcoming Eternal Coliseum PvP map—live on the official Guild Wars 2 Twitch channel.