Cheeseadelphia 8 produced the first major upset of the WCS 2019 pre-season as American prospect Future ran a gauntlet of WCS Circuit veterans including Special, MaSa, and puCK to claim the $3,500 first-place prize. The sixteen-year-old Terran player was not the only one to challenge the NA StarCraft scene's reputation for being oppressively top-heavy, with fan-favorite MCanning eliminating 3-time WCS Circuit champion Neeb in the round of 16.
Future had previously competed in the open bracket for WCS Austin and WCS Montreal during the 2018 season, but had been eliminated in the group stage #2 (RO48) at both tournaments. "I really wasn't expecting much coming into this but I guess I've really improved my LAN performance." said Future in a post-finals interview. "I'm able to think clearly and I'm thinking through everything I'm doing. Hopefully it's good for WCS."
EPT
