This Grandmasters Rage Quit Is Turning Heads
If you've ever played a competitive multiplayer game, then you've probably come across a rage quit or two before. Maybe even you have rage quit at some point. When the game's just not going well, it's easier for some to just leave the match altogether instead of dragging out the suffering, and plenty of gamers have lost their cool during tournaments. Pro "Hearthstone" player xBlyzes did just that this past weekend at the 2021 Grandmasters Europe Final playoffs.
During the playoffs for the Grandmasters Europe Final, xBlyzes went against Frenetic and experienced one of the most unlucky and frustrating scenarios that could have happened for a veteran "Hearthstone" player. Both players took rogue decks into the tiebreaker round, with xBlyzes bringing one that focused on weapons and Frenetic bringing one focusing on minion combos.
From the very start, xBlyzes pulled what the commentators explained was probably the worst possible hand. On the flip side, Frenetic pulled the absolute best cards he could to set up a win. From the start, xBlyzes' tournament was essentially ruined.
xBlyze's luck continued scraping the bottom of the barrel while Frenetic's deck worked out without a hitch. After a few rounds of xBlyzes trying to get his deck to do a 180, nothing was successful. Seemingly realizing there was no possible way to win, the pro player abruptly disconnected from the game.
While it is clear how frustrating the situation for xBlyzes was, a lot of people were upset with his reaction and his subsequent response on Twitter.
The way xBlyzes handled the situation was less than par for a lot of fans
The rage quit from xBlyzes caused people to lash out at the 20 year old French player on Twitter.
One user, @pedroquinhax, said that xBlyzes "had [an] incredible tournament, but what a garbage way to finish it." The "Hearthstone" pro actually responded, defending his actions by saying, "[sorry] to be mad because I lost the most important match of my life."
Twitter user @admiraljohn summed up a lot of fans' feelings on the issue: "It's fine to be mad, it's NOT fine in a tournament at this level to 'flip the table' and storm off. That's selfish and unsportsmanlike and behavior like that is a BIG reason why eSports and video game competitions have the reputation they do."
Even with all of the controversy, many of xBlyzes tried to offer the player some support. One user said to xBlyzes, "your talent and achievements have absolutely been seen by the world, and your fans always got your back." Others shared similar sentiments.
Whether you agree or disagree with xBlyzes' actions, it's clear that the game was extremely stressful for the pro. This isn't the first time "Hearthstone" has seen controversy in its major tournaments — 2019 was a tumultuous year for the game, too.