BOV ePremier League Offline Qualifier Recap - Rise...

As we previewed, the BOV ePremier League Offline Qualifier was simply electric. Taking place this past weekend, the Offline Qualifier concluded the first part of the season by cementing the 12 players heading to the Main Competition. With so much information to digest, read on as we recap the exciting event below!

BOV ePremier League Offline Qualifier Recap - Veterans Vanquished

Accordingly, running from the 29th to the 30th January, the atmosphere at the Centenary Stadium in Ta' Qali was palpably tense. Indeed, juxtaposing the nervous hunger of the 15 new faces and the sober confidence of veterans together with the stakes at hand contributed to the insane competition we were about to witness.

All the players knew what was at stake. Specifically, after 4 heats of Online Qualifiers, 24 competitors had earned each of the 32 spots, while 6 players returned from the previous season of the Malta BOV ePremier League placed 3-8th.

Yet, only 11 would prevail to the Main Competition. To do so, players competed in a 6-Round Swiss Format Tournament in a LAN environment - head-to-head and side-by-side.

Without further delay, here are your 11 players heading to the Main Stage, joining Luke Bartolo in representing one of the 12 Malta BOV Premier League Clubs:

#1 - Owen "Owen Galea" Galea
#2 - Salvatore "Shortyy" Assennato
#3 - Kursten "KurstenFIFA" Sciberras
#4 - Gianluca "Turbuleensee" Sant
#5 - Matteo "Vella_999" Vella
#6 - Matthias "Tubbi" Farrugia
#7 - Ryan "Klawka" Cauchi
#8 - Miguel "Migi" Grima
#9 - Glen "GcamBeamz-" Camilleri
#10 - Duane "DuaneMercieca" Mercieca
#11 - Kyle "Barzak" Calleja

BOV ePremier League Offline Qualifier Recap - Who Needs LAN Experience?

Considering the surprising nature of the final standings, let's focus our gaze on players who truly flipped the script.

Starting with the top of the standings, the first 4 managed an impressive 5-1 record after all six rounds of competition - nobody managing to complete the flawless 6-0 run. Accordingly, the three veterans of "Owen Galea", "KurstenFIFA" and "Turbuleensee" reminded everyone as to why they're respected as some of the top talents on the island.

However, the main surprise is definitely Salvatore "Shortyy" Assennato. As one of our Players to Watch for the event, we weren't let down. Boasting no former offline experience, the rookie showed up with a hunger to prove himself. It seems his constant hunger to practice has turned a profit - we can't wait to see him compete in the Main Competition!

All the remaining competitors, 5-11th, managed a 4-2 scoreline. Notably, it's here that we noticed less veterans and more new names. Also, it's quite likely that those players who favoured and were more practiced on the PS4 versions seemed to outperform others - perhaps that's why less veterans made it through than expected?

Apart from the two returning veterans of Ryan "Klawka" Cauchi and Kyle "Barzak" Calleja, we'd like to applaud one of our Players to Watch in Glen "GcamBeamz-" Camilleri for reaching expectations.

Otherwise, the extent of new talent is only a testament to the growing level of competition on a local level. Despite our ideas behind veterans having more LAN experience, the rookies smashed the competition.

We can't wait for the Main Competition to kick off in a month's time!