We’ve covered quite a few of Cranky Ducklings’ tournaments, from AusCraft to their Katowice streams, but their weekly Grand Platypus Open tournaments always seem like another beast entirely. Open only to SEA/OCE regions, the Grand Platypus Open brings around a dozen competitors together every week to compete for their chance at some OSC points, a monetary reward, but most importantly, the crown of Grand Platypus Open Champion.
This week’s was the 21st tournament, and had a peculiar roster. With ten players, we had six Zerg mains and four Protoss mains, with no Terran players whatsoever. It led to quite a few mirror matches and some nail-bitingly tense base trades, as well as a great mixture of aggressive Zerg harass and defensive Protoss poke.
But only one player can become the weekly Grand Platypus Champion, and he did it in style this time. GogojOey has claimed the crown for this week’s Grand Platypus Open, defeating former-champions MeomaikA and Bistork to do so!
Congratulations to 🇭🇰 GogojOey for taking down Bistork 3-0 and winning @CranKyDucklings Grand Platypus Open #21!
You can support #GPO through @Patreon – https://t.co/VIHSIaRc5Y
Liquipedia: https://t.co/2oL5meRFDf pic.twitter.com/E9sD6rrjry
— StarCraft Esports (@StarCraftEsport) March 7, 2020
This week’s roster was filled with some incredible competitors. Demi has returned from his hiatus which he took after winning the first fourteen Grand Platypus Opens consecutively, but has failed to win since his return. This tournament saw him crash out in the Semifinals after a 2-0 series against fellow Zerg main MeomaikA.
Moving to the lower bracket, Demi went against Protoss mains Ranger and Bistork, managing to eek out a win against Ranger before Bistork knocked him out of the tournament altogether.
Likewise, MeomaikA went on to lose against GogojOey right after defeating Demi, being knocked down to the lower bracket final against Bistork. Bistork took the win and found himself up against GogojOey in a rematch for the grand finals, only to lose the series 3-0.
It’s far from surprising to see GogojOey claiming another victory. This is far from his first one, and it seems like we report on his wins more often than not. The Hong Kong Zerg is a force to be reckoned with every week, bringing an incredibly aggressive style of play to bear as he batters down enemies with wave after wave of harass.
All it all, it’s fantastic to see the online tournament scene flourishing, especially given how many issues the COVID-19 virus has been giving the gaming community (to say nothing of the massive issues it’s creating in the world at large). With so many gaming tournaments and events being canceled and postponed, it’s comforting to know that the Grand Platypus Open is will continue on with a new champion every week.
