Many of those tuning into the PCS2 NA Grand Final is familiar with the player we’re focusing on this week. He is currently calling the shots for one of North America’s strongest teams and has resided, alongside his team Shoot To Kill, at the top of North American PUBG Esports for the past year. Kurtis “PurdyKurty” Bond is a veteran of the game with experience competing against the very best, stateside and internationally.
Having played three phases in the National PUBG League, placing runner-up at the FACEIT Global Summit, and putting on a strong showing at the 2019 PUBG Global Championship, PurdyKurty could very easily be the poster boy for North American PUBG Esports.https://www.youtube.com/embed/fr5AYJ4wzgs
I would be lying if I said that the journey to the PCS2 NA Grand Final has been a difficult one for PurdyKurty and Shoot To Kill. The team breezed through the Group Stage and entered the Grand Final as the clear front runner for another PCS event. Despite the expectations and pedigree proceeding them, STK hasn’t had the Grand Final they envisioned.
While they’re still reasonably within reach of securing back-to-back PCS NA Championships, Purdy and the boys have their work cut out for them going into the third and final week of PCS2 NA Grand Final on Thursday.
However, notwithstanding the team’s Week 1 setback, a sense of optimism surrounds this team – and it originates from a proven place. In May, Purdy led his team to a second-place finish in the Charity Showdown. The team was within reach of the top position but couldn’t quite keep pace with a four-match win streak from Oath Gaming to close out the event. Following that second-place finish, Shoot To Kill entered the first PUBG Continental Series and quickly made an impression with their Group Stage performance during Week 1.
In the long run, the tale of PCS1 NA wouldn’t mention the opening week, or any of the Group Stage, because it was the final day of the Grand Final that stole the show as STK pulled off one of the most impressive comeback matches in PUBG Esports history.
The team overcame an eight-point deficit entering the final match that ultimately resulted in a tiebreaker. The final match instantly became one of the wildest and entertaining finales we’ve witnessed in 2020, and PurdyKurty played a major role in the team’s success. Leading the entirety of the PCS1 NA Grand Final with 37 Kills and placing third overall in damage dealt, PurdyKurdy showed that an IGL can make important decisions while collecting kills. Shoot To Kill certainly prevailed in the PCS1 NA Grand Final as a team, but there is no denying that PurdyKurty played a pivotal part in the team’s success. Coming into the third and final week of the PCS2 NA Grand Final, PurdyKurdy will need to dip back into his bag of late-game heroics to help Shoot To Kill repeat as PCS NA Champions.