RIYADH: Reynor “The Italian Stallion” galloped to StarCraft II victory on Sunday night at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes and declared his comeback triumph in the final as “the biggest win of my career.”
Down 1-0 to South Korean gamer Cure in the second match of the best-of-seven final at Boulevard Riyadh City, Reynor held firm then went on to produce a devastating display to claim silverware.
His performance in the debut StarCraft II tournament at Gamers8, organized by the Saudi Esports Federation, saw Reynor earn the $150,000 lion’s share of the $500,000 prize pool.
Reynor’s win was all the more significant considering the 21-year-old was the youngest of the 16 competitors in the epic four-day tournament, which featured eight qualifiers from South Korea and eight from the rest of the world. All qualified from this year’s Gamers Without Borders, the world’s largest charitable esports event, which is also organized by the Saudi Esports Federation.
Reynor said of his Gamers8 success: “It’s the biggest win of my career. It feels amazing. I won the World Championship during COVID, but it was online and it’s not as impactful if you’re at home compared to the stage. This is the biggest win of my career.”
On going behind in the final, Reynor said: “Usually I lose game one, so I’m no stranger to it. I think if I lose the first game, I become more clutch.” The Basilisk player, who is sponsored by Red Bull, praised Gamers8 as “amazing,” adding that “StarCraft needs this.”
Reynor added: “The tournament was very well organized; we had no issues at all. It’s a massive tournament and amazing for the StarCraft scene. Every player that I talked with loved the tournament. It was really amazing. Everything was really smooth, and we’ve been treated so well. The venue is amazing, and the stage is one of the best stages I’ve ever played at. I just loved it.”
In the first semifinal, Reynor defeated French national Clem 3-0. The second, an all-Korean affair, saw Cure get the better of Solar 3-1.
StarCraft gaming for the Italian — who revealed he trained eight hours a day for six weeks prior to Gamers8 starting — runs in the blood. His father is also a player of the popular strategy and skill game.
Reynor said: “I’m sure he’s over the moon. He’s a big StarCraft fan, we actually started playing together and I grew up with this game. It’s kind of my life right now. More than half my life I’ve been playing this game and I’ve shared every tournament with my parents and my family. I know he’s very proud of me. I’m very excited to go back home and see his expression and what he says. My mom is a big fan too — she always cries when I win.”
