Ørjan “TheViper” Larsen has won the Grand Final of the History Hit Open, securing the top prize in the $5,000 Age of Empires II: DE competition.
The Norwegian player’s defeat of Gan “Yo” Yangfan means he walks away with $1,800 after participating in six rounds of the 1 vs. 1, single-elimination tournament hosted and sponsored by History Hit.
Over 15,000 people concurrently watched the final match of the History Hit Open on 17 October, while total views across the official History Hit Twitch channel and other channels numbered tens of thousands.
The History Hit Open Grand Final, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Image Credit: Xbox Game Studios
“I feel good”
TheViper told the HistoryHitTV Twitch channel that, “I feel good. I feel like I played well so I’m happy with how things played out.”
TheViper defeated Mr_Yo 4-1 in a best of seven set in the Grand Final of the History Hit Open, after beating Villese in the Semifinals, ACCM in the Quarterfinals, and SayMyName, Vivi and Imperio in earlier stages of the competition which began on 27 September.
Despite stalling TheViper’s winning streak in the Grand Final series by winning the third match on the Cenotes map, Mr_Yo was unable to prevent TheViper’s victory in the next two matches.
The History Hit Open Grand Final, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Image Credit: Xbox Game Studios
“I’m still where I’m supposed to be”
TheViper won the deciding match on the History Hit version of Cross, storming all angles of Mr_Yo’s economy with a roaming force of knights to which Yo lacked a counter. A disadvantaged map generation for Mr_Yo and an accidental dock deletion also slighted his chances.
TheViper has won more tournaments than any other Age of Empires II player. His win in the History Hit Open follows a successful recent run in many of the Age of Empires II scene’s largest tournaments. Despite a wrist injury, he said “I feel like I’m still where I’m supposed to be.”
He thanked History Hit for hosting the tournament in Age of Empires, noting that “it makes sense. They are [both] about history, so those two can combine well.”
In second place, Yo’s winnings totalled $1,200 in the tournament, while Ville “Villese” Jämsä secured the third place in the History Hit Open after defeating Dogao 2-0 in a best of three.
After a tense match on Cenotes between Villese and Dogao, the Finnish player was able to capture the third place prize of $700, while Brazilian Guilherme “dogao” Pippi secured $500 in fourth place.
The History Hit Open is a $5,000 Age of Empires II tournament played between 64 players, hosted and sponsored by History Hit. It is History Hit’s first ever Age of Empires tournament. The tournament was administered by FlyLikeDjango and cast by NovaAoE. Follow History Hit’s Twitch and YouTube channels, and continue to read History Hit Gaming.
