The Stallions Bush experiment is barely a week old and already has a Grand Finals scar to show for it. The collab between two of the top Challenger orgs — StallionsCOD and tBushGaming — was announced as a midseason swing for EQ4, a #DarkHorse♠️ roster of 5SkiL, Manny7F, Okis and SwootyWRLD looking for reps before the qualifier weekend.
The official rollout of the STUSH lineup pairing two Challenger orgs under one banner.
They wasted no time looking the part. In Round 2 of the FamilyTies x NextUpGlobal 2K Invitational, STUSH waxed Torn Esports 3-0 — Hacienda Hardpoint 250-247, Raid SnD 6-1, Scud Control 5-3. A clean sweep with a competitive HP, exactly the kind of midweek tape you want before an Elite Qualifier.
The Round 2 3-0 sweep over Torn Esports that set up the deeper bracket run.
Then the bracket caught fire — and not in a good way. By the time the Grand Final actually started, the tournament had been delayed to hell, forfeits had reshaped the bracket, and STUSH found themselves in a Bo9 winner-take-all $2K against OMNiA. They drew first blood and took a 1-0 lead, the kind of start that usually settles a tired team in.
The 6 a.m. update with STUSH up 1-0 in the Grand Final after the delays.
It didn't hold. OMNiA flipped the series and closed it 5-2 in the Bo9, ending a 9+ hour grind with only 2 real series actually played for the squad. Brutal way to cash out a midweek tune-up, especially with EQ4 staring them down on Saturday.
The final word on the night — STUSH down 5-2 to OMNiA in the 2K Invitational Grand Final.
The good news for the Bush: Okis dropped a 50-burger in scrims earlier in the week and has reportedly looked the part since returning to Challengers, and the roster still has a possible Stallions Bush vs CABAL matchup waiting in the Winners side of EQ4. The bad news: they just spent a full night learning the hard way that a 1-0 Bo9 lead at 6 a.m. doesn't mean a thing if you can't slam the door.