Dubasik is the second MK11 Open Series Weekly Invitational Champion for Europe. The Russian pro came back from the losers side to 6-0 Nivek in Grand Finals.

This week featured 8 players known for their competitive prowess online. Whiffed Fatal Blows in neutral ruined rounds and character counterpicks like dubasik’s Jade made all of the difference. Let's get into it!

EU Bracket

Top 4 

Winners Quarters: Squadkiller_007 (Kabal, Johnny Cage) vs. DatProStunner_ (Baraka) 1-3

Stunner is one of the best Barakas in Europe. His consistent results and good decision making are a result of his loyalty to the Marauder variation since day 1. Stunner took a bite out of the competition with a convincing 3-1 victory over Squadkiller.

The Kabal main from the Netherlands took a quick game one, outsmarting Stunner in a tense last hit situation with a Fatal Blow read. Kabal’s Clean Cut variation is uncommon, but Stunner quickly adapting. He slowed down the pace with patient well-spaced approaches just outside of Kabal’s range to get on the board.

Squadkiller went Johnny Cage in an attempt to thwart Stunner’s momentum and saw little success. Stunner used his entire toolkit to dominate the footsies and whiff punish Cage to take game 3.

Kabal returned to the ring game 4 with a double Krushing Blow.

Squadkiller risked his fatal blow to bring the game to a last hit situation. He couldn't end it and gave Stunner a huge advantage. Stunner whiff punished Squadkiller in the final round and progressed to the semifinals with a kounter poke.

Winners Quarters: dubasik (Sindel) vs Roolaah (Shang Tsung) 3-1

Mustard predicted Dubasik would at the very least face Nivek in Winners Finals. The Russian Sindel scream canceled on the ground and in the air to shatter Roolaah’s Soul Eater Shang Tsung game 1.

Roolaah picked up the pieces to win the first round of the second game. Both players were near death in the following round, however, it wasn’t over until the fat lady, or should we say, Sindel, sang. Dubasik walking screamed to chip away the rest of Roolaah’s health. The final round featured an amplified scream Krushing Blow to more cancels and strings in the corner. Dubasik conditioned Roolaah with a lot of cartwheels, before going for grabs to win game 2.

Roolaah caught dubasik off guard with the amplified double fireball mixup to take round 1. His wake up Fatal Blow wasn’t punished in the next round, giving him the chance to capitalize and take his first game of the tournament.

Roolaah lived and died by the reptile slide. He fished for the final hit with a raw slide, but was punished and lost the round. His impatience throughout the set led to his demise. Dubasik’s scream pressure and rapid cartwheels kept Roolaah cornered in disadvantage. The Sindel main surged into the semifinals 3-1.

Winners Quarters: grinchCudi (Jacqui Briggs) Vs. Nivek_Gentleman (Jacqui Briggs) 0-3

Ketchup and Mustard eagerly anticipated Nivek’s Fujiin and were instead greeted with a Jacqui Briggs Upgraded variation mirror match. Nivek traded to win game 1, knowing he would deal enough damage and survive the exchange.

Game 2 started with a back and forth battle for the life lead. Nivek initiated a combo, only for grinch to block and do something similar. The pattern repeated and Nivek narrowly won the first round. Grinch was in control of round 2, although he couldn’t clutch it out. He flubbed finishers like a wake up Fatal Blow, leaving Nivek with a sliver of health and the game.

Grinch continued to come close to snagging rounds up until the final moments and even took game 3 to the last round, but Nivek hardly dropped any combos and was one step ahead even when behind. Grinch’s conversions and reads led to less damage, ultimately guiding him into the losers bracket.

Winners Semifinals: MK_AWP (Sonya) Vs. dubasik (Sindel) 2-3

Ring Master Sonya started off the match playing keep away, while Sindel struggled to close the gap. AWP ducked a projectile and transitiones from defense to offense for a Krushing Blow combo that depleted most of dubasik’s health. AWP took the round with a few projectile strings.

Dubasik shouted back using screams to Krushing Blow and win round 2. AWP survived Dubasik’s onslaught with 1% health and got the hard read to go Fatal Blow for Fatal Blow and win the first game.

AWP attempted to power through game 2 with extra Energy Rings, but dubasik flawless blocked nearly every single one. The Sindel main cartwheeled Sonya out of commission both rounds for a swift game 2 victory. Dubasik utilized Loud and Klear’s unique moves like Sindel’s jump in air conversion for another one-sided win.

The fourth game was all about versatility for the underdog. AWP dropped his defensive approach for more aggressive options, stopping Sindel’s streak in round 1. Round 2 was back to zoning and his patience paid off. Dubasik couldn’t find an opening and went down 2-0 to even the playing field.

The Royal Edenian counterpick constantly traded with Energy Rings in the final game. AWP narrowly took the first round after almost squandering his Fatal Blow and dubasik returned the favor with a deceptively far Fatal Blow to force the third. The full-screen projectile war raged on as both players traded exchange after exchange until dubasik landed a Low Star Screamer to seal the set.

Winners Semifinals: DatProStunner_ (Baraka) Vs. Nivek_Gentleman (Jacqui Briggs) 1-3

Mustard said this is a common matchup you’d see online in Europe because Nivek is the best fighting game player in Greece across multiple titles. Stunner has the experience to play around Upgraded’s kit despite Baraka lacking a powerful anti-air to kounter her aerial approaches.

Game 1 started more methodically than the previous sets. Both players waited to go in round 1 to the point where Nivek won due to a timeout. It was close, but Jacqui got far more damage out of her few combos.

Time was on Baraka’s side in the next round. Nivek immediately approached, although Stunner was ready with well-timed blocks and grabs. The second time out went to Baraka. Patience was also the name of the game in round 3. Neither player wanted to commit to anything risky until the time almost expired. Stunner landed a Krushing Blow and read Nevik’s aerial with a jump kick to take the game.

The slow pace continued in game 2. Nivek used Jacqui’s projectile like movements to charge in and out of combos, giving Stunner little room to capitalize on Baraka’s strong grab game. Another time out in round 2 evened the score 1-1. Stunner was so close to stealing the life lead and needed just one or two more seconds to squeeze past Nivek.

Momentum swung back and forth between players in the next round. Throw after throw ate away at Nivek’s health, only for Stunner to eat a knuckle sandwich in a last hit situation. Stunner answered Nivek’s 37% combo with consecutive reads and an extended corner combo for the win.

Baraka and Jacqui danced in and out of the corner in game 3. Nivek spent his defensive meter to roll away with ten seconds left. The window was big enough to gain the life lead but too small for Stunner to complete a long combo and come back.

Nivek’s cat and mouse strategy paid off in the fourth game. He took an early lead at a much faster tempo than the rest of the match, then slowed down the pace with defensive tactics. He even took advantage of Baraka’s slow grabs to time out the round. The same situation played out in round 2, except Stunner won when the clock struck zero.

These players demonstrated some of the most patient play Mortal Kombat 11 has ever seen. Hardly any damage was dealt roughly halfway through the final round of game 4. Nivek blew it open with Jacqui bread and butters before timing out Stunner to win the set 3-1. There were more time outs this set than possibly every other match throughout Mortal Kombat 11’s lifespan.

Losers Quarters: MK_AWP (Sonya) Vs. grinchCudi (Jacqui Briggs) 3-1

AWP versus grinch felt blazing fast after the previous set. Both players were almost always attacking at close range. AWP took the first round with a Fatal Blow, while grinch’s relentless pressure and unanswered combos dominated the second.

The Sonya main was unfazed. He tried to create some space in the rubber round, but grinch blocked and powered through Energy Ring after Energy Ring to close the distance. However, Sonya is no slouch at any range. AWP kountered grinch’s aerial to switch sides. He then triggered the face plant Krushing Blow in the corner to crush grinch’s hopes of taking game 1.

Both players literally took turns at the start of game 2, whittling down each other’s health at roughly the same rate. AWP whiffed a side switch Fatal Blow read, opening the door for grinch to confidently approach and get the grab mixup to end the round.

Anti-airs tended to reset the neutral because AWP and grinch hardly converted them into combos. AWP conditioned grinch to expect one Energy Ring between strings, allowing him to follow up with the amplified second projectile for the Krushing Blow. AWP forced another round 3 and landed the same Energy Ring conversion, except he couldn’t deal the necessary damage to comeback without the Krushing Blow. Grinch tied the set 1-1.

AWP wasn’t consistently connecting combos, but he constantly landed the amplified Energy Ring mixup to take the lead in game 3. Grab techs, traded blows, and anti-airs gave AWP the opportunity to chip away grinch’s health with projectiles and win the first round. AWP’s combo game came alive round 2 when he knocked out grinch while hardly taking any damage.

Grinch primarily lost the previous games due to a lack of strong neutral play. Game 4 grinch learned from his mistakes and had no trouble getting through neutral to dominate round 1. He excelled in the advantage state, more so than AWP during this set, and was about to take the game when AWP landed the Fatal Blow and used the interactive stage element to come back from a massive deficit.

Sonya clutched the final round with her kounter hit Krushing Blow and jump in combo to advance to Losers Semis 3-1.

Losers Quarters: DatProStunner_ Vs. Roolah 3-1

This match was unfortunately cut from the stream due to time constraints.

Winners Finals: Dubasik (Sindel, Jade) Vs. Nivek_Gentleman (Fujin, Jacqui Briggs) 2-3

This execution heavy matchup marked the first appearance of an Aftermath character in the Open Series Weekly Invitational. Banshees and bows filled the screen at the start of the match. Nivek often kept his distance, while dubasik crouched and cartwheeled toward the Wind god. The fight blew in Fujin’s favor with a Krushing Blow launcher into the tornado. He ended the string with a Fatal Blow and went on to take the round with an amplified overhead mixup.

Nivek flew all over the place round 2, nearly winning with hardly a scratch. Dubasik had only 1%, but no intention of giving up. He nailed a few consecutive combos, like Krushing Blow spear into cartwheel then Fatal Blow, to comeback. Nivek shook off the defeat and crossed up dubasik into the corner for a fast round 3 victory.

The Jade counterpick immediately paid off. Dubasik took the first round of game 2 uncontested in about 30 seconds. Nivek put up more of a fight in the next round, but dubasik never ended his turn and chased Nivek across the entire screen after going on the offensive.

Counterpicks continued game 3 with Nivek’s Jacqui taking the first round. The second was rougher for the Greek pro. He tried to whiff punish the pole vault only to move into it and lose.

Winning the final round meant more than just the set lead. It determined the counterpick advantage. Both players patiently stood at the edges of the screen tossing projectiles and playing footsies to bait the other into disadvantage. Jade held a strong health lead, forcing Nivek to play perfectly. Meanwhile, dubasik smartly played safe to win the game.

Nivek’s more defensive style and better spacing netted him a tense victory to kick off game 4.

The next round was all about Jade’s juggles. Dubasik pinned Nivek in the corner, then converted two pole vaults into Jade’s amplified kick to surprise Jacqui and take round 2. Nivek continuously charged into dubasik and piled on pressure to capitalize in the corner and go to game 5.

Sindel returned to the stage and trapped Nivek in the corner for most of the round, finishing him off with an anti-air Banshee. Dubasik continued to zone in the second round until Nivek crossed him up into the corner. The Russian pro couldn’t break Nivek’s blocks, so the set came down to round 3. Nivek carried his momentum and narrowly advanced to the Grand Finals with a meaty low.

Losers Semifinals: DatProStunner_ (Baraka) Vs. MK_AWP (Kitana, Sonya) 2-3

Stunner stepped into a more aggro matchup compared to his long last set against Nivek. Kitana’s constant chip damage took out Baraka round 1. AWP kept Stunner in block most of the game, thwarting options and advances with a steady stream of fans. One anti-aired Baraka, knocking him down and out of the first game.

Game 2 demonstrated both character’s strengths in the matchup. Stay apart and Kitana takes the lead, but keep close and Baraka gains the advantage. The final round was dead even until Stunner anti-aired AWP with a launcher to go on the offensive. After grabs, juggles, and a Krushing Blow, the only place for Kitana to go was game 3.

The next round was more of the same until AWP went for a low kick into Fatal Blow mixup, leaving Stunner with 1% health, which was all Stunner needed. He fearlessly moved forward, crouched two fans, and whiff punished a third with the Fatal Blow to end the round.

What looked like a demoralizing defeat was merely a speed bump for AWP. He handily took the next round with a razor-sharp strategy focusing on constant chip damage. Maybe staying close wasn’t the best long term tactic because Stunner made mincemeat out of AWP in the final round.

Sonya reported for duty game 4. AWP’s main couldn’t wall out Baraka in the first round, but it didn’t matter in the second since Sonya’s mix of punches and kicks in the corner left Baraka entirely on the defensive. AWP was nearly flawless round 3. He looked like an entirely different player going for unusual, albeit effective, options like dropping the drone.

The AWP show continued at the start of their last game with Stunner unable to consistently find opportunities to start combos. Patience and flawless blocks empowered Stunner to get the Krushing Blow kounter kick. Chop chop in the corner and Sonya’s round was torn to shreds.

Baraka bit off more than he could chew in the final round after failing to whiff punish Sonya’s neutral jump kick. AWP connected a risky Fatal Blow to take the set 3-2.

Losers Finals: dubasik (Sindel, Jade) Vs. MK_AWP (Sonya) 3-2

This was AWP’s chance for revenge. Dubasik started with Royal Edenian this set to immediately capitalize on the Low Star Screamer’s ability to simultaneously dodge Energy Rings and counter-attack. The queen’s defense was nearly impenetrable, steadily picking apart Sonya with fading screams and techs. Things really got hairy for AWP when dubasik got the grab and set up a guaranteed win situation using orbs and Star Screamers. Sindel continued to land projectile after projectile and clinch game 1 with ease thanks to knowledge from their prior set.

Dubasik zoned out AWP most of game 2, which is uncommon against Sonya since she usually controls the screen with her Energy Rings. Dubasik got the aerial barrage mixup to knockdown AWP, but he came right back with a Fatal Blow combo to bring the round to a last hit situation. Sonya fired an Energy Ring, while Sindel timed the Star Screamer to kounter just as Sonya was about to end it with a charged ring. Dubasik finished AWP and the round with a grab.

Sonya struck back the next two rounds making every Energy Ring count. Dubasik, who usually flawless blocks almost every projectile, ate a buffet of rings and a few short hop kicks to lose game 2. If dubasik wasn’t firing Low Star Screamers in the third game, he was cartwheeling to combo AWP. AWP cornered him, but failed to commit to any of his stronger options, allowing Sindel to steal the round. Screams and rings constantly traded until both players were in Fatal Blow percent. Sindel whiffed the Fatal Blow in neutral, essentially handing Sonya a free round.

The Russian pro could afford to make such a risky mistake due to his lead. Every mistake meant more now that the count was even. Fortunately, he only made one more mistake, however, it was big enough that AWP came back to win despite dubasik’s commanding lead.

Sindel stepped out for Jade in game 4. Jade’s ability to evade Energy Rings mitigated one of the hardest parts of the matchup. Dubasik conditioned AWP to expect mostly high attacks, leading to consistent combos and advances with lows. The counterpick led to a swift victory.

Another game 5 set and another victory for dubasik. AWP had no answer to Jade’s immense pressure and pole vault. Dubasik positioned himself just outside Sonya’s range before dashing into a throw and finishing with an amplified kick to earn a spot in Grand Finals.

Grand Finals: dubasik (Jade) Vs. Nivek_Gentleman (Jacqui, Kotal Kahn, Spawn) 6-0

The stream poll was split 50-50 over who would win, but the runback was far more one-sided. Dubasik’s Jade didn’t drop a single round to AWP, so it’s no surprise he stuck with her. Nivek ended dubasik’s streak in the second round, although he couldn't stop dubasik’s flawless victory.

Dubasik capitalized on advantageous positioning to set up and escape combos, while Nivek was consistently baited into unsafe options. His Jade continued to clutch games in situations where most players would choke under pressure. He also wasn’t surprised by Nivek’s sudden Kotal Kahn pick and played patiently around Kahn’s setups to reset the bracket.

Nivek had faith in his Kotal and even took a round with a strictly defensive strategy. Dubasik was forced to approach, although it wasn’t a problem. Jade almost achieved another flawless finish because there’s only so much Kotal can do when he’s stuck in block all game.

All faith in Kotal was lost when Nivek switched back to Spawn skin Jacqui in game 2. Despite the return of his main, Nivek could neither replicate his success from their first set nor match Dubasik’s immaculate spacing and decision making. Two more rounds went to Jade and made it hard to believe these players were blow for blow earlier in the bracket.

Nivek shed Jacqui’s Spawn skin for the real thing in game 3. Pole vaults and purple glows put dubasik on top of Nivek for the grab and the round. Dubasik had 1% health left and only needed one final push with his Fatal Blow to take home the title of Mortal Kombat 11 Open Series Weekly Invitational Champion.

Damastir was unfortunately disqualified and unable to compete.

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