Atlanta, Georgia -- An explosive meet between five-man factions representing Team 16bit and Team VSM made for a blockbuster pre-show at Final Round XV!

The much hyped March 3 exhibition brought the eyes of the entire Mortal Kombat community to FRXV, creating a championship atmosphere around the regional rivalry that ended in a shock 5-1 washout [full results]. If you forgot there was still an entire Evo Series tournament to be played Sunday, March 4, you could have been forgiven!

A massive 126 players descended on Hotlanta to compete at the fifteenth annual event, but the rivalry between the two teams would continue to shape the fate of Final Round, prolific in their spread across four pools fighting toward the final eight!

Evo Series points leader, CD Jr, finished off the 10-man match, making for a tantalizing preview of his attempt to win a third straight major on the Road to Evo! Key to the rivalry that started it all was Jr's brother, Crazy Dominican, whose claim to the best Kitana was a war of words waged -- an unresolved dream match just waiting to happen!


Final Round XV Pool B Losers Final:
Osu16bit versus Crazy Dominican

With pools spawning double elimination loser brackets, CD Jr found himself in need of a second chance after an intense clash with Big D in Class A! Big D's Nightwolf claimed a rare 2012 win over the Road to Evo's most dominant player, in one of the many noteworthy encounters. Pig of the Hut took Class B honors after defeating Crazy Dominican with his untouchable Kenshi, setting up the dream rebound match between CD and Osu16bit [featured above, via Medina4life], in the losers bracket!

Pool C saw vVv REO forced into the losers bracket after a back and forth war with KN DetroitBalln313 -- the single winner from the 5v5 whose Shang Tsung added welcome diversity to the mix. The loss forced REO into a close fought match with GGA Dizzy, who only narrowly missed out. Death had a similar path in Class D, fighting back from a harsh loss at the hands of VSM Maxter.

Pool Winners & Losers Finals:
[Pool A] Big D (Nightwolf) d. vVv CD Jr (Smoke) 2-1 2-0 0-2 2-1
[Pool A] vVv CD Jr (Smoke) d. Ikizzle (Sektor) 2-0 2-1 2-0
[Pool B] Pig of the Hut (Kenshi) d. VSM Crazy Dominican (Kitana, Nightwolf) 2-0 2-0 2-0
[Pool B] VSM Crazy Dominican (Kitana) d. Osu16bit (Kitana) 2-1 2-0 1-2 2-0
[Pool C] KN DetroitBalln313 (Shang Tsung) d. vVv REO (Kabal) 2-1 2-0 0-2 2-0
[Pool C] vVv REO (Kabal) d. GGA Dizzy (Cage) 2-0 2-1 2-0
[Pool D] VSM Maxter (Cage) d. Death (Sonya) 2-0 2-0 2-0
[Pool D] Death (Mileena) d. STB Gr8One (Kitana) 2-0 2-0 2-1

Leaving behind the hundred-plus fighters who filled the pools, the Final Round top eight would represent some of the true dangermen looking ahead to Evo Championship 2012!

Negotiating the winners brackets with the biggest stable of character selections in the final stages, Pig of the Hut would be the emerging hometown favourite with a great shot to win! He and Maxter would be responsible for snuffing out two of the winners brackets hot prospects, Big D and DetroitBalln313 unable to rebound as they found themselves stuck between the rock and hard place of CD Jr and REO representing the big vVv!

A destined battle between REO and CD Jr threatened the possibility of another tournament victory for Jr. Their first match was a comfortable affair for Jr's Jax, but the tide began to shift in the second as REO found footing with his Cage's intensity and frame-trapping. A switch to Sonya couldn't deliver CD Jr an out, the 100pt Dominican succumbing to a highly motivated performance by his teammate!

Best of five match-ups added an extra level to the finals as competition went to the fitting final fight place of Khan's Koliseum! Pig of the Hut and Maxter would have a main event match as they took it to a fifth match, the back and forth as psychological as it was skillful. REO and Maxter would engage in a test of nerves, their match completing the REOs return through the losers bracket and delivering him to a big win in a tournament victory.

Winners Bracket Semi Final:
Pig of the Hut (Kenshi, Mileena) d. Big D (Nightwolf) 2-1 1-2 2-1 2-1
VSM Maxter (Cyrax) d. KN DetroitBalln313 (Shang, Kabal) 2-0 2-0 2-1

Top 8 Losers Bracket Rounds 1-3:
vVv CD Jr (Liu Kang, Smoke) d. VSM Crazy Dominican (Kitana) 2-1 2-0 1-2 2-1
vVv REO (Kabal) d. Death (Mileena) 2-1 1-2 2-1 2-0
vVv CD Jr (Smoke) d. KN DetroitBalln313 (Shang, Smoke) 2-0 2-1 2-1
vVv REO (Kabal) d. Big D (Nightwolf, Ermac) 2-0 2-0 2-1
vVv REO (Cage) d. vVv CD Jr (Jax, Sonya) 2-1 0-2 2-0 2-0

Winners & Losers Bracket Final:
Pig of the Hut (Kenshi, Mileena) d. VSM Maxter (Cyrax, Cage) 3-2 0-2 2-1 2-1 1-2 2-0
vVv REO (Kabal) d. VSM Maxter (Stryker, Cyrax) 3-1 2-0 2-0 1-2 2-0

Final Round XV Grand Final:
vVv REO (Kabal) d. Pig of the Hut (Mileena, Cyber Sub) 3-1 Reset 1-2 2-1 2-0 2-0
vVv REO (Kabal) d. Pig of the Hut (Kenshi, Mileena) 3-0 2-1 2-0 2-0

The Road to Evo begins to pick up momentum in March! vVv CD Jr remains the main to beat after three tournaments, but right behind him is big time Final Round winner, vVv REO! A runner-up spot gets Pig of the Hut into the mix, while Death makes it three straight tournaments in the top twelve, proving to be as inevitable as taxes.

1. (101pts) vVv CD Jr. [3 tournaments]
2. (85pts) vVv REO [3 tournaments]
3. (26pts) LB NYChris G [2 tournaments]
4. (25pts) Pig of the Hut [1 tournament]
5. (11pts) VSM Crazy Dominican [2 tournaments]
5. (11pts) VSM Maxter [2 tournaments]
Winners at Evo Series tournaments receive 50pts toward seeding in July, while runners-up receive 25pts, third 10pts, and 4th through 12th get a single 1pt. Mortal Kombat Online is tracking the stats as we walk the Road to Evo. Discussing coming events and more on the forums!