The inaugural IUSD Clash Royale Tournament was hosted by the High School Youth Action Team Sept. 27 at Heritage Park Community Center.
Sixteen participants from six high schools across Irvine, including four from Northwood, competed in a double-elimination 1v1 bracket. Matches were played best of five, three or one depending on available time. Winners advanced while losers entered the lower bracket, until one finalist remained from each bracket and competed in the championship finale. Senior Daniel Wang from Irvine High School received the first place trophy and a $20 In-N-Out gift card, while second and third place went to Beckman High School seniors Thomas Xiao and David Lee, who received $10 and $5 In-N-Out gift cards, respectively.
“Last year, there was a Brawl Stars Tournament, and kind of inspired by that, we saw that Clash Royale was really popular, so we wanted to have something similar to that,” Northwood High School representative senior Johan Simon said. “[It was rewarding] seeing all the people come together, smiling and laughing about it.”
Northwood, University and Portola HSYAT representatives spent August planning and promoting the event while finalizing the venue and the format. Beaded necklaces were passed from losers to winners throughout, leaving the champion with all sixteen in the end. Matches were projected live with competitors at podiums, drawing crowds who strategized and enjoyed commentary from the representatives.
“I joined this tournament to win for my brother,” sophomore Izaan Mohammad said. “He’s bigger than me, so he’s what got me into this game. We got to get together a lot because it was really competitive. I’d definitely recommend it for people who don’t go out much to come here because it’s fun.”
Due to strong interest from student participants, HSYAT hopes to host another video game tournament this school year.
“At the end of the day, I just hope that [the participants] have a lot of fun,” Simon said. “I started playing Clash Royale when I was in the third or fourth grade, so seeing Clash Royale come back to popularity really means a lot to me. I’m happy to see that these students are still able to get fun out of a game that’s considered pretty old.”
