Fortnite’s E3 Celebrity Pro-Am Tournament is over, and the grand prize winner is Ninja, the most popular streamer on Twitch and a Fortnite superstar. Ninja, whose real name is Tyler Blevins, won the third and final round of the tournament with his celebrity partner, the EDM DJ Marshmello.
But before Ninja and Marshmello took home the grand prize, pro gamer NoahJ456 scored the first victory in round one of the game. And he did so with an incredible final play using one of the newest, weirdest, and most undervalued items in Fortnite: the bouncer trap.
In this battle, NoahJ456 had the high ground against pro gamer Kinstaar, who was using the golden minigun—newly improved in a recent update by Epic Games—to destroy NoahJ456’s structure and cut his advantage. In most situations, this would result in some serious fall damage to NoahJ456 as his tower came apart. A jetpack would have negated the damage, but jetpacks were recently removed from Fortnite. A launch pad would have sent him flying, but would have also left him an easy target for Kinstaar.
Instead, NoahJ456 launched off a bouncer trap, negating his fall damage and giving him the element of surprise in taking Kinstaar down with a rocket-and-shotgun combo.
Since its release last week, the bouncer trap has evoked some mixed reactions from players. Some have criticized its awkward mechanics, while many have simply deemed it not useful outside of meme-making. The fact that it was released just after the removal of the overpowered, highly useful jetpack also contributed to its weak welcome.
But in handing NoahJ456 such a stunning public victory, the bouncer trap’s redemption arc has taken clear shape. It may not be as broadly useful as the jetpack or launch pad, but in situations like this—a final circle showdown where ceding the high ground is necessary—the bouncer trap’s true potential may in fact be recognized.