diff --git a/content/articles/na-league-2026-r2e4.md b/content/articles/na-league-2026-r2e4.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..5c4201bad --- /dev/null +++ b/content/articles/na-league-2026-r2e4.md @@ -0,0 +1,102 @@ +--- +title: "NA League 2026 Event #4 (Regular Season Week 2) " +date: 2026-04-28 +author: + - name: YELLOW + link: https://sendou.ink/u/great-hero-yellow +--- + +#### *After farming upsets over higher seeds, Content Cat and their Stringer comp earns the adoration of the commentators and viewers alike* + +NAL2026-r2e4 + +On Saturday, April 25, the Splatoon 3 North American League’s second Regular Season event took place. Just fifteen and a half hours after the energetic ending to Global Gauntlet 1, and 24 hours before the LAN Championship Showdown finals, the weekend was back-to-back-to-back competitive Splatoon action\! + +Nine, Mellana, and Magic were clocked in for commentator duty, with Piko on duty as the spectator cam operator. The top teams providing all the action this week included: + +1. Milky Way +2. SCUBA +3. Moonlight +4. NME +5. Duck Motif +6. WE FLOP +7. Content Cat +8. lfn + +Despite some new faces participating, top cut saw quite a few repeats from last week, including matchups and broken records. What went down? + +## **Winner’s Semifinals: Content Cat vs. Moonlight (3–2)** + +On the way to Winner’s Semifinals, the stream showcased NME vs. Duck Motif (1–3), the only non 3–0 set in the quarterfinals. Milky Way vs. Duck Motif was on the other side of the bracket while the stream focused on a repeat of last week’s Winner’s Quarterfinals, Content Cat vs. Moonlight, which Moonlight had won 3–1. + +Like last week, the set included Turf War at Scorch Gorge. Moonlight was the first team with the Danger\! sign in their overhead, and that luck continued into the final minute as they cycled being down two players. Although in the last 30 seconds, SSNolan got a quad, Content Cat respawned quickly, and their higher ink output won them the game, 55.1%–43.8%. + +This game between these teams last week set a new total ink coverage record of 98.0%, and this week, they surpassed that, with a new record of 98.9%\! + +Game two was Rainmaker at Museum d’Alfonsino. Content Cat brought an aggressive double Ultra Stamp and double Fizzy Bomb comp that had Moonlight down three players multiple times in the game. After their first checkpoint, Content Cat ran the Rainmaker to 39; Moonlight couldn’t keep up, even with overtime, and the final score was 75–51—another win for Content Cat. + +Tower Control at MakoMart, one of Moonlight’s safe picks, saw Content Cat clear their first checkpoint early, but after one swing of Omega’s Splat Roller brought them down to their final player, Moonlight quickly picked up steam, taking the lead. In overtime, the last player standing on Content Cat’s team was on the tower, but ultimately didn’t get far before being overwhelmed, ending in a Moonlight victory, 64–52. + +Next was Clam Blitz… at Undertow Spillway? And it brought the tight, tense gameplay the commentators hoped for. After a minute and a half, Content Cat threw a Power Clam to score, but before the basket opened, on the other side of the stage, Moonlight opened the opposing basket just half a second earlier, bringing their score to 68\. + +WSF_undertow + +*As Content Cat is about to score, in the corner, Shadowind can be seen just barely in frame, already throwing the Power Clam at the basket.* + +Both Moonlight and Content Cat scored twice each after the halfway point, and the game went into overtime. Content Cat opened the basket, but was unable to score enough clams to take the lead. With an 86–39 win, Moonlight tied the set, 2–2. + +Game five was Splat Zones at Urchin Underpass. Moonlight took control of the zone first, then both teams lost two players. Content Cat made the most of it and took the lead. Moonlight barely stopped Content Cat at 6, then started to stagger, constantly at a numbers disadvantage. Paired with their low paint output weapon pool, Moonlight was knocked out and sent to the Loser’s Bracket while Content Cat advanced. + +## **Winner’s Finals: Milky Way vs. Content Cat (3–0)** + +While Milky Way and Content Cat proceeded to Winner’s Finals, Duck Motif and Moonlight went to the Loser’s Bracket to face SCUBA and NME. WE FLOP and lfn were eliminated from the tournament. + +Back-to-back Urchin Underpass Splat Zones wasn’t the only shocker, as Milky Way also came in with a Bamboozler 14 Mk II. Milky Way took the zone first; Content Cat persistently applied penalty points on their opponent, but struggled to keep the zone for long themselves. After a few wipeouts over Content Cat, Milky Way had a knockout with a minute remaining. + +WF_SZurchin + +*Content Cat just barely reclaimed the zone from Milky Way, at 2 ticks to knockout, and set up their defenses.* + +Game two was Tower Control at Hagglefish Market. While the game was slow to start, after three minutes, both teams cleared their first checkpoint—Milky Way was in the lead, but after going down three players, Content Cat threatened that lead, coming within five points of pushing ahead. They were forced to retreat, and at the game’s end, were knocked out, losing in a close 60–64. + +Clam Blitz at Shipshape Cargo Co., rapidly becoming a preferred map for this mode, saw both teams being halved before 20 seconds had passed. Content Cat had the right pieces in place to score, but were fended away by a Crab Tank. Despite finding themselves at the player advantage often, they struggled to get points. Milky Way took the final game 53–20, and it was Content Cat’s turn for the Loser’s Bracket. + +## **Loser’s Finals: Content Cat vs. Duck Motif (3–0)** + +Content Cat met Duck Motif, who had won 3–2 over Moonlight in Loser’s Semifinals, for the right to have the redemption shot at Milky Way. + +The set began with Turf War at Scorch Gorge, which Content Cat was well prepared for. After one minute, they had Duck Motif in Danger\! already, and even at the one-minute mark overhead view, the map looked in their favor. Duck Motif lost two players in the last 20 seconds but kept pushing forward; Content Cat’s numbers and fast inking earned them the win, 53.5%–41.9%. + +Game two, Rainmaker at Museum d’Alfonsino, saw Content Cat back with their double Ultra Stamp, double Fizzy Bomp setup. Like last time, Content Cat scored first, and fast, getting to 37 before being wiped out. Duck Motif suffered their own wipeout, but came back to bring the Rainmaker to 39, three points shy of the lead. In the game’s final seconds, Duck Motif was heavily cut down in numbers, and Content Cat won, 63-61. + +LF_RMmuseum + +*Squidrolling, Kai is able to propel the Rainmaker to 39 for Duck Motif, just three points from the lead.* + +Preventing the set from completely repeating Winner’s Semifinals, Tower Control instead went to Inkblot Art Academy. After the halfway point, Content Cat cleared the first checkpoint of the game, taking the lead in the process. Duck Motif showed promise to overtake their opponent, but kept feeding in the last minute, ending in an overtime wipeout for their team. Content Cat advanced to Grand Finals after winning 52–39. + +## **Grand Finals: Milky Way vs. Content Cat (3–0)** + +Content Cat, seeded \#7 out of 8, arrived to Grand Finals after upsetting seeds 2, 3, and 5, now left with the task of getting even one game from seed \#1, a feat only Duck Motif had achieved in today’s top cut. + +Game one was Splat Zones at Robo ROM-en. Content Cat ran into similar problems as before, where they could keep neutralizing the zone, but couldn’t cap it. Unable to slow Milky Way down, the game ended in a fast knockout. + +Game two returned to Tower Control at Hagglefish Market. The teams were in a stalemate for most of the game, with no checkpoints cleared until less than a minute remained; accomplishing this earned Content Cat the lead. Without far to go, Milky Way stole the lead and took Content Cat down to their last player. In overtime, the clock ran out before Content Cat could get to the tower, ending 45–40 for Milky Way. + +GF_TChagglefish + +*It took until the last legs of the match, but with less than one minute remaining, Content Cat passed the first checkpoint of the game.* + +Game three was Clam Blitz at Museum d’Alfonsino, and again, Content Cat kept up the pressure on Milky Way, but couldn’t get far enough to score. Although they were the first to score, halfway in, they only tossed one Power Clam before being wiped out. During Milky Way’s first push, they tied, being set back one point, but in a second wind of scoring, took the lead, which they retained after overtime, winning 62–20. + +This week’s Splatoon 3 North American League top cut stream saw even more of the upper echelon of the scene’s talent than the previous week, but one big question looms before us: who will we see for Event \#5? + +With Global Gauntlet 1 and the LAN Championship Showdown season over, top teams have less competition for their attention. Is FTWin’s debut in the 2026 NA League imminent? + +Be there on Saturday to find out\! + +R2E4_finalbracket + +Original Posting Date: April 28, 2026 at [Splatoon Stronghold](https://www.splatoonstronghold.com/news/na-league-2026-e4-rs2). + +Written and formatted for publication by [YELLOW](https://bsky.app/profile/great-hero-yellow.bsky.social).