Fortnite Pro-Am: Top players & meta strategies

Fortnite’s next esports tournament is almost here, and we’re bringing you a guide to the teams you should keep an eye on during the event. Content creators and FNCS athletes are in the competitor lineup, so quite a few players could shake up the competition.

As the Pro-Am is played in the Reload mode, the weapon pool will be limited compared to tournaments played in Battle Royale. This is what you should know before the Pro-Am begins on May 10.

The Pro-Am is an exciting LAN tournament that brings together famous Fortnite content creators and top esports athletes to battle it out in Reload mode. The 2025 iteration is taking place at the University of Southern California’s Galen Center in Los Angeles on May 10.

There are 20 teams on the roster, though some are more prominent than others. A total of 20 creators will pair up with 20 of the best players in FNCS history, so you’ll see a mix of play styles that differ from typical Fortnite competitions. The prize pool consists of $500,000, $50,000 of which will be awarded to the first-place team.

Reload is a fast-paced mode with a smaller map and the ability to respawn as long as your partner is still alive. Since the Pro-Am will take place in Reload, you shouldn’t expect to see Star Wars weapons, as the loot pool will primarily consist of standard guns like the assault rifle and pump shotgun.

Competitors can respawn for as long as their duo partner is standing, offering a chance to recover from challenging fights. The Pro-Am will be unpredictable due to its game mode, but at the very least, we know that often overpowered crossover items likely won’t be in the mix, like the Star Wars lightsabers.

There are three teams that Esports Insider will be tracking closely during the Pro-Am. Every competitor in the competition is well-known and talented in their own right, but these are a few of the best teams based on their past performance, along with a full list of competing duos.

Mongraal is a renowned Fortnite player who earned notoriety for his skills as a young teenager. Ali-A is a British YouTuber who focuses on Fortnite and Call of Duty. Often considered one of the best Fortnite players in history, Mongraal is making a comeback during the Pro-Am, so we’re expecting to see his quick aim and tactical building skills in full force throughout the tournament.

SypherPK is a Fortnite YouTuber with over 10 million subscribers who rose to fame due to his quick building skills. Moxie is a Mexican esports athlete who won the Milk Cup Finals in 2024, securing her place as a top contender in the Fortnite scene. Regardless of her loadout, Moxie has been known to play her cards impressively.

Moxie is one of the best female Fortnite athletes in 2025, so pairing her with a powerful personality like SypherPK creates a duo setup for success. Both of these players are versatile and have years of experience, so if they can build a strong strategy, then they’re likely to win the Pro-Am.

Bugha was the undisputed champion of the Fortnite World Cup in 2019, solidifying his name in the esports world at only 16 years old. Though TypicalGamer isn’t considered as skilled as Bugha, he’s still one of the best Fortnite content creators ever, plus he has smart battle royale instincts.

Both Bugha and TypicalGamer are very familiar with Fortnite as a game, so their knowledge of build battles and the loot pool will likely give them a leg up over opponents who haven’t been playing for as long.

As players will be competing in Reload, melee weapons and vehicles are severely limited. The best strategies revolve around ranged weapons in Reload, and you should expect to see competitors use the respawn mechanic to their advantage.

When one player goes down, their partner might not bother reviving the fallen teammate. Players can jump back into the fight if their partner is alive, so many competitors will likely retreat if their partner gets knocked down instead of fighting to the very end.

Reload challengers can even choose to die while knocked to respawn faster, which we’ll probably see happen often during the Pro-Am.

Reload offers a unique opportunity to play more aggressively than usual. Since you can simply respawn upon death, it’s easier to recover if you pick a fight with the wrong opponent. Wiping a team is even more crucial in the Pro-Am since respawning is available.

Though we’ll probably see athletes go on the offensive more often during the Pro-Am, duos might also split up as opposed to staying within range of each other for the entire match.

Teammates won’t want to stray too far from each other, but we may see one player go on the offensive while the other hangs back with a long-range weapon.

This strategy would allow for one player to survive if the aggressive play style results in the death of their teammate. The goal will always be to keep one player alive at all times, which could be tricky in a duos match if both players rush straight into battle.

As we get closer to the Pro-Am, competing teams are solidifying their strategies. With 40 pro players and a Reload twist, this tournament will be completely different from what you’ve come to expect from the Fortnite Championship Series.

It’s unclear exactly who will take home the gold, but notable challengers, like Mongraal and Bugha, are worth watching closely.