In a thrilling 5 game series, Acend took down powerhouse Gambit Esports to win the first iteration of Valorant Championship. As expected, the final was a close affair, but Acend ultimately prevailed, winning the series 3-2.
The battle of European juggernauts
Both Acend and Gambit Esports are based in Europe, demonstrating that Europe is presently the most dominant region in the Valorant landscape. Acend started game 1 of the series in great tempo as they built a decent early lead. Aleksander “zeek” Zygmunt was pivotal in Acend’s early dominance, where he played KAY/O to perfection, nullifying any offensive threat Gambit brought to the table. However, after the teams switched their sides, Gambit made an impressive comeback to make the first game more even. The 9-3 lead Acend had started to fizzle out, and in the end, Gambit won the game 13-11.
Game 2 kicked off similarly to game 1, where Acend garnered an early lead. Before the teams switched sides, the scoreline was 7-5 in favor of Acend, and the game overall was more competitive than the previous one. However, unlike game 1, Acend held their nerves this time around and was able to secure the game 13-7. Santeri “BONECOLD” Sassi was the MVP for Acend as his Sova ultimate came in clutch during the last round.
Gambit Esports responded to the loss brilliantly as the completely dominated Acend in game 3. It was a one-sided game from the early rounds, and Acend had no response to Gambit’s calculated aggression. In the end, Gambit was able to close game 3 13-3.
Game 4 was more even with both teams putting on a show. The game went to overtime after a back-and-forth between Acend and Gambit Esports. Acend eventually won the game 14-12, drawing the series at 2-2.
Acend came gun blazings in the final game of the series. The team managed to get a 7-1 lead, and it was evident that they were there to win it. Although Gambit made a lost resurgence, it wasn’t enough to stop Acend from winning the first-ever VCT.
