It’s time for CIS to shine in the Valorant scene. The region’s champion Gambit Esports beat the Turkish superteam SuperMassive Blaze in the grand final of the VCT 2021 Stage 3 EMEA Playoffs, becoming the champion. Gambit will represent EMEA as the first seed.
Gambit Esports secures a spot in the Masters
Gambit participated in the tournament as the first seed of CIS, which led them to start in round 2 of the upper bracket. They managed to pass the first obstacle, defeating Guild Esports, 2-0. However, their next opponent Acend sent them to the lower bracket in the upper bracket’s semi-final.
Defeating Team Liquid in the first match of the lower bracket was enough for Gambit Esports to earn a spot in Masters Berlin. They took over the last champion of EMEA, obtained the Berlin ticket, and continued their run all the way to the grand final. The CIS representative overcame G2 Esports and Acend successively in seed decider matches and secured the opposing spot against SuperMassive Blaze in the grand final.
With these results, G2 Esports, SuperMassive Blaze, Acend, and Gambit Esports are all qualified for Masters Berlin.
Grand Final
The grand final between SuperMassive Blaze and Gambit Esports took place in Ascent, Split, Bind, and Haven respectively.
Ascent
Contrary to all expectations, the series’ first map was pretty one-sided. SuperMassive Blaze started the match at full-speed and didn’t slow down a bit. They crushed Gambit Esports thanks to their perfect defensive performance, defeating the latter, 13-1.
Split
The Turkish team couldn’t keep up the momentum in Split. Gambit Esports joined the party and gave us a series. After closing out the first half with a 6-6, Gambit played better at the end of the game and tied the series with a 13-11.
Bind
Gambit came online in Bind. Reading every play of their opponents correctly, the CIS team were also the winners of many gun-duels. Even though Chronicle couldn’t get into the game, Gambit Esports swept SuperMassive Blaze with a 13-5 and took the lead.
Haven
Revenge is a dish best served cold. After the disappointing start on Ascent, Gambit Esports put their characters into the series and turned it in their favor. In fact, they finished the series with a death blow, defeating SuperMassive Blaze in Haven with a 13-3.
Following the outstanding performances during the tournament, Ayaz “nAts” Akshmetshin led his team in the grand final with a 240 combat score.
Gambit Esports and Supermassive Blaze, alongside Acend and G2 Esports, will represent EMEA in VCT 2021 Stage 3 Masters Berlin, which will start on September 10.
