Today, the final match took place at the VCL Ascension: EMEA 2023 tournament, where the Gentle Mates team beat Apeks 3:0 and earned their ticket to the EMEA Partner League.
Gentle Mates was clearly the underdog heading into the final match, not just for the meeting, but for the entire tournament. Most fans predicted a confident victory for Apeks, but Gentle Mates managed to surprise viewers twice at this tournament and easily win the most important match for themselves this season.
The Path of Both Teams to the Final
Both teams started their challenging journey to the final from their respective leagues. Gentle Mates participated in the French league, while Apeks played in the North European league.
Each league was divided into two splits, in each of which the teams earned points for the rating in their league. The top-rated teams got a chance to continue the fight for the main prize of the season - a place in the Partner League.
Both teams took the top spots in their league's ratings and received a direct invitation to the group stage of the main event of the tier-2 scene, namely the VCL Ascension: EMEA 2023 tournament.
The teams ended up in Group B. Apeks came out of the group with a 4:0 record and only one lost map, while Gentle Mates came out with a 3:1 record, losing to Apeks in a head-to-head matchup.
The playoff stage was different for each team. Apeks continued to defeat everyone on their path and reached the tournament final through the upper bracket, losing only two maps throughout the tournament, except for the final match. At the moment when Gentle Mates suffered a crushing defeat in the first playoff match with a 0:2 score against Acend, they had to continue their path to the final through the lower bracket of the tournament.
Why Was VCL Ascension: EMEA 2023 so Important for Teams?
The VCL Ascension: EMEA 2023 tournament played one spot in the Partner League for the next two years. This meant that the team that would win this victory would have the opportunity to rise from the tier-2 level to the highest level in the EMEA region. Therefore, this was an important and final event in the 2023 season for all teams below tier-1 level.
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