Game Changers Series 3 Day 4 Recap

After a long and dynamic four days of competition in North America’s Game Changers Series 3, the eight teams that will compete in next weekend’s main event have been determined.

They are:

• Cloud9 White

• Misfits Black

• Complexity GX3

• TSM X

• Gen.G Black / Evil Geniuses

• Immortals

• XSET Purple

• Shopify Rebellion

Out of the 48 teams that entered the open qualifier, only those eight remain, all looking to punch their ticket to the Game Changers Championship in Berlin.

Lower Second Round

Before the qualification matches, one more round in the lower bracket was played to determine who would advance to play the four teams waiting from the upper bracket.

Gen.G Black (2–0) CLG Red

CLG Red opened their comeback match against Gen.G on Bind by winning 10 rounds in a row to end the first half 10–2 in their favor, however, they were only able to win one round in the second half, falling 11–13. The series would then move to Ascent, where CLG Red would once again fall short, losing again 11–13. Gen.G Black would advance to a qualifying matchup against Evil Geniuses.

hamboigas (1–2) Dart Monkeys

In the fourth matchup between two of the top free agent rosters in North America, Dart Monkeys and hamboigas would once again face off. Dart Monkeys, looking for revenge after losing to hamboigas in the group stage, opened the match on Bind down 5–7 at halftime, but brought it back to eventually win in overtime. The series would then shift to Pearl, where although summertime’s Yoru pick caused headaches for many of the opposing players, hamboigas were able to overcome and finish the map 13–9. The decider in this match would be Ascent, where Dart Monkeys would come out blazing, never losing more than three rounds in a row to finish off the series 2–1. Dart Monkeys would advance to play Immortals for qualification.

Team Mystic Venus (1–2) VersionX

In another group stage rematch, VersionX looked for revenge against Team Mystic Venus. The series would open on Haven, with VersionX jumping out to an early 7–3 lead, eventually closing the map out 11–13. The series then moved to one of Team Mystic’s strongest maps, Pearl, where they would show off a dominant 13–4 performance to tie up the series. The decider, Icebox, started off strong for VersionX, as they would open 6–2, creating a lead Team Mystic was unable to come back against, with the final map going in favor of VersionX 13–9. VersionX advanced to a qualification match against XSET Purple.

26 Rising (0–2) Ariana Grande Perfume

In another clash of free-agent teams, 26 Rising and Ariana Grande Perfume started on Haven, where Ariana Grande Perfume would put on a dominant showing, winning 13–2. Ariana Grande Perfume would continue their success on Bind, ending the first half 10–2. 26 Rising would win the first four rounds in the second half, but Ariana Grande Perfume would win three in a row to put the map away 13–6, and the series away 2–0, advancing to play Shopify Rebellion with qualification on the line.

Lower Final Round

The final round of the qualifiers saw the last four teams to qualify to the main event win in varying ways.

Evil Geniuses (2–1) Gen.G Black

In a matchup between two of the top four finishers at Astral Clash, Evil Geniuses and Gen.G Black would begin on Haven, where after opening down 4–8, Gen.G surged back to within one round before falling 11–13. The series moved to Ascent, where Evil Geniuses’ comfort composition fell in favor of Gen.G’s duelist-less composition, with Gen.G jumping out to a 3–2 lead after the pistol round. Gen.G never looked back, closing out the map 13–6. In the final map, Pearl, Evil Geniuses showed up early, winning eight rounds in the first half. They continued their success on the second half, winning another five to close out the map 13–6. The series would end 2–1 in favor of Evil Geniuses, who would qualify to the main event.

Immortals (2–1) Dart Monkeys

In their fourth matchup, Immortals and Dart Monkeys would do battle on Fracture first, with the first half ending tied at 6 rounds apiece. However, Dart Monkeys would win seven out of the last eight rounds to win the map 13–9. Moving next to Ascent, Immortals would start strong, winning the first five rounds. They would continue their success, never losing more than three rounds in a row on their way to win the map 13–8, tying the series at one map apiece. The match would end on Breeze, where Immortals would once again start strong, ending the first half 10–2 and eventually winning the map 13–5. They would win the series 2–1 and qualify for the main event.

XSET Purple (2–0) VersionX

After advancing past Tactical Throwers and Team Mystic Venus, VersionX looked to complete the lower bracket run against XSET Purple. The first map in the series, Breeze, was tumultuous throughout, with neither team winning more than three rounds in a row. Eventually, XSET Purple would close out the map 13–11. The map would then move to Ascent, where XSET would open with a 8–4 half. They would win five of the eight rounds in the second half to close out the map 13–7, and take the series 2–0.

Shopify Rebellion (2–0) Ariana Grande Perfume

After losing to Complexity GX3 in the upper bracket, Shopify Rebellion started the series with a vengeance, ending the first half on Haven 9–3 after winning seven rounds straight. They would eventually close out the map 13–5, after which the series would move to Pearl. The first half on Pearl would be all Shopify Rebellion, as they would open 11–1, and close out the map 13–2, taking their spot in the main event by winning the series 2–0.

Main Event

The four teams that qualified today (Evil Geniuses, Immortals, XSET Purple, and Shopify Rebellion) join the four teams qualifying from the upper bracket (Cloud9 White, Misfits Black, Complexity GX3, and TSM X) in the main event, which will consist of a double-elimination bracket. The first round will commence on Wednesday, Oct. 12.