After beating PURPURE 2–0 in the Grand Finals of the VCL East: Surge Open Qualifier, Goon Squad is the final team remaining and have been rewarded a coveted spot in Stage 1 of the Eastern European Challengers League.
A spot in the league opened up due to unforeseen circumstances, and the tournament organizers decided the fairest way to admit a new team would be to have an open qualifier. The open qualifier started on December 16th, featuring a double elimination bracket between 64 teams.
Several notable players competed in the qualifiers, with former Team Liquid player Dreamas being among them. Others from across EMEA who previously competed on VCL teams were also seen in the qualifiers. However, majority of the top statistical players were from the Tier 3 scene.
The final four teams left in the qualifier were Goon Squad, PURPURE, FFXD, and MRVZT.
The fully Czech team of MRVZT bowed out in Lower Bracket Round 7, which was a prelude to the Lower Finals, after a close 1–2 defeat to FFXD. The Polish team of FFXD later lost in the Lower Finals to PURPURE. With the win, the latter team advanced to the Grand Finals, while the former team was now out of the tournament.
The Grand Finals was a best of three matchup between PURPURE and Goon Squad. These teams previously met in the Upper Final, where Goon Squad won 2–0. The first map of this crucial series was Lotus. PURPURE got off to a strong start, winning the first five rounds and going up 5–0. However, Goon Squad then gained some momentum and won the next four rounds to narrow the lead. PURPURE finished the half with the final three rounds, going up with a score of 8–4 at halftime. The second half was a totally different story, as Goon Squad came out of the gates swinging, winning seven straight rounds to lead 11–8. PURPURE then managed to win one round, but Goon Squad successfully completed the comeback, winning the next two rounds to win the game. The final score was 13–9.
With Goon Squad up 1–0, they only needed one more map victory to advance to VCL East. Map two was Ascent. Goon Squad continued to be the dominant team to start off the first half, winning six of the first seven rounds to lead 6–1. PURPURE then responded by winning three of the last five rounds to narrow Goon Squad’s lead. The score at halftime was 8–4. PURPURE opened the second half by winning the first two rounds, which narrowed the lead to only two. However, Goon Squad then bounced back and continued to extend their lead by winning the next three rounds. The score was now 11–6. Both teams traded the next few rounds, but Goon Squad was the team to ultimately come out on top, winning the game with a score of 13–8.
With the victory, Goon Squad earn a spot in Stage 1 of VCL East: Surge! The team consists of Outcazt, SerialKiller, globeX, ZachKappa, lovers rock, and deyten. The two coaches for the roster are Jarda and Joja, who have both coaches a number of rosters in the past.
VCL East: Surge is set to start on January 15th of next year.
The Glance Player of the Match is Latvian player SerialKiller, who has been a huge piece to Goon Squad’s flawless run. The Initiator player boasted a server high rating of 1.57 as well as a KDA of 43–24–12.
