EMEA representative and Russian team Gambit Esports triumphed over North America’s Envy to become the winners of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2021: Stage 3 Masters in Berlin. In a fierce grand finals showdown, Gambit won all three maps, earning themselves a spot at VCT Champions and the first prize of $225,000.
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After dethroning Sentinels and thrashing 100 Thieves in the VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin playoffs, Envy became a formidable opponent to beat. They came to the finals on Sunday, having won eight straight games at the VALORANT esports event. Meanwhile, panning out as the second seed of Group C, Gambit swept Vision Strikers and G2 Esports to enter the finals.
VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin
Stopping Envy’s impressive streak was more difficult than the 3-0 score suggests. The North American side started well on Bind, overwhelming the Russians in the first two rounds. Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen led Envy with four kills from a Ghost. Keeping the momentum, Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker found four kills wielding a Spectre to win the first half on Bind.
With a ferocious comeback in the second half, Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov guided Gambit with four straight round wins. The game appeared locked in for Gambit but Envy defied odds to bring the game to a 12-12 draw. But Envy struggled to keep up and forced a 13-13 tie on the 26th round. However, Gambit racked up important kills and won the first map 15-13 in overtime.
Gambit Defeats Envy
Ignited and ready to spring back on Haven, Envy pushed with yay even winning a 3 vs 1 situation in round 11. They started things promisingly, taking an 8-4 lead in the first half. Although Gambit’s relentless offense and defense brought the match to an 8-8 stalemate. A second clutch from Yay could have secured Envy’s victory but Gambit remained strong. The EMEA VALORANT esports team won 13-11, putting them 2-0 ahead in the VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin finals.
The third map, Split, was full of back-and-forth trades with Envy fighting to force a fourth game. Even with their menacing performance, Envy could only secure a 6-6 draw on the first half of the map. The second half was their do-or-die match to keep their hopes alive. However, Gambit opened the half with two successive wins, making it nearly impossible for the North Americans to win the map. Gambit then landed heavy kills to a seemingly overstretched Envy to win Split 13-9 and win VCT Stage 3 Masters Berlin.
Next in VALORANT Esports
With rising stars like Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin and Chronicle, who dominated group stages with their exemplary skillful gameplay, Gambit is heading to VCT Champions with confidence. As for Envy, they still earned enough circuit points to book a spot in the biggest VALORANT esports tournament of the year. The top 16 teams from across the world will clash in December to find the winner of VALORANT Champions 2021.
Written by Daniella Johnson
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