KRÜ Blaze Loses Opening Map, Rises to Final

KRÜ Blaze reached the final of the VCT Game Changers Championship 2026 by beating Shopify Rebellion Gold 3 maps to 1. The Argentina-based team took the next three maps after losing the first, avenging its upper bracket semifinal defeat.

Shopify Rebellion Gold won the first map in 47 minutes. KRÜ Blaze tied the series on the shortest map of the series, the 37-minute second map, and took the lead on the 50-minute third map. The fourth map, at 70 minutes, was the longest game of the match. KRÜ Blaze won that map too, closing the series without needing a fifth.

The power rankings told a different story. Shopify Rebellion Gold was 10th with 1782 points. KRÜ Blaze was 20th with 1742 points, but had a stronger record with 63 wins in 84 rated matches.

This win was KRÜ Blaze's third straight series victory in the lower bracket. The team had beaten Team Liquid Brazil in the quarterfinal and MIBR GC in the semifinal, dropping no maps in either. Shopify Rebellion Gold had knocked KRÜ Blaze out of the upper bracket semifinal on October 27, sending its opponent to the lower bracket.

For Shopify Rebellion Gold, this result ended its tournament. The team lost the upper bracket final to Gentle Mates GC and, with Saturday's defeat, suffered its second straight series loss. KRÜ Blaze will face Gentle Mates GC in the final on Sunday, November 1. Gentle Mates GC had reached the upper bracket final by beating MIBR GC in two matches.