KRÜ Blaze beats Shopify Rebellion Gold to reach Game Changers final
The Argentine squad won three maps in a row to secure a 3-1 victory and a rematch against Gentle Mates GC.
KRÜ Blaze defeated Shopify Rebellion Gold 3-1 on Saturday, October 31, to advance to the grand final of the VCT Game Changers Championship 2026.
After losing the first map, Sunset, 13-6, the Argentine squad won the next three maps in a row, closing out the best-of-five series with a 17-15 overtime victory on Ascent.
Shopify Rebellion Gold had struck first by winning the opening map in 47 minutes.
KRÜ Blaze leveled the series on the quickest map, which lasted 37 minutes, and edged ahead after a 50-minute third game.
The fourth map was the longest of the night at 70 minutes, and winning it allowed KRÜ Blaze to avoid a deciding game.
"BRO SE ACABA DE SMURFEAR UNA FINAL DEL LOWER DEL MUNDIAL," KRÜ Blaze player ponix posted on social media after the win.
The victory reversed a 2-0 loss to Shopify Rebellion Gold in the upper bracket semifinals on October 27, which had pushed KRÜ Blaze into the lower half of the draw.
Since that defeat, KRÜ Blaze has won three consecutive series, taking seven of the eight maps played.
They swept Team Liquid Brazil 2-0 in the quarterfinals and then dispatched MIBR GC by the same score in the semifinals.
The team began its playoff run with a 2-1 win over Gen.G GC in the upper bracket quarter-finals and arrived at the championship as the Latin American regional final winners, having defeated Akave Esports Black 3-1.
The result went against the power rankings, as Shopify Rebellion Gold was ranked 10th with a rating of 1782, while KRÜ Blaze sat in the 20th position with a rating of 1742, although KRÜ Blaze boasted a stronger overall record of 63-21 across 84 rated matches.
Shopify Rebellion Gold's tournament ended with two consecutive series defeats.
Earlier in the week, the North American team had looked confident, beating SK Nebula 2-0 and then KRÜ Blaze, and had entered the championship following two wins over FlyQuest RED at the North America Stage 2 tournament.
However, in the upper bracket final, they fell to Gentle Mates GC with a score of 1-2, losing their direct ticket to the grand final.
KRÜ Blaze will now face Gentle Mates GC in the championship match on Sunday, November 1, at 20:00 Kyiv time.
Gentle Mates GC reached the final unbeaten in the playoffs, having defeated Team Liquid Brazil 2-0, MIBR GC 2-0, and Shopify Rebellion Gold.
The French organisation's team is coached by Kévin "Ex6TenZ" Droolans and features the roster Nami, berryx, Wens, Marti and safiaa.
The KRÜ Blaze lineup is antG, nonee, ponix, tok1o and micaela, coached by bonzitt.
The championship has a $500,000 prize pool, with the winner taking $180,000 and the runner-up $100,000.
Shopify Rebellion Gold leaves with $70,000 for third place.
The grand final is a best-of-five at the Riot Games Arena in São Paulo.
SOURCE: Players
