Acend picked up right away in front of the G2 team and looked dominant to start their offensive side of Breeze. Zeek had another hot start, this time slowing down Gambits executes by restricting the utilities with KAY/O and letting cNed pick them off on his patented Jett/Op combo. Gambit had difficulty finding a site or early frags throughout the half, but eventually delivered a great amount of momentum. Two rounds of high digits came as Acend took a 9-3 lead into halftime. Gambit built that momentum by claiming the pistol round to start their defensive half, but eventually a failed finish in the whole acquisition. Gambit hit a halt in the second full buy when Gambit hit the wing of the line by pushing up far and right into Zeeks NuLL/cmd ultimate. Acend steamrolled into the site and increased their lead up to 11-5 before nAts kept Gambit in the map with three straight vital rounds from behind the Viper utility. Acend switched strategies and went to B, but nAts was waiting there again behind his toxic walls. That last two rounds of the first half were crucial to a difference-maker, and Gambits strong defense was the runner-up. CRAZY defence from @nAts__ss!!! pic.twitter.com/d2DpwOQL0I. VALORANT Champions Tour EMEA (@valesports.eu) December 12, 2021. BONECOLD left a huge momentum swing to start Ascent, followed by an economy-busting 4K with the Sheriff in the second round. Acend looked really proficient on the attack map. With its aggressive pushes and postplant plays, the smaller sites were more successful. But just like in Breeze, Gambit tried to finish the first half, only to reach 7-5. CLEANNN shots from @zeekrino #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/tJhlwKwu4n VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) December 12, 2021 Acend didn’t let a second-half return this time, but took the pistol, the anti-eco, and even the bonus round to gain an advantage and hold control. A 2-0 win over A site secured an 8-0 win for Acend on Ascent. Gambit began their attack on Fracture, and racked up the first three rounds of the half, including a flawless bonus round. Acend couldn’t gain defensive momentum, and moments like zeek and then reviving the revenge, showed their frustration. The Nats and Chronicle combined for an absurd 36 deaths and only three died in an 11-1 attack side showcase on Fracture. PERFECTIFY, you are free! @GambitEsports | #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/3SB6zCqIpj. VALORANT Champions Tour (www.ValorantEsports.com) December 12, 2021. nAts added three more kills to his insane scoreline on their defensive pistol round, while they still had a massive lead of 12-1. A couple of Amnesty force buy rounds give the team something to be happy about, but Gambit ended the map with an incredible buy round, securing Fracture 6-3, nAts finished with an almost unprecedented 26-3, KD rating, and did not use all game on the site. Acend had an early lead to start Icebox. However, as soon as the buy rounds began, both sides traded rounds back and forth. Acend needed a flurry of cNed’s big half, and got it, with him easily using the Jett/Op combo on the A site. However, just like Breeze and Ascent, Gambit had another late rally to close out the half, only trailing 7-5 before switching to defense. CRISPY shots from @cNedf0r @VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/vTSxVM9JTA images. The VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) December 12, 2021. Gambit capitalized on that rally. They won pistol and anti-eco, and the first full buy round as the result kept winning a ten-point lead after at one point trailing 7-3. The rest of the second half went straight to overtime with the Icebox. Acend edged early in OT after an aggressive starxo double kill, on edge with the move of Sage, then forced all the Gambit utilities out in the post-plant next round, with the defuse and scrapping the win on Icebox 14-12. The series was named Split, with Acend defining a lead with a few defensive rounds on the B site. Their lead rose to 7-1, but yet again during this series, Gambit reversed their momentum by turning directions and attacking A. They stepped up four straight rounds to close out the half. A crucial Thrifty for @GambitEsports. #VALORANTChampions pic.twitter.com/wCXDoNe1zl VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) December 12, 2021. Aside from the previous pistol round of the map, Acend followed the lead, but the Gambit answered in the first full-buy round with great impromptu performances. Acend finally finished the series with a 13-8 win on Split. Acend winning the second, fourth, and fifth maps is a poetic repeat of how they won their first major trophy at the EU Masters in One by Team Heretics. Feature of the sport, and please follow us on YouTube.
