HEROIC dominates K27 to claim Stake Ranked Episode 3 title

HEROIC secured a commanding victory against K27 with a 3-0 scoreline in the final of Stake Ranked Episode 3 on Saturday, marking an impressive start for the team after their recent roster changes. Following the offseason, which saw the appointment of two new players and a new head coach, HEROIC's performance has propelled them into the top 30 of the global rankings.

The team added Ludvig "Brollan" Brolin and Antonio "MartinezSa" Martinez to their roster, replacing Yasin "xfl0ud" Koç and Simon "yxngstxr" Boije. They also welcomed Joonas "doto" Forss as their new head coach, bringing fresh strategies to the organization.

In the final held in Barcelona, the standout performance came from Linus "nilo" Bergman, who led the team with an average rating of 1.19 while their group remained unbeaten in the double-elimination format featuring eight teams. "This is a more fitted team, so to speak," commented in-game leader Christoffer "Chr1zN" Storgaard following the match. He noted the effective role allocations and praised the team's hard work, saying, "The mindset has been fantastic from everyone."

K27 reached the grand final after a significant challenge, having advanced past Ninjas in Pyjamas in a tight three-map series earlier in the day. This match was particularly noteworthy as it marked K27's second international LAN outing, albeit without Timur "clax" Sabirov, who was replaced by stand-in Aleksandr "shalfey" Marenov.

Despite the decisive scoreline in the final, K27 showcased resilience, nearly forcing Mirage into overtime after recovering from a 10-2 deficit and nearly extending the series on Dust2 while holding an 11-7 lead before the match concluded.

With this victory, HEROIC has ascended ten positions to 27th in the global VRS, providing them a significant morale boost as they prepare for the upcoming closed qualifiers for StarSeries Fall and BLAST Bounty.