On the final day of the VALORANT Game Changers Championship Seoul, the ultimate matchup lived up to expectations: Team Liquid Visa against the defending back-to-back world champions, Shopify Rebellion Gold. A rematch of the 2023 grand final, this best-of-five brought together a Liquid roster in search of its first world title and a Shopify lineup determined to defend its crown and complete the three-peat, this time with a new addition in its ranks. After Liquid’s controlled run through the upper bracket and Shopify’s climb back from the lower bracket, everything converged toward this decisive series on the LoL Park stage.

A grand final contested to the very last second

The final opened on Haven, Team Liquid Visa’s map pick, a battleground on which the Brazilians had already built much of their reputation throughout the tournament. Led by Natalia "daiki" Vilela, Liquid immediately imposed a highly structured tempo. But Shopify responded perfectly upon arriving on the defensive side and left the Brazilians short of solutions to start their first map in the best way by winning on TL's pick.

Team Liquid didn't waste time to respond on Pearl. Despite a strong performance from Karnthida "dodonut" Chaisrakeo and Nicole "Noia" Tierce, TL replied with an unstoppable Letícia "Joojina" Paiva. By converting several key rounds straight out of tactical timeouts, TL levelled the series at 1–1 and made it clear that Shopify would need more than a strong start to close out this final.

The dynamic carried over onto Bind and Sunset, where the two teams continued to cancel each other out. On Bind, Liquid’s double-Controller composition finally revealed its full potential: well-timed anti-rush utility and precisely placed smokes significantly slowed Shopify’s attempts to take space.

Liquid regained the lead in the series, but Shopify once again refused to yield. On Sunset, Melanie "meL" Capone preparation came to the fore, while Sarah "sarahcat" Simpson and dodonut increasingly dictated the opening duels. With the teams trading blows across the first four maps, the grand final was inevitably pushed to a fifth and deciding map, Split, in a high-tension conclusion.

All or nothing

Arriving in Split, the final map of the year and the ultimate chapter of this VCT Game Changers circuit, both teams lived up to the stakes of the moment, trading rounds and momentum throughout. Neither side was willing to let go: every time one team seemed to pull ahead, the other immediately closed the gap. On the back of a very well-managed defensive half represented by a solid performance from Vitoria "Bizerra" Vieira and Isabeli " isaa" Esser, Team Liquid switched to attack with a valuable 7–5 lead and managed to stay in front despite the efforts of the double world champions, driven in particular by dodonut, who did everything possible to find impact on Waylay.

In the end, it was not enough. Liquid closed out Split, claimed their first-ever VALORANT Game Changers Championship title, and wrested the crown from Shopify’s hands. Daiki was named MVP of the tournament, finishing the GCC with an impressive stat line that encapsulated her influence across the entire event as an in-game leader, consistently shining while putting her teammates in the spotlight.