The balance of power at the top of the
LFL and across the ERLs has finally shifted. Until now undefeated in the competition and widely considered the favorites for the title,
have suffered their first defeat in four matches against
in the
EMEA Masters upper bracket final. The Pirates secured their revenge after having been beaten twice by Solary in the LFL playoffs, including a decisive 3â0 sweep in the final.
With this result, Galions become the first team to qualify for the grand final of the competition, scheduled for April 21. They also become
the first ERL team to secure a place at the EWC EMEA Qualifier, where they will compete against the ten
LEC teams and the other best non-academy team from these EMEA Masters. Featuring three players who were not retained in the LEC after their first year, Galionsâ roster will now have a direct opportunity to demonstrate their level by facing the best teams in Europeâs premier league.
In this upper-bracket final, Galions were finally able to showcase their full potential against an opponent that had previously neutralized them. The LFLâs second seed opened the best-of-five with a dominant stomp before Solary responded in kind, handing Galions their first defeat of the playoffs. Game 3 proved far more contested, with both teams coming close to closing it out before Galions ultimately secured the decisive advantage, carrying that momentum into a commanding victory in the fourth game with an outstanding performance from
with Leblanc.
Solary will nonetheless have another opportunity to reach the final by winning the lower-bracket final scheduled for April 14. Before that, four teams will battle for the chance to challenge the reigning LFL champions, including
and
, who both secured 2â0 victories yesterday over
and
, respectively. With KCBâs elimination, the two teams that had participated in the
LEC Versus are now out of the competition. Misa will face
in the next round, while BIG will take on
. Both matches will take place next week, after which the winners will meet to determine who advances to face Solary.
The finalist emerging from this bracket will also directly qualify for the EWC EMEA Qualifiers, earning the opportunity to compete against LEC teams alongside Galions.
