SkRossi shines as Global Esports squeeze past Velocity Gaming

August 29, 2021

Global Esports defeat Velocity Gaming in a best of five affair to qualify for the APAC Last Chance Qualifier, to be held later in October.

Match Details

Global Esports Vs Velocity Gaming
Time : 17:00 IST
Format : Best of 5, Online

Map Veto

Velocity Gaming ban Bind
Global Esports pick Split
Velocity Gaming pick Haven
Global Esports pick Breeze
Velocity Gaming pick Icebox
Ascent was left over

Velocity Gaming and Global Esports have been enjoying a steady rise this year as they locked horns here in the Grand Finals of the Valorant Conquerors Championship, organized by Nodwin Gaming and a part of the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Circuit.

Map 1 : Split (Pick : Global Esports, Winner : Velocity Gaming, Final Score : 13-10)

Split saw Velocity Gaming go up 5-2 early on their attack but it definitely seemed like Global Esports was set to complicate things here in the Grand Final which looked VLT’s for the taking. With a little room for error, GE quickly hit back by either locking the offensive terror of VLT out of the sites or by converting them into successful retakes. Despite the first-half deficit of 5-7, it was Mohit “mw1” Wakle who set the rhythm for Velocity, decimating his opponents left, right and center. Akshay “KappA” Sinkar won it for Global Esports, the pistol round on defense with a 3K but as said, mw1 was there to keep GE at bay.

After the break, the second half saw both the teams traded rounds back and forth, special mentions to Ganesh “SkRossi” Gangadhar’s 3k B-site defense on his Jett role aided by a solitary line of defense by Bhavin “HellRangeR” Kotwani in the 19th round. Despite the said duo’s valiant effort, it was VLT who finally jumped onto the driver’s seat following a timed A site flank from Sagnik “Hellff” Roy which put VLT in the driver’s seat as they ran away with the map win, 13-10.

Map 2 : Haven (Pick : Velocity Gaming, Winner: Global Esports, Final score : 13:11)

Haven began with Global Esports looking brighter of the two sides, although the first half saw both the teams once again trade rounds back and forth until the 9th round where GE flexed their upper hand over the Hyderabad-based organization. This time it was KappA who held the door for GE in the 5th and the 9th round following a breathtaking spike defuse succored by a 3k. HellRangeR further added to VLT’s worries as his Rolling thunder on Breach ravaged his opponents to go 8-4 in the first half.

Velocity Gaming tried to defy their cursed stars in the second half but it was Global Esports who hit match point in the 20th round. In a bid to force overtime, Hellff looked scary as he struck twice, the first time with his ultimate of Astra’s on C and the second where he converted the 23rd round despite SkRossi’s stout-hearted 3K on his Blade Storm. With the fire still in their bellies, SkRossi and his men once again terrorized the A-site and finally had the laugh over their regional counterparts as they squared off the series 1-1.

Map 3 : Breeze (Pick : Global Esports, Winner : Global Esports, Final Score : 15:13)

Losing the pistol on their attack gave Global Esports a monumental uphill battle that they simply couldn’t manage. Mw1 was incredibly impressive for Velocity Gaming on their defense while locking HellrangeR and his men out of the sites. It was until the 9th round where VLT could absolutely count on Agneya “Marzil” Kaushik and Tejas “rite2ace” Sawant, popping heads off their opponents while Mohit Wakle with his unbelievable trigger control denied HellrangeR from planting the spike, only to be ignored by SkRossi in the first place. It seemed like one-way traffic for VLT as mw1 piled up more than 3 kills to give his team an 8-4 lead in the first half.

In a best of 5 series, you always have the opportunity to come back even if you drop a map after an initial lead. Well, this being said, VLT found themselves in a situation where their nightmares from another dimension came haunting them in the form of Global Esports. HellrangeR and SkRossi came to the rescue as their reinforcements were able to fend Global Esports. It all came down to VLT racing off to the match point thanks to mw1 who opened up the B site for business in the 23rd round. Somehow GE managed to retake the A site and force overtime upon Anuj “Amaterasu” Sharma and his men.

Global Esports carried forward their momentum in the first overtime, extending their lead further to 13-12 only to be halted by VLT as they tried to remain in contention. The second overtime was indeed flawless for SkRossi and his team as they breezed past with the final score of 15-13 and went up 2-1 in the Grand Finale series.

Map 4 : Icebox (Pick : Velocity Gaming, Winner by : Velocity Gaming, Final Score : 13-9)

Let us straightaway start with the second half of Icebox, because that’s where Velocity Gaming unleashed their true potential towards the lone spot at the APAC Last Chance Qualifier. Had Global Esports pushed their luck to a nail-biting finish, we could’ve wound up much earlier than holding on to our seats and awaiting the action to resume on Ascent. Unusual timings, players getting picked off guard cost Global Esports a fortune of rounds as they looked destitute and listless by the final rounds on Icebox.

The first half was shared by both the teams 6-6 and surprisingly it was Global Esports who took the 7-6 lead after converting their pistol on the defense. Though mw1 lost his aim duel to SkRossi, it was him who alongside Hellff who tyrannized HellrangeR and his troops. It all came down to the 22nd round where VLT stormed the B site and planted the spike, irrespective of the fact that where did VLT even set up shop. With Amaterasu and Marzil on the kitchen flank, they made sure to keep GE off the B-site as they tallied their lead to 2-2.

Map 5 : Ascent (Decider map, Winner : Global Esports, Final Score : 13-10)

9-3 read the score for Velocity Gaming at the end of the first half. Brilliant setups by Hellff’s Astra would never allow Global Esports to conquer some part of Ascent’s real estate. Sagnik “Hellff” Roy was the person who steered VLT to a 6-1 lead, including two of his 3k rounds where he banished his Indian friends from entering the A site. Amaterasu further sparked the flame with his aggression towards the B-main avenue, knocking off three of Global Esports’s players.

The whole idea of not bothering Ascent during the Veto was the Solace, that both the teams wanted to cherish from their miraculous run across the qualifiers and the playoffs. Believe it or not, VLT’s players will be kicking themselves for letting the second half go out of their hands as it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they came close to qualifying for the APAC LCQ. GE were in control for a majority of the second half as they couldn’t get into double-digit territory, marred by the strong resistance from HellrangeR and his men. The whole foundation of the second half was laid by the one and only SkRossi who aced against Velocity in the 17th round, forcing them to enter dismay with the lone APAC LCQ spot on the gambles. The final honors were done by SkRossi, the man himself who orchestrated the entire comeback, thanks to a cumulative effort contributed by Jayanth “skillZ” Ramesh and Abhirup “Lightningfast” Choudhury.