THE, Rare Atom proceed to ECL Relegation Stage 2

The first stage of the ESL Challenger League Season 48 Relegation: Asia came to an end today with Rare Atom and THE clearing the upper and lower brackets respectively to make it to the second stage where they fight for ESL Challenger League Season 49 slots.

Upper-bracket final

Rare Atom vs THE

In the upper-bracket final Rare Atom took on THE in a bo3. The first map took us to Dust 2 where THE started on the CT-side with a 2-0 start but Rare Atom broke through with the first gun round and went on to secure a slight edge in the first half with a 7-5 score line in their favor.

Switching over, THE won the pistol round again but nothing else went in their favor as the Chinese displayed a superior CT-side, to close out Dust2 13-6, dropping just a single round in the second half.

Going into Vertigo THE clearly looked like the stronger side for the better part of the first half but Rare Atom recovered and neutralized their advantage, splitting an even 6-6 half. THE never really regained their momentum as Rare Atom breezed through the second half secure Vertigo 13-8, dropping just a couple of rounds in the process.

Lower-bracket final

THE vs Never Say Never

After going down in the upper-bracket final, THE had another shot at making it to the second stage through the lower-bracket final where they locked horns with Never Say Never. The series started on Dust2 with Never Say Never putting up a dominant T-side to take eight rounds in the first half, putting THE at a 4-8 disadvantage.

THE looked unstoppable on their T-side in the second half, just brute forcing their way through mid and eventually toppling one of the sites. After closing the gap right out the gate, THE conceded a couple of rounds as Never Say Never secured double digits but their ascent was short-lived as THE closed out Dust2 13-10.

With their backs against elimination Never Say Never put up an astounding 9-3 half on the T-side of Anubis, as THE were once again left with the task of mounting a big comeback. THE started strong in the second half but this time around, Never Say Never recovered in time and traded their way to a shaky 13-9 win, pushing the series into the decider.

The decider took us to Ancient, a map on which both these teams have put up solid performances in their recent games. Starting on the T-side, THE conceded the initial couple of rounds but came back strong once the gun rounds began to secure a 9-3 lead on their T-side. Never Say Never returned the favor, closing the gap at 10-10 right out the gate and pushed the decider into overtime.

Both teams swept the T-sides in the first overtime, further extending play but after winning the first round in second overtime, things went downhill for Never Say Never as the Chinese side, conceded the rest of the rounds, crashing out of the ESL Challenger League Season 48 Relegation: Asia and netting THE a 19-16 win.

The second stage of the ESL Challenger League Season 48 Relegation: Asia begins later today with four teams across a double-elimination bracket and winners of the upper and lower brackets securing their ESL Challenger League Season 49 slots. THE will kick things off against DEWA United and the second game in the opening round features Rare Atom against FengDa Gaming.