HEROIC to Stake Ranked final as K27 eliminate 3DMAX

HEROIC secured a place in the Stake Ranked Episode 3 grand final after a 2-1 win over Ninjas in Pyjamas on July 17 in Spain. K27 eliminated 3DMAX 2-0 in the lower-bracket decider later the same day.

HEROIC won the opening map, Inferno, 13-11. Christoffer “Chr1zN” Storgaard’s side held off a strong showing from Roman “n0te” Hamze, who recorded a 1.26 rating on the day. HEROIC then won Nuke 13-9, with Martin “stavn” Lund and a young Belgian teammate leading the attack. The series was decided on Mirage, where HEROIC posted a stronger CT half and closed out the match to advance to the final.

In the lower bracket, K27 beat 3DMAX 2-0. Earlier in the day 3DMAX, led by Bryan “Maka” Canda, eliminated Gentle Mates, and K27 defeated Phantom to set up the decider. Aleksey “xeedo” Mikulich produced a 2.00 rating as K27 delivered a one-sided series to remove 3DMAX from the tournament.

Three teams remain in contention. On July 18, Ninjas in Pyjamas will face K27 at 12:00 local time. The winner of that match will play HEROIC at 15:30 in the grand final, both matches taking place in Spain.

Stake Ranked Episode 3 continues with upper- and lower-bracket play to determine the champion. HEROIC advances directly from the upper bracket, while K27 and Ninjas in Pyjamas will contest the lower-bracket match for the right to challenge them.