A new reign in EMEA?

Last Saturday, we witnessed an SK side dismantle the region of EMEA, with performances that would have made the org's legendary rosters of the past proud. They have certainly set the tone for the year to come: but is it too early to say they will have as much, or even more, success as in 2021?

The Monthly Finals started with a much-anticipated match: ZETA DIVISION vs HMBLE. Whilst ZETA had more individual and team achievements as the reigning World Champions, HMBLE had been dominant in scrims and were no pushovers. It was HMBLE who got off on the front foot, winning Brawl Ball 2-1 and foreshadowing the match to come. After the Italian org won their 2nd set in Hot Zone, the champs were in real danger but pulled a set back for themselves. However, HMBLE weren't ready to give up their lead so easily and wrapped up the match in just 4 sets in the biggest upset of the Monthly Finals.

Meanwhile, in the B-Stream game, the newly-signed Oceanus Gaming faced off against FUT Esports. OCG were the heavy favourites, but it was FUT who went 2 sets up, only dropping a single game. Unlike HMBLE, they weren't able to close out the game, and after the 2nd set, they weren't to win another game, as OCG saved everyone's predictions by moving on to the semi-finals.

In the lower half of the bracket, Reply Totem faced SK Gaming, dubbed as "The Duel" by both organisations in the lead-up to the matchup, with Joker and iKaoss being the poster boys as they faced their old orgs. The Duel turned out to be very one-sided: with SK taking every set, and only dropping a single game between them as they waltzed to the semi-finals, where they would face BC* Gaming.

BC* had been involved in an enthralling back-and-forth game against Eclipsar Esport, where the Frenchmen overturned BC*'s early 1-set lead, before being surpassed themselves and eventually falling to the roster of Mewtu, Salty, and Tomzy. Both teams had shown signs of weakness throughout the match, which they knew would have to be fixed before they faced a far more formidable opponent if they were to make the semi-finals, as BC* did.

In the semi-finals, we saw Oceanus Gaming go head-to-head with HMBLE. Although OCG seemed stronger on paper, HMB had performed better on the day so far, making this one hard to predict. HMB raced to a 2-0 lead before OCG stopped them in their tracks, clawing back a set in Bounty. After they won Safe Zone too, it was starting to feel like deja vu for the Eastern Europeans, but this time, their opponents held their resolve to deny them of a second reverse sweep, making HMBLE the first team to reach the Grand Finals.

Then, it was time for the clash of German orgs: SK Gaming vs BC* Gaming. SK were the clear favourites here and showed exactly why that was when they took the first set without breaking a sweat. After some incredible drafting and gameplay by SK, they extended their lead to 2, and then 3 as they continued their set winning streak, this time not dropping a single game, on their way to the finals, where HMBLE awaited.

HMBLE vs SK Gaming. The final showdown. HMBLE's Symantec goes back many years with his adversary; after he made the switch from Tribe to SK in 2021 he helped establish that legendary team alongside Jeton and SkYRiiKZz. He stayed for another year in 2022, finishing in the 5-8th position and Worlds after narrowly missing out on winning the MSI. After failing to succeed internationally, he decided to leave the organisation in favour of FUT Esports, where a strong rivalry grew between the two during the Snapdragon Pro Series S3 which ended at Worlds with an SK victory. He would have his shot at revenge in the Grand Finals, but this new-look SK were just too strong. Another game, another sweep, and they wrapped up the Monthly Finals with 0/9 sets dropped and only 3/21 games lost in total.

SK have shown that gameplay isn't their only strength: they have draft too. With a promising year ahead, can the titans of EMEA finally achieve their long-awaited international glory?