HEROIC completed an undefeated run at Stake Ranked Episode 3 on Saturday, defeating K27 3-0 in the grand final to cap a strong debut for the roster following a significant offseason overhaul that brought in two new players and a new head coach.
The Danish-Swedish organization entered the event having replaced Yasin “xfl0ud” Koç and Simon “yxngstxr” Boije with Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin and Antonio “MartinezSa” Martinez. Former academy coach Joonas “doto” Forss was handed the head coaching role ahead of the competition held in Barcelona.
The standout performer across the eight-team double-elimination bracket was veteran Linus “nilo” Bergman, HEROIC’s longest-serving member, who posted a 1.19 average rating throughout the event. HEROIC dropped zero series on their path to the title, beating 3DMAX, Phantom, and Ninjas in Pyjamas before closing out K27 in the final.
“This is a more fitted team, so to speak,” IGL Christoffer “Chr1zN” Storgaard said after the match. “The roles fit, and that is going to do a lot. Everyone has been putting in an enormous amount of work with the short time we’ve had. Throughout this event, the mindset has been fantastic from everyone.”
The final day opened with K27 eliminating Ninjas in Pyjamas in a three-map series, surviving their fourth straight elimination match after being sent to the lower bracket by the same opponents on Wednesday. The young Russian side competed without Timur “clax” Sabirov, fielding Aleksandr “shalfey” Marenov as a stand-in for only their second international LAN appearance.
The 3-0 scoreline undersells K27’s effort. They clawed back from 10-2 down on Mirage and came within striking distance of taking it to overtime, and on Dust2 they held an 11-7 lead before HEROIC pulled through to close the series.
Grand Final Player Stats
| HEROIC | K-D | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chr1zN | 62-45 | 99.1 | 80.0% | 1.45 |
| nilo | 57-43 | 84.6 | 81.4% | 1.30 |
| MartinezSa | 59-37 | 79.0 | 78.6% | 1.16 |
| susp | 35-43 | 56.8 | 67.1% | 0.90 |
| Brollan | 38-46 | 62.9 | 71.4% | 0.83 |
| K27 | K-D | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qw1nk1 | 47-50 | 73.7 | 70.0% | 1.17 |
| kashl1d | 41-44 | 61.5 | 70.0% | 1.02 |
| xeedo | 47-51 | 75.7 | 65.7% | 0.98 |
| shalfey | 36-51 | 63.0 | 60.0% | 0.78 |
| X5G7V | 40-56 | 66.0 | 57.1% | 0.77 |
Stake Ranked Episode 3 Prize Pool Distribution
Total Prize Pool: $100,000 USD
| Place | Participant | Prize (USD) | Qualifies To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HEROIC | $25,000 | Stake Ranked Ep. 4 Qualifier |
| 2 | K27 | $17,500 | Stake Ranked Ep. 4 Qualifier |
| 3 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | $13,500 | — |
| 4 | 3DMAX | $11,000 | — |
| 5–6 | Gentle Mates | $9,000 | — |
| 5–6 | Phantom Esports | $9,000 | — |
| 7–8 | paiN Gaming | $7,500 | — |
| 7–8 | Wildcard | $7,500 | — |
The title moves HEROIC up ten spots in the global VRS to 27th. Chr1zN’s squad now faces an immediate test, with closed qualifier matches for StarSeries Fall and BLAST Bounty scheduled in the week ahead. Follow TipsGG for full coverage of both events.