KRÜ Blaze reached the VCT Game Changers Championship 2026 final after recovering from an opening-map loss to defeat Shopify Rebellion Gold 3-1 on Saturday, 31 October. The result avenged their 2-0 upper-bracket semi-final defeat to the North American team four days earlier and ended Shopify Rebellion Gold’s tournament run.
Shopify Rebellion Gold took the opening map after a 47-minute contest, but KRÜ Blaze responded by winning the next three. The second map lasted 37 minutes, while the Argentine-based side edged the third after a 50-minute battle. KRÜ Blaze then closed out the best-of-five on the longest map of the series, which lasted 70 minutes.
The victory contrasted with the teams’ pre-event power rankings. Shopify Rebellion Gold entered as the 10th-ranked team with a rating of 1782, while KRÜ Blaze were ranked 20th with 1742. However, KRÜ Blaze had the stronger record across rated matches, standing at 63-21 over 84 games.
KRÜ Blaze have now won three consecutive lower-bracket series. After falling from the upper bracket, they swept Team Liquid Brazil 2-0 in the quarter-finals and MIBR GC 2-0 in the semi-finals. Their latest victory means they have won seven of the eight maps played since leaving the upper bracket.
Shopify Rebellion Gold had previously beaten SK Nebula 2-0 and KRÜ Blaze 2-0 in the upper bracket. They then lost 2-1 to Gentle Mates GC in the upper-bracket final before Saturday’s defeat, finishing the championship after two consecutive series losses.
KRÜ Blaze will face Gentle Mates GC in the final on Sunday, 1 November. Gentle Mates GC remain unbeaten in the playoffs after sweeping MIBR GC 2-0 in the upper-bracket semi-finals and defeating Shopify Rebellion Gold in the following round.
Sources: Esports Insider.