Valors deconstruct Detonate to secure promotion to ESL Challenger League Season 40
The final two days of ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation have drawn to a close, with Valors completing the lower bracket run to best Detonate and secure their spot in ESL Challenger League Season 40.
The first matchup of the final two days saw Valors square up against X13 with Detonate waiting for the victor. Despite Valors striking first on their pick of Mirage by winning the pistol round, X13 quickly responded by stealing the second round, building on this by adding two additional rounds to their tally. The two teams continued to trade blows throughout the first half, with neither team able to post more than three consecutive rounds on the board. As a result, Valors would end the first half barely ahead, going into their CT-side with an 8-7 advantage. X13 managed to bag the first four rounds of the second half, but a strong defensive showing from Robert "robby" Brown and his men would see Valors answer straight back, securing a seven-round win streak to easily reach match point. There, a deflated X13 was only able to muster one further round, and Valors took the map 16-12 to go up 1-0 in the series.
The second map of the matchup saw the two sides head to Vertigo, where X13 were determined to send the series to a full three maps. In spite of a brief skirmish at the start of the map where both teams traded rounds, X13 soon looked comfortable and were able to go on a tear on their T-side, winning seven of the final eight rounds of the half to lead 10-5 as the two teams swapped. Spearheaded by Saad "Pluto" Siraj, Valors managed to initially post seven rounds of their own at the switch to keep the map competitive. However, the deficit from the first half would be too much to overcome, and Valors soon succumbed to X13 following a scrappy end to the second map, seeing the latter side barely come out on top with a 16-14 scoreline.
Map three of the lower bracket final took the two teams to Overpass in what would end up being a relatively one-sided decider. Starting on the CT-side, X13 were able to start off strong, winning five rounds to keep their foes at bay. However, a solid team performance spurred on the Valors camp, enabling the side to dismantle their opponents and win seven rounds on the bounce to lead 9-6 at the half. There, robby’s prowess continued to be on full display as the CT-side racked up a four round win-streak to build upon their first-half success. A brief two-round reply by X13 would end up being for nothing, with Valors easily securing the final three rounds thereafter to close the map 16-8, and end the series 2-1 to send their opponents home in fourth place.
X13Valors| X13 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Paul 'aris' Wilson |
63 - 55 | +8 | 83.8 | 68.3% | 1.13 |
 Max 'Makzwell' Sparrey |
50 - 44 | +6 | 64.0 | 73.2% | 1.08 |
| Matthew 'scar' Bruni |
52 - 57 | -5 | 73.9 | 65.9% | 0.97 |
| Brennan 'Lemonz' Lentz |
39 - 62 | -23 | 62.6 | 68.3% | 0.77 |
| Marshall 'Jonesy' Jones |
38 - 61 | -23 | 52.9 | 61.0% | 0.72 |
| Valors |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert 'robby' Brown |
73 - 47 | +26 | 86.8 | 69.5% | 1.32 |
 Saad 'Pluto' Siraj |
62 - 50 | +12 | 86.7 | 74.4% | 1.26 |
| Jake 'WOOHOO' J. |
58 - 46 | +12 | 64.2 | 75.6% | 1.13 |
| Damian 'EMIYA' Boulware |
49 - 50 | -1 | 64.8 | 76.8% | 1.02 |
| Louis 'onter' Contreras |
36 - 51 | -15 | 60.8 | 70.7% | 0.95 |
Following their triumph over X13, Valors were set to face Detonate in the Consolidation Final, with the winner claiming the remaining spot in ESL Challenger League Season 40. Heading into Valors’ pick of Overpass, the roster was quick to display signs of dominating consistency, responding to a Detonate pistol and second-round victory with a seven-round win streak. Although Detonate did show signs of life near the end of the half by clawing back three rounds, Valors didn't relent and would finish the half strong at 10-5. Switching sides, Valors continued to overwhelm Andrew "Ghostii" Kehler and company, going on to win six unanswered CT-side rounds to lock in a swift 16-5 victory on the first map.
In what would turn out to be an anticlimactic end to the consolidation final, Detonate continued to look uninspired heading into their pick of Inferno. David "Delta9" Shafer and co. soon conceded thirteen rounds in the first half thanks to a near impregnable Valors CT-side, with Detonate's only two round wins being a short-lived reply midway through the half. Carrying the momentum forward from the first half, Valors quickly dispatched of their opponents following a three-round win streak at the start of the second half to close the map 16-2, ending the series in commanding fashion 2-0 to seal their place in ESL Challenger League Season 40.
DetonateValors| Detonate |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew 'Ghostii' Kehler |
27 - 34 | -7 | 82.0 | 64.1% | 0.91 |
| David 'Delta9' Shafer |
26 - 34 | -8 | 85.5 | 59.0% | 0.89 |
| Christian 'Sutter' Sutter |
23 - 34 | -11 | 59.4 | 64.1% | 0.80 |
| Silas 'silas' Marrufo |
12 - 32 | -20 | 38.2 | 53.8% | 0.48 |
| Christopher 'Swahn' Swahn |
12 - 32 | -20 | 41.4 | 41.0% | 0.45 |
| Valors |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake 'WOOHOO' J. |
44 - 22 | +22 | 99.9 | 74.4% | 1.58 |
| Robert 'robby' Brown |
39 - 22 | +17 | 100.4 | 92.3% | 1.55 |
| Saad 'Pluto' Siraj |
35 - 19 | +16 | 99.0 | 87.2% | 1.54 |
| Damian 'EMIYA' Boulware |
27 - 17 | +10 | 70.1 | 79.5% | 1.17 |
| Louis 'onter' Contreras |
21 - 21 | +0 | 70.8 | 79.5% | 1.10 |
Valors' victory over Detonate sees the side join Strife in ESL Challenger League Season 40, with the remaining ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation sides being demoted or returning to ESEA Advanced Season 40. The standings for ESEA Premier Season 39 Relegation were:
1. Strife - ESL Challenger League Season 40
2. Valors - ESL Challenger League Season 40
3. Detonate - ESEA Advanced Season 40
4. X13 - ESEA Advanced Season 40
5-6. Brazen - ESEA Advanced Season 40
5-6. Third Impact - ESEA Advanced Season 40
7-8. voLante - ESEA Advanced Season 40
7-8. Northern Forces - ESEA Advanced Season 40
