The Bulls Team and the strange final

Two days ago, we reported on the final of the VPL Poland Summer League. The Bulls Team ultimately lost their match against GSK Esport towards the end of the season. This meant they finished second in the summer league. We didn’t have to wait long for a rematch, as in the Summer Cup lower bracket final, organised by ProLeague Polska & Miami Esports, our partner defeated Iron Ravens to advance to the grand final – a grand final in which GSK Esport were already waiting.

Unfortunately, the ProLeague website has changed significantly, so we do not have any data on the result of the match against Iron Ravens. The organiser’s website only features a recording of the live broadcast of the final match: GSK Esport vs. The Bulls Team. We will focus on that match today.

The final was played in a 3x Best of 3 format. As GSK Esport were in the upper bracket, they had a somewhat complicated advantage. Namely, winning a single BO3 series meant they would win the match. The Bulls Team could only have won if they’d won two BO3 series in a row or three matches in a row.

First match: 5–1

Our team took the lead in the first match thanks to a goal from KOSTQ1773 in the 22nd minute. The second goal came in the 41st minute, when the same player confidently converted a penalty. BEEQR sealed the first-half result by adding another goal in the 44th minute. In the second half, we saw our partner score a further two goals. First, in the 80th minute, KOSTQ1773 found the net again, his third goal of the match. The final score was sealed by an own goal from a GSK Esport defender. The first match ended in a 5–0 victory for our partner.

Second match: 1–1 (4–2)

KOSTQ1773 opened the scoring in the second match. However, it was not without technical issues. The second half had to be played in a separate match due to a known game bug. After the break, GSK Esport managed to equalise, scoring in the 70th minute (25th minute). The organisers, however, resolved the issue quite efficiently. Admittedly, the match ran over slightly, but the solution – involving GSK Esport scoring a so-called own goal to ensure there was definitely extra time – was by far the most sensible decision, or at least that was the intention, as the very same error we’d seen earlier reared its head once more. What can one expect from a game that was released a year ago? In the next match, the players played to 30 minutes, and after 30 minutes the ‘golden goal’ rule applied (score a goal and you win). The match was so closely contested that we saw no goals in either the first or second half. Nor did one come in extra time, and the match went to penalties. The Bulls Team won the penalty shoot-out 4–2.

Third match: 0–1

The first half was definitely a closely contested affair. The scoreboard read 0–0. And you won’t believe what happened in the second half… Ah shit, here we go again. Another problem with the start of the second half. We saw the first goal in the 82nd minute (37th minute). Our partner failed to catch up with their opponents, and the third match ended 0–1.

First match: 1–0

We didn’t see a single goal in normal time and, once again, this match went to extra time. Extra time, however, was a bit more exciting. KOSTQ1773 opened the scoring with a goal in the 96th minute. Interestingly, moments earlier, one of the commentators had mentioned that it was precisely him from The Bulls Team who was missing. When called up to the board, he didn’t disappoint.

Second match: 0–1

GSK scored in the second half to make it 1-0. The final match was due to be played, which would decide the overall championship. However, shortly afterwards, a message appeared on the broadcast stating that this match would be the final one, and the winner of this match would win the entire tournament and claim the Summer Cup title. Unfortunately for our partner, they conceded a goal in that match, which resulted in them losing the tournament final.

GSK Esport 2–1 The Bulls Team

0:1 (1-5, 1-1 (2-4), 1-0)
1:0 (0-1, 1-0)

We draw our knowledge of tournament formats mainly from Counter-Strike 2 tournaments and leagues. Some of them have really cool and interesting formats. However, organisers sometimes like to overcomplicate things, as was the case in this tournament, where the rules for the final were a bit complicated. Presumably, had it not been for technical issues, the final might have played out a little differently. Usually, when we watch the lower bracket final in a double-elimination tournament (as is the case here), the final is played in a BO5 format, and the team from the upper bracket automatically wins the first map 1-0. Can we talk about camaraderie here? We haven’t been on the EA Sports FC scene long enough, nor do we currently have the connections to comment on this matter, but an outsider, unaffiliated with either side, could probably say so, based on the facts.

We asked one of the organisers about the structure of the tournament itself, or the final. He explained to us that the structure of the tournament is more flexible. In short: a team from the upper bracket only needed to win one BO3 to automatically win the whole tournament. When that didn’t happen, the team from the lower bracket was still in the running. For The Bulls Team to win the final, they had to win two BO3s in a row or three matches in a row.

Please treat the above article as our opinion. Just because we don’t like the structure of the final, and in our view it isn’t fair, doesn’t mean you have to dislike the idea itself, so we encourage you to share your views. To sum up, in our view, the team from the upper bracket this season enjoyed far too much ‘immunity’. Furthermore, the rules of the final itself seem rather complicated, and individual readers who are not affiliated with a particular team or tournament may find it difficult to understand the final and its rules.

Many thanks to the administrator for their prompt and comprehensive reply.

source:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567642541049

The Bulls Team (Facebook, x.com)

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