Last weekend saw the first qualifiers for the inaugural CLANAREA CUP, the LAN finals of which will take place on 25 October in Katowice. A dozen or so teams began the battle for a place at the event, but after just the first tournament, we already know who has become the first to secure their place on the Katowice stage. WTG AC performed best throughout the bracket; having defeated Adversa Pro in the final, they can now start preparing for the October LAN.
The first qualifiers provided the organisers not only with sporting excitement, but also with valuable insights into the running of the tournament as a whole. There were, in fact, issues with turnout and walkovers. Some teams had confirmed their participation in advance but ultimately failed to appear on the server. Despite this, the competition went ahead, and the organisers announced changes designed to improve future qualifying rounds.
One of these will be an earlier draw for the bracket. From the next qualifiers onwards, this will take place 30 minutes before the start of the competition. System errors that had been identified have also been corrected, and mechanisms have been added to make running the tournament easier for both administrators and participants.
First rounds full of walkovers
The competition in the first CLANAREA CUP qualifiers began with eight first-round matches. However, even at this stage, there was no shortage of surprises regarding turnout. Amongst others, VoFoxen appeared on the server and got off to a confident start in the tournament, defeating 21Rafle Clan 13–5. In the other fixtures, the situation was somewhat different. GREAT progressed at the expense of TAŚMA ESPORTS. Masuria Esport went through following ATOMIK’s absence. Adversa Pro also did not have to play their match, as Izako Boars failed to appear on the server.
Other teams also benefited from vacant spots in the bracket. LOL received an automatic qualification, whilst Smażymy KUCHNIE progressed after a walkover against Meliniarze. The clash between CroXic Academy and Visionary also failed to take place. Ultimately, several teams emerged from the first round to continue their battle for a place in the qualifying finals. However, the large number of walkovers was one of the main problems of the first stage of the tournament. After the matches had concluded, the organisers reminded the teams that, if they were unable to participate, they should withdraw from their places in advance and not block slots for teams ready to compete.
The second round brought further results, though not all matches were played on the server. GREAT progressed to the next stage following a walkover against VoFoxen. Meanwhile, in the only full match of this part of the bracket, Adversa Pro faced Masuria Esport. Ultimately, Adversa Pro won 13–8 and secured their place in the tournament’s last four. In the next tie, WTG AC were promoted following LOL’s absence, thereby also securing their place in the semi-finals.
The line-up of semi-finalists was completed by Smażymy KUCHNIE, who received an automatic place in the next round. Thus, after two rounds, we knew the four teams still in contention for the first ticket to the LAN finals in Katowice. The semi-finalists were GREAT, Adversa Pro, WTG AC and Smażymy KUCHNIE. From that point on, there was no longer any room for further random outcomes. Each of the remaining teams had to fight for their place on the server, and ahead of us lay two decisive matches that would determine the finalists of the first qualifiers.
WTG AC left no room for doubt in the decisive matches
The first semi-final saw GREAT take on Adversa Pro. Both teams had already played several matches in the early rounds of the qualifiers. Victory, however, meant being just one step away from a trip to Katowice. From the outset, however, Adversa Pro coped better with the pressure of this decisive stage and ended the match with a score of 13–7. As a result, the team became the first to secure their place in the grand final. There, they had just one more match to play to secure their place in the LAN finals of the first edition of the CLANAREA CUP.
In the second semi-final, WTG AC faced off against Smażymy KUCHNIE. Here, the winner was decided more quickly than in the previous match. This was because WTG AC looked confident from the start and ultimately sealed the match with a 13–4 victory. As a result, the team joined Adversa Pro, and it was these two sides that were set to face off in the decisive clash of the first qualifiers. Of course, at stake in this final was not only victory in the tournament, but above all the first ticket to the LAN finals, which will take place in Katowice on 25 October.
The final was played in a BO3 format, and the very first map showed that WTG AC intended to complete their journey through the qualifiers as quickly as possible. On Cache, both teams battled for the first win, but ultimately it was WTG AC who took the first step towards qualification, winning 13–9. Adversa Pro therefore had to respond on Mirage to keep their hopes of victory and a trip to Katowice alive.
However, the second map did not bring the expected turnaround in the final. WTG AC once again proved to be far superior, this time winning by a resounding 13–3. The 2–0 result in the series sealed the team’s triumph in the first qualifiers, and with it came their greatest success… WTG AC became the first finalist of the CLANAREA CUP. The team can now prepare for the LAN event in Katowice this October and look forward to finding out who the other participants in the grand final will be.
The next CLANAREA CUP qualifiers kick off today
The first CLANAREA CUP qualifiers have thus come to an end. Meanwhile, WTG AC became the first team to secure a place in the LAN grand final. The team progressed through the decisive stage of the bracket without any major problems, finishing the tournament with 13–4 victories in the semi-final and a 2–0 win in the final.
It is worth remembering, however, that this is only the start of the journey to the Katowice LAN. The organisers have learnt from the first round of qualifiers and changes are set to be introduced in upcoming tournaments to improve the flow of the competition. Most importantly, the second round of qualifiers kicks off today. So, very soon we’ll find out which team will join WTG AC and secure a place in Katowice.
Congratulations to WTG AC on their victory in the first qualifiers, and we wish them the best of luck at the LAN event in October. However, there’s still plenty of gaming ahead of us… More teams are only just about to begin their battle for tickets to Katowice.
Clanarea
Source: The tournament organiser’s profile on x.com
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