Alliance captured the last spot at ESL One Birmingham by winning the GG.BET Birmingham Invitational.
Eight teams from Europe and CIS fought for the last ticket to ESL One Birmingham. Natus Vincere, Gambit Esports, and Alliance were among the biggest names invited to participate in the GG.BET Birmingham Invitational for a chance to qualify to the bigger event.
After a group stage bloodbath, Alliance and Gambit Esports topped their respective groups as the top two teams from each group advanced to the event’s playoffs.
Alliance started the main event with a nail biting series against Team Empire.
Empire dominated the first game with a small but consistent net worth advantage throughout. The second game heavily favored Alliance and the team ended it with a 23-kill advantage.
The third and deciding game was a close fight that lasted for an hour. Alliance lost several key team fights but managed to come back stronger in the late game with their Axe, Storm Spirit, and Troll Warlord scaling hard.
Meanwhile, Old but Gold eliminated Gambit Esports, who had been undefeated in the group stage. Old but Gold won the series with two quick games and a clean 2-0 score.
Alliance faced Old but Gold in the grand final. Old but Gold’s positive momentum showed in the opening game of the championship as they stomped Alliance huge thanks to Ilya “Illidan” Pivcaev’s sharp Razor performance.
Alliance found a rebuttal in the second game. Max “qojqva” Bröcker showed dominance with his Storm Spirit plays across the map. Alliance capitalized on stacking disables by drafting Vengeful Spirit, Earthshaker, and Dark Willow.
Omar “Madara” Dabachach ended the game with a 24k net worth advantage on his carry Lifestealer.
Alliance pushed another Earthshaker and Vengeful Spirit strategy for the third game. Old but Gold completely lost their stride and the ensuing fast-paced brawl ended in 28 minutes.
Alliance asserted their dominance again in game four. The team controlled the game’s tempo and took the championship title with few dramatics,as the game ended at 23 minutes with an Alliance 27-kill advantage.
Next month, Alliance will take part in the hunt for the $300,000 prize pool at ESL One Birmingham.
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