SK defeat HellRaisers to win Moche XL Esports
SK have prevailed over HellRaisers in Portugal to claim the Moche XL Esports trophy, giving the team their second first place finish in the last month. A 19-17 overtime victory on Cache gave way to a 16-10 finish on Overpass, granting Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo and co. the trophy and $25,000 for first place.
Both Moche XL Esports and SK's prior first place finish, Adrenaline Cyber League, had fewer teams in attendance than most premier events, and a lack of top tier opposition grants little merit to the team's victory; however, these small victories are exactly what the SK roster needs after recently struggling against the world's best at StarSeries, ESL Pro League Season 7 Finals, and IEM Sydney.
The roster has lost confidence since the addition of Jake "Stewie2k" Yip, and a complete swap to communicating in English has hindered the progress of the team. Smaller tournament victories and more experience playing together gives the Brazilian-American roster the opportunity to improve and adjust, especially with larger events still on the horizon.
These smaller tournaments have helped the team practice, and have been their only opportunity to develop their roster as their current organization, SK, has reportedly refused to provide the players with accomodations to bootcamp. The team has long been linked with a move to mibr, a legendary Brazilian brand that was purchased by Noah Winston's Immortals organization many months ago.
With ESL One Belo Horizonte set to kick off on Wednesday, the SK roster will look to prove they can once again compete against the best. Although Astralis won't be in attendance, FalleN and co. will still have plenty to prove as they look to take on FaZe and Lincoln "fnx" Lau's Não Tem Como roster, who will make their LAN debut.
The final standings for Moche XL Esports are:
1st. SK - $25,000
2nd. HellRaisers - $15,000
3rd-4th. Giants - $4,000
3rd-4th. WinStrike - $4,000
5-6th. Tempo Storm - $1,000
5-6th. Movistar Riders - $1,000
SK's opening matchup at ESL One Belo Horizonte will see them take on Space Soldiers, with the winner moving on to face either FaZe or, should there be an incredible upset, the newly minted Ghost lineup.