timbermen and BHOP retain ECL spot for next season
The 11-12th and 13-14th finishers of ESL Challenger League Season 45 met REIGN, Rocket, Torch, and No Impact from ESEA Advanced after WITHOUTWARNING claimed the direct spot to Challenger League Season 46.
The Relegation competition had some surprises, the most being Take Flyte being relegated down to Advanced after just one season in the top North American league. More was expected out of Noah "Nifty" Francis's squad, considering the former Envy star's accomplishments in years past.
The first round of games had ex-Snakes Den easily overcoming No Impact and BHOP falling to Rocket 2-1. In what could have been a 2-0 win for the Advanced team, BHOP secured a tight 16-14 second map before finally being taken down. Take Flyte managed to come back against REIGN with two strong maps after falling early 1-0 on a 22-20 Ancient. timbermen swept Torch after a close first map, but a very one-sided second affair.
The first teams to qualify were Rocket, who beat the former Snakes Den squad 2-0, showing a lot of promise against ECL-level teams. Meanwhile, timbermen sent Take Flyte to the lower bracket with another 2-0 after two quick maps.
In the lower bracket, BHOP defeated No Impact 2-1 after taking the first map 16-1, and REIGN got smoked by Torch on both maps securing their elimination. BHOP would face Take Flyte and ex-Snakes Den would face Torch, with both series having qualification on the line. The former Snakes Den lineup beat Torch 2-0, with two 16-6 maps while BHOP overcame Take Flyte 2-1 with the two last maps going to overtime.
With these results, timbermen, BHOP, ex-Snakes Den, and Rocket guaranteed a spot in ESL Challenger League Season 46 while Take Flyte, REIGN, Torch, and No Impact will be playing on Advanced next season.
