And yesterday, a new qualifier of the Super League Domino’s took place, where the two teams that were still advancing in the Loser Bracket faced off with the goal of reaching the final. Specifically, it was Barça Esports and Giantx Pride who starred in a series that went to five maps and ultimately ended with the Blaugrana club emerging victorious.
In this way, Giantx Pride has been eliminated and will have to wait until spring to try to become champions again. However, I believe it’s necessary to delve deeper into what happened yesterday, as it was a series that Giantx Pride should never have lost. Before analyzing the details, I think it’s essential to give credit where credit is due – to Barça Esports. A team that, before the start of the Super League, was considered one of the favorites but, due to various circumstances, didn’t quite live up to expectations. Their regular phase was more than questionable, and they entered the playoffs as the eighth seed, making it seem like they could be eliminated at any moment.
Since then, it’s been noticeable how the team has improved, not dramatically, but they’ve shown a better level of play. They were able to surprise Heretics in the first round, although they ultimately lost. However, they’ve managed to advance through the Loser Bracket, ultimately defeating Giantx Pride in a match that will likely be remembered as the most chaotic in the competition’s history. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without their shooter, Léglas, who never gave up and carried the team on his back when few still had faith.
Regarding Giantx Pride, I think I speak for all fans when I say that the defeat they suffered yesterday is something unbearable. It’s been several years since they last won the league title, specifically since the summer split of 2021, and since then, we’ve seen the giants fall on numerous occasions. However, there had never been a match where they had victory so clearly within their grasp, only to throw it away.
For those who didn’t see the match yesterday, Giantx Pride at one point had a 2-0 lead and a 10k gold advantage in the third map, with no nexus towers at the Barça Esports base, and all they had to do was play coherently to win the series. The reality is that, although the team showed a good early game on all maps, it seemed that at a specific point in the game, they became completely disconnected. Already in the second map, they came close to having to throw in the towel, and after losing an 8k gold advantage, they had to concede thanks to a genius play by Feisty in the form of a backdoor.
Anyone would think that such a scare would be enough to prevent this situation from happening again, but for Giantx Pride, it wasn’t. In fact, it seems that they set out to magnify it even more. The reason is that this third map was an absolute beating for the giants, who managed to take both the Baron and the Elder Dragon in the same play, something that usually determines the end of the game. Unfortunately, the “Vietnam Memories” returned, and negative plays began to pile up for them, likely due to impatience and fear that what happened in the previous game could be repeated. This is exactly what happened, and what followed is history – Barça managed to take the map and, from there, the rest is well-known.
The truth is that, when speaking of players of the highest level, this is something intolerable and should never be allowed to happen. Having a specific error in a game can be understandable, but the fact that it happens twice in a row, considering the circumstances of the third map, is completely surreal and shameful for players who make a living playing League of Legends to throw away a series that they had all but won.
And, in my opinion, nothing can be reproached of Giantx as a club. The roster they formed at the beginning of the season, just by looking at the names, promised to be powerful and competitive. In fact, I don’t think anything can be said about the staff, as this series, under normal conditions, would have ended 3-0 in favor of Giantx Pride. What I do think is that players need to be reminded that they represent the most successful club in Spain, and with that comes a level of responsibility that doesn’t allow for failures like the one we saw yesterday.
Now, there’s nothing left to do but congratulate Barça eSports and acknowledge that this was surely the most epic series in the competition’s history. Still, I hope the players become aware of what happened and begin training now so that in the spring, they can finally achieve that long-awaited and desired eighth Super League title.