LEVIATÁN LEVIATÁN Latin America South Rank #1 Demon1 Max Mazanov tex Ian Botsch kiNgg Francisco Aravena C0M Corbin Lee nataNk Nathan Bocqueho have defeated KRÜ Esports KRÜ Esports Latin America South Rank #2 keznit Angelo Mori Mazino Roberto Rivas adverso Benjamín Poblete Shyy Fabian Usnayo Melser Marco Eliot Machuca Amaro 2-0, advancing to the Americas Stage 2 upper bracket final. The victory means Sentinels Sentinels North America Rank #3 N4RRATE Marshall Massey bang Sean Bezerra Zellsis Jordan Montemurro zekken Zachary Patrone johnqt Mohamed Amine Ouarid have qualified to Champions Seoul via championship points, as Leviatán will take a higher seed in the event. Both Leviatán and KRÜ await the result of the second match of the day, G2 Esports vs. 100 Thieves, to determine their next opponent.

This series is the 13th time the premier Latin American teams have played each other in non-best-of-one matches, with six victories apiece in previous encounters. Prior to this match, Leviatán had won the three most recent series, while the last time KRÜ took the win was twice in the 2023 Last Chance Qualifier.

Icebox was selected to start the series, while KRÜ decided to go with Sunset as their map. KRÜ would start on attack on both maps. If KRÜ was able to end Leviatán's map streak, Haven remained as the decider map.

Leviatán had a strong start, shutting down every attempt made by the offense. KRÜ's first round came after an Atom timeout, a double fake and Melser 4K catching Leviatán off guard. KRÜ were unable to shift the momentum back, however, as kiNgg and aspas each won a 1v1 and took over the remainder of the half.

Shyy gets a sneaky 3K, tex gets a more impactful one

In the second half, tex found his second pistol-round multikill to put his team up 11-2. The next round also went in their favor, as Leviatán played the clock to perfection and reached match point with a last-second plant. In the end, a clean aspas 4K won them their map with a dominant 13-2.

“[We need to] always be one step ahead,” kiNgg said about their success. “We should be aggressive, unpredictable.” After the match, tex also emphasized the need for preparation. “We just need to prepare well, focus, and that's how we keep our confidence.”

The beginning of Sunset appeared to mirror map one perfectly. Leviatán won the pistol, took the anti-eco and bonus, and a tex clutch forced a KRÜ timeout after 4-0. The tactical pause was not as effective as the first time, as Leviatán won a 2v2 and were unfazed by KRÜ's eco round.

In round 7 an early C0M Hunter's Fury found heat and gave his team a player advantage. KRÜ played a slow round to find two eliminations and plant on A. Despite a double kill from tex, Melser won the clutch and put his team on the board.

C0M and Mazino spraydown

Leviatán quickly recovered the following round to break KRÜ's economy. keznit was able to buy a Guardian, which he used to help his team win the eco round after a mid pick and pivot to A. The next three rounds went in the defender's favor, going to half time with another 10-2 scoreline.

The second pistol round went KRÜ's way, and they were able to win the anti-eco despite considerable damage from the rival squad. This meant they went into the bonus round with only two Guardians and three Sheriffs, a buy too weak to stop Leviatán's attack. KRÜ had full firepower the next round, but a surprising entry from aspas left A open, with his team cleaning up with an aggressive post-plant. Forced onto an eco, KRÜ were helpless during the final round, and Leviatán took advantage with a quick mid push to seal the series.

“I expected a 2-1,” kiNgg said regarding the matchup. “I know the guys, they're insane.” He mentioned feeling comfortable today against KRÜ. “I don't know why, it always felt like we were peeking 3v1.”

The victory means Leviatán have won their sixth match in a row, and extends their map winstreak to 12. The win also means aspas is two series away from a second VCT Americas title, having won the 2023 season with his previous team, LOUD.

KRÜ remain in the tournament, descending to the lower bracket. They maintain their hopes of qualifying to Champions, needing to win their next series against either G2 Esports G2 Esports North America Rank #1 jawgemo Alexander Mor trent Trent Cairns valyn Jacob Batio JonahP Jonah Pulice leaf Nathan Orf or 100 Thieves 100 Thieves North America Rank #7 zander Alexander Dituri Cryocells Matthew Panganiban eeiu Daniel Vucenovic Boostio Kelden Pupello Asuna Peter Mazuryk . Should they be successful, they will make the top-three in VCT Americas and join FNATIC FNATIC Europe Rank #6 crashies Austin Roberts Boaster Jake Howlett kaajak Kajetan Haremski Chronicle Timofey Khromov Alfajer Emir Ali Beder as the only teams to attend every single Champions event.