I’m quite new to the VCL tier 2 scene, and I find it quite hard to understand the VCL format since it can vary depending on the league. Also I can’t quite find information about the tournament formats. However, one thing I am sure about is that teams are currently competing in Stage 2/Split 2 for a spot in their major region’s Ascension tournament to get a chance to be promoted to tier 1/franchising. However, after the Ascension tournaments, there appears to be a 3rd stage. What is the purpose of the stage? What do teams stand to gain by participating in this third stage? Also, if you know any references that has this kind of info, let me know!