The British esports organization Verdant finally achieved their long-awaited UKIC title after four attempts, emerging victorious in the Season 3 final held at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham during Logitech G’s LogiPLAY expo. Verdant, who entered the final with a flawless record from the regular season and secured a 2-0 win over Chetz Esports in the semi-finals, remained undefeated until the LAN portion of the tournament. Meanwhile, Dreams to Legends (DTL) had a more challenging path to the final, finishing third in the regular season with five wins and three losses, but staged impressive reverse sweeps in the playoffs against Belfast Storm and The Boys to earn their spot in the final.
Despite being considered underdogs, especially with Zy “yz0” Esponilla playing for fun after retiring earlier in the year, DTL defied expectations in the first map, Ancient. After a closely contested early game, DTL took advantage of Verdant’s weakened economy and secured a 7-5 lead at halftime. Back-to-back clutch plays from Zaid “Vonex” Almayali and yz0 sealed a surprising 13-7 victory for DTL.
In the second map, Verdant picked Nuke, hoping the more tactical map would play to their strengths. Although DTL gained an early 3-0 lead with a pistol round win, Verdant quickly turned the game around once rifles were available. DTL’s defense faltered, particularly on the A site, allowing Verdant to secure 11 consecutive rounds and close out the map with a 13-6 win, setting the stage for a Dust2 decider.
Dust2 mirrored the momentum shift from Nuke, with Verdant racing to a 7-1 lead. Although DTL fought back with four rounds before halftime, Verdant reasserted their dominance after the break. A 1v2 clutch from Mason “Vacancy” Haines, coupled with a mistake from DTL’s Vonex, who found himself alone against Glocks, allowed Verdant to inch closer to victory. Despite DTL’s attempts to stave off defeat, Verdant eventually sealed the map and claimed the series victory.
The triumph was a well-deserved one for Verdant, who had previously fallen short in three consecutive seasons. Their strategic decision to have arTisT step back from the AWP in favor of Diviiii proved fruitful, as Diviiii earned MVP honors for the second consecutive season, following a standout 2.04 rating performance on Dust2. With the leadership of Matas “Extinct” Strumila and Callum “Girafffe” Jones, Verdant is now preparing for their next challenges in the European Pro League Season 19 and the closed qualifier for CCT Season 13.
The victory solidifies Verdant’s position at the top of the UK Counter-Strike scene, as they aim for continued success in upcoming international tournaments.
