C9 White suffer the first VCT Game Changers setback

Shopify Rebellion demolished Cloud9 White 2-1 in the upper bracket semi-final of VCT Game Changers Series 2. The newest addition of Shopify, Benita “bENITA” Novshadian, stepped up for the team in the dying seconds to clinch the thrilling best-of-three series.

Shopify Rebellion accomplished the seemingly unachievable by giving C9 their first-ever defeat at VCT Game Changers. Despite taking the opening map, C9 was unable to deliver a smooth finish since their big guns remained silent the entire series.

Shopify Rebellion vs Cloud9 White

The best-of-three series began with C9 White winning the opening round on Ascent. During the early game, Jasmine “Jazzyk1ns” Manankil and Melanie “meL” Capone displayed outstanding firepower, allowing the team to build a massive lead. While the duo dominated the frontline, the rest of the C9 held the backline brilliantly, losing only three rounds in the first half.

Shopify took four straight rounds in an attempt to mount a comeback, but C9 White immediately thwarted them, winning four more rounds to end the match with a 13:7 triumph. The outstanding playmaking effort of Jazzyk1ns helped C9 White to a resounding victory. With an average combat score of 343, she secured 25 kills with a loss of ten lives.

Shopify picked Fracture to kick off their comeback, but they were quickly overwhelmed by C9 White’s ferocious counterattacks. C9 kept up their dominance, winning four consecutive rounds to jump out to a quick 4-0 lead over the defending champions. Shopify, though, immediately responded with full force to level the series at 4-4.

Both the team secured two more rounds before closing the first half with a 6-6 tied scoreline. The reigning champion only managed to secure one more round before Kayla “flowerful” Horton took over and completely changed the course of the game. Despite the intense strain, she and Erika “KP” Lytle managed to break through C9 White’s defenses and win five straight rounds. The team’s bold offensive strategy was rewarded with a stunning 13-7 comeback triumph.

C9 White’s attempted to restore their superiority on the decisive map, Bind, taking a dominating 9:3 lead at the end of the first half. Diana “sonder” Zhang and bENITA turned the tides in the second half, upholding the 9:3 curse for C9 White. As a result of their heroic performance, the team was able to close the map with a 13:11 score, despite falling behind at 3:9.

Upcoming matchups

Shopify Rebellion will now advance to the upper bracket finals after achieving the first-ever victory over C9 White in a Game Changers competition. In the final, which is set for July 8 at 6:30 p.m. EST, they will compete against TSM X.

C9 White, on the other hand, will have to continue their playoff run in the lower bracket, which will likely be challenging for the squad. As of yet, the team haven’t lost a single Game Changer event, and they need to win four consecutive matches to retain the title. Their next match will take place at 4:00 EST today against the underdog Sanri-O’s.

Header: RiotGames