GamerLegion beat Copenhagen Flames to win Elisa Invitational Winter 2023

The European squad made full use of their playoff invite and posted three flawless victories en route to their first-place finish.

GamerLegion got the better of Copenhagen Flames in a two-map grand final to be crowned champions of Elisa Invitational Winter 2023, drawing first blood with a 16-13 victory on Ancient before closing things out after a 19-15 overtime showing on Inferno.

The victory is the team's first tournament win since their successful run through the Thunderpick Bitcoins Series 2 in February, with the side also suffering from repeated early exits in numerous online competitions in the first three months of 2023.

The international mixture were invited straight to the second round of playoffs in the 20-team online competition, making full use of the perk by first moving past Partizan (2-0) before taking down Movistar Riders in the semi-final (2-0).

The Kamil "⁠siuhy⁠" Szkaradek-led lineup got off to a hot start in the grand final versus the Danes, nurturing a comfortable 9-6 lead on the CT-side of Ancient thanks to a 1.61-rated performance from Frederik "⁠acoR⁠" Gyldstrand. The Danes kept things close once it was their turn to defend and clawed their way back to a 13-13 stalemate, only for GamerLegion to turn up the heat and go on a three-round streak to close things out, 16-13.

Inferno kicked off with much of the same, with GamerLegion once again enjoying a healthy three-round buffer by the side swap. A sudden surge in form saw Copenhagen Flames recover and push up to map point, 15-13, but GamerLegion once again shored up their defensive line, forcing overtime and closing out a hard-fought game in the nick of time, 19-15.

The tournament victory will undoubtedly serve as a much-needed confidence booster for the European roster, especially with the BLAST.tv Paris Major Europe RMR, which runs from April 6-14, fast approaching.

siuhy's troops have been seeded into Group A — alongside the likes of FaZe, Natus Vincere, and Outsiders — and will relish in working their way up to peak form in time for one of the most important qualifiers of the calendar year.

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Conversely, the title-deciding loss will be a bitter pill to swallow for Thomas "⁠birdfromsky⁠" Due-Frederiksen's men, in what was the lineup's first grand final appearance of 2023.

The side enjoyed a stellar run through Elisa Invitational Winter up until their bout versus GamerLegion, cruising through the group stage with a 3-0 record before doing the same in the playoffs, even taking down BIG — the tournament's highest-seeded team — in the semi-final. Regardless, the Danish team ran out of steam and were unable to close out their impressive run, instead having to settle for a silver medal.