Medal Esports secured a thrilling victory against Aster Army in a highly anticipated rematch during the VCL qualifiers. Despite losing to AA in the previous qualifiers, Medal Esports defeated all odds and emerged victorious in a nail-biting 3-map game.
Roster and Lineup
Led by IGL Hrishikesh “DominiK” Khedkar, Aster Army’s roster also included Soumyadeep “DOXZ3R” Dey, Ngô “Kishi” Huy, Pranav “Kohliii” Kohli, Lee “Wink” Zhen Yong, and Sami “SSSami” Ar Rahman (Sub).
Meanwhile, Medal Esports had a 7-man roster, including Rishabh “Ezzy” Gupta, Tanmay “FOX” Verma, Prish “tricky” Valvani, Emmanuel “jEEE” Buenavidez, Oscar “Kakarot” Jr., Sameer “godvexy” Sharma (Sub), and Daivik “DcRulz” Chauhan (Sub).
However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the team’s imported players and sub Godvexy were unable to attend, and Coach Vikrant ‘Hacker’ Pujari had to fill in.
Map Veto and Selection
During the veto and selection process, Aster Army banned Fracture, and Medal Esports banned Lotus. Aster Army chose Ascent, while Medal Esports picked Pearl. Icebox and Split were banned, and the final map chosen was Split.
Medal Esports vs Aster Army Match Recap
Medal Esports started off slow on Ascent, losing the first four rounds. However, MDL Tricky’s impressive sniping skills on defense helped them secure a few rounds. Nevertheless, AA’s Kishi and Doxer dominated the attacking side, finishing the half 8-4 in their favor.
Although Medal Esports won the pistol and anti-eco round in the second half, AA’s defense proved too strong, and they clinched the map 13-7 with Doxer leading the charge with an impressive 27 kills on Killjoy.
On Pearl, Medal Esports had a better start, winning the pistol and anti-eco rounds. Their attacking prowess helped them secure a 10-2 lead at the half, despite having a defensive composition. Medal Fox’s incredible fragging skills helped them finish the map with a dominant score of 13-4, with a KDA of 25/6/9 on Viper.
For the first time in VCL, the match went to the third map, Haven. Medal Esports won the pistol round with Ezzy’s triple kill but lost the subsequent anti-eco round. They managed to gain an 8-4 lead on defense, despite Haven being an attack-sided map.
AA won the pistol and anti-eco rounds, breaking Medal Esports’ momentum. However, Medal quickly regained their footing, shutting down AA and winning the map 13-9, with MDL Fox showing off his impressive support and aim with a KDA of 25/15/11 on Breach.
Despite playing with a substitute player and a coach, Medal Esports played exceptionally well in all three maps. They successfully avenged their prior loss to Aster Army and clinched a well-deserved victory.
