White tigers roar!

EVOS Icon was triumphant in the World Cyber Games 2023 (WCG 2023) grand final after a thrilling 3-2 victory over MDL PH Season 1 champion ECHO Proud.

With the win, the Indonesian squad takes home the lion’s share of the US$40,000 prize pool.

EVOS Icon denies the reverse sweep thanks to Sutsujin’s Savage play on Martis

EVOS Icon championship poster after they won the WCG 2023 grand final against ECHO Proud
Credit: EVOS Esports

ECHO Proud breezed into the upper bracket, taking down M4 world champions ECHO, 2-0, and EVOS Icon, 2-0, to become the first team to reach the grand final.

After losing to ECHO in the upper bracket, EVOS swept fellow Indonesian team ONIC Overlord, 2-0, to book a rematch with the MDL PH Season 1 champion.

EVOS Icon was exceptional in the first two games, led by EXP laner Kenley “Veldora” Zefanya and veteran jungler Arthur “Sutsujin” Sunarkho.

The Indonesian team achieved a commanding 21-8 kill score in the first game and a 19-5 score in the second.

Despite EVOS Icon’s strong start, ECHO Loud made an impressive comeback in the next two games. In the third game, Jankurt “KurtTzy” Matira on Kadita led ECHO’s charge, utilizing his well-timed Rough Waves ultimate to strategically pick off EVOS’ core members during crucial team fights. KurtTzy finished with a positive 6/1/7 KDA.

The fourth game turned into a tense back-and-forth affair, with EVOS initially holding the upper hand in the early to mid-game.

However, ECHO Proud’s team fight prowess proved superior in the late game with a Terizla and Pharsa combo. A decisive wipeout at the 20-minute mark allowed ECHO to equalize the score.

In the final match, neither team had a clear advantage in the first 10 minutes. Both teams then tried to seize control of the Lord when it spawned.

EVOS gained control of a significant area around the Lord pit. Sensing an opportunity, ECHO attempted to initiate a team fight to shift the tide in their favor.

However, Sutsujin’s masterful use of Martis was the turning point.

He nullified ECHO’s stuns with Mortal Coil, which opened an opportunity to pick off the enemy members one by one in the backline using Decimation.

The play eventually resulted in a Savage — the first and only Savage in the entire tournament.

With no players to defend ECHO’s base, EVOS swiftly secured the Lord and pushed the midlane to win the series.

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