u/harakiri_aoe

[SPOILER WARNING]

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What a series. ACCM takes it 4-3 over Viper in the quarters, and the bracket is officially wide open.

Viper playing from a laptop on vacation was always going to be a factor, but ACCM earned it, the last game was a total domination.

With Hera out in the RO12 and Viper now gone in the quarters, it looks like Liereyy is the favorite on paper, but are we going to see a new face in the finals (Sebastian or Lewis)?

Who do you have winning it now?

I am seeing a lot of doom takes after today's games, but I think people are missing the bigger picture. Hera's loss might a good thing for his career.

Hera has been competing non-stop, including the recent WC3 tournament with Grubby last weekend (which also introduced aoe2 through him to a lot of new players). That kind of cross-game grind takes a toll on focus and mechanics. Losing here forces a break he probably needs but wouldn't take on his own.

Also worth noting, he finished 9th and walked away with $2500. Best case scenario: he rests, sorts whatever personal/professional stuff has been on the backburner, and comes back hungrier for more S-tiers.

This isn't the end of anything, just another career checkpoint. And of course, congratz to Lewis, he worked hard towards this!