The third day of ESL Challenger League Season 52's Cup 3 North American competition delivered four intense lower bracket clashes, narrowing the field to just eight surviving teams in the $17,500 prize pool event.
Club 333 and Villainous both suffered swift 0-2 defeats, falling to DETONATE and regain respectively. FarmVille, despite their strong fourth-place finish in Cup 2, couldn't replicate that success and were eliminated following a 1-2 loss against Wanted Goons. Desi Boyz, featuring Justin "jsfeltner" Feltner standing in for Saad "Pluto" Siraj, also bowed out after losing 1-2 to EMPIRE.
In the regain versus Villainous matchup, regain dropped the opening pistol on Anubis but stormed back with seven consecutive rounds. Though Villainous clawed back to 7-5, regain secured the second pistol and ultimately closed out the map 13-10. On Inferno, regain dominated with a near-perfect CT side in the second half, sealing a 13-7 victory.
The EMPIRE versus Desi Boyz series went the distance. EMPIRE claimed Dust2 13-10 after a crucial five-round closing streak. Desi Boyz responded on Mirage, mounting a late 4-1 run to take it 13-11. However, EMPIRE absolutely demolished on the Nuke decider, putting together a flawless second half for a commanding 13-4 finish. EMPIRE's captain Colby "Walco" Walsh delivered an exceptional performance with 54 frags and a 1.44 rating.
Tonight's schedule features upper bracket matches between Overtake Sector and Chicken Coop, plus Zomblers facing Iowa Stormboar. The lower bracket continues with EMPIRE battling regain and Wanted Goons taking on DETONATE.
