Miraculous Youngster stand alone as China's best team after claiming the Premier Series Grand Final. The event was the conclusion of this year's Premier Series, which consisted of three separate events played over the course of the year.
Miraculous Youngster, Miracle Team One, ViCi Gaming and 1246 all earned themselves invitations to the APAC Premier by advancing to the semifinals. However, only the top three teams will receive prize money, with the champion earning a hefty ¥400,000 CNY (~$60,700 USD).
The semifinals were a relatively one-sided affair. Miraculous Youngster took down Miracle Team One 3-1, winning the last three maps with ease after faltering on Volskya. 1246 similarly asserted their dominance against ViCi Gaming, the runners up in the Summer Series, in a 3-0 sweep. Thus, Miraculous Youngster and 1246 moved onto the final, whilst Miracle Team One and ViCi Gaming fell to the bronze final.
Miracle Team One's performance in the bronze final mirrored their loss in the semifinal, beginning with a hot start and then getting swept in the remaining maps. With ¥100,000 ($15,150~ USD) on the line in the final map, Miracle Team One's defense fell to pieces on ViCi's second attack. ViCi Gaming captured all three points on King's Row in overtime and thus closed the door to a potential comeback. This was a disappointing result for Miracle Team One, as they were expected to put up more of a fight after placing third in the Summer Series.
The final was a match up between the Spring and Summer Series victors, a fitting conclusion to the Premier Series. Miraculous Youngster entered as the favorites and rightfully so after winning the Summer Series without losing a single match. The final was somewhat marred by an unfortunate mistake, as Nepal was chosen on what would turn out to be the final map despite the choice conflicting with tournament rules. The map was changed from Nepal to King's Row after a short period of confusion, although a full round of Nepal was played. Luckily, this did not appear to have much of an impact on the final, as Miraculous Youngster continued to win on King's Row. The team ended the match as Premier Series victors, defeating 1246 4-2.
Having earned over $100,000 USD in just over a week from their Summer and Grand Final Series victories, Miraculous Youngster are rightfully revered as China's strongest team. They will likely enter the APAC Premier with confidence in their ability to take on the international competition in home territory. As China's strongest team, their performance against squads from APEX, the Pacific Championship and Contenders will be judged as a representation of China's standing in the international Overwatch scene.
Final Standings
The final standings of the Premier Series Grand Final are:
- 1st: Miraculous Youngster ¥400,000 CNY (~$60,700 USD) - APAC Premier Qualification
- 2nd: 1246 ¥200,000 CNY (~$30,350 USD) - APAC Premier Qualification
- 3rd: ViCi Gaming ¥100,000 CNY (~$15,150 USD) - APAC Premier Qualification
- 4th: Miracle Team One - APAC Premier Qualification
- 5th-8th: LGD Gaming
- 5th-8th: Oh My God
- 5th-8th: Lucky Future
- 5th-8th: FTD Club