EPULZE Royal SEA Challenge set to start
The EPULZE Royal SEA Challenge is set to kick off today, with twelve teams set to vie for the lion’s share of a US$10,000 prize pool.
The EPULZE Royal SEA Challenge will feature two round-robin groups. Each group consists of six teams who will compete in a best-of-two (BO2) setting, with the top four sides advancing to a best-of-three, single-elimination playoff bracket. The group stage will take place one group at a time on November 8 to 12 and 13 to 17, respectively.
BOOM Esports, Paper Rex, Todak, Kingsmen, South Built Esports, Sharper Esport, and Team Big BAAM all received invites to the tournament, with another five teams coming from the open qualifier. The group distribution for the US$10,000 event looks as follows:
| Group A | Group B |
| 🇮🇩 BOOM Esports | 🇻🇳 Team Big BAAM |
| 🇲🇾 Todak | 🇮🇩 BEAST |
| 🇲🇾 Kingsmen | 🇵🇭 Bren Esports |
| 🇹🇭 Sharper Esport | 🇸🇬 Bleed eSports |
| 🇸🇬 Louvre | 🇸🇬 Paper Rex |
| 🇻🇳 DivisionX Gaming | 🇵🇭 South Built Esports |
Alter Ego and ONIC G both participated in the Indonesia qualifier; however, neither played a single match as they walked out from the tournament. Alter Ego did, however, compete in the FFA qualifier the following day, where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Numerous teams also participated via the TH/VN qualifier, which included some well-known names. Team NKT VALORANT, which was formed earlier this month, already created a name for themselves after defeating Vietnam's Fancy United Esports en route to the semifinals before being ousted by Foxy Araikordai.
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Bren Esports enters the main event as one of the more less-experienced sides, having just finalized their new lineup less than a month ago. They did, however, defeat DR Esports, UCFC Esports, Nigma Galaxy, and Alpha Esports Pro en route to earning a straight entry into the main event.
On the other side, the MY/SG qualifier attracted teams such as Bleed eSports, HZ, and Louvre to take part, with the latter team obtaining the main event berth after defeating Team Nexus in the final. Bleed eSports were eliminated in the semi-finals of the MY/SG qualifier but claimed the last berth in the main event through the more challenging FFA qualifier after defeating Nigma Galaxy in the final of the 53-team tournament.
Matches will be broadcasted on three platforms: Twitch, Youtube, and Facebook during the group stage and playoff stages, with Peter “Kremer3” Kremer and Harry “LEGDAY” Pollitt providing the commentary on the go as the matches progress. The grand final will take place on Saturday at 6 PM SGT (UTC+8) in a best-of-five (BO5) setting to crown the best squad among the twelve.
The eventual winner of EPULZE Royal SEA Challenge will claim a US$6,000 prize, with the runner-ups having to settle for half of that.
The prize pool distribution is as follows:
| Place | Prize |
| 1st | US$6,000 |
| 2nd | US$3,000 |
| 3rd-4th | US$500 |
| 3rd-4th | US$500 |
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Cover photo courtesy of EPULZE