A legendary bout – the two best teams in the region will face off one last time in the UKIC Season 5 Division 1 Grand Finals on Saturday at 3 pm GMT, hosted in the Team Endpoint HQ in Sheffield.
The final segment in this fiery rivalry.
This rivalry intensified during EPIC.LAN 43, but can be tracked back even further than that. First meeting at EPIC.LAN 43, 8Sins and ALASKA (then under Verdant) clashed in the Upper Bracket Semifinals. This resulted in Verdant winning in a close 2-1 effort, a close result, but after winning map one, 8Sins couldn’t quite get it over the line. Verdant ended up winning the whole event, while 8Sins couldn’t quite make it to the Grand Finals as they lost in the Lower Bracket Final to Verdant fe.
The week after EPIC.LAN 43 8Sins did secure revenge as they beat them in the regular season of UKIC Season 4 Division 1. But couldn’t make it to the Grand Finals as they lost in the Semi Finals to Belfast Storm.
Tree60 lifting his first EPIC.LAN trophy with ALASKA
At the most recent EPIC.LAN, we saw this rivalry bloom as the two faced each other in the Upper Bracket Final and the Grand Finals. The first encounter went the way of 8Sins as they won 2-1, putting themselves through to the finals. ALASKA were hot on their heels as they dealt with Ctrl Alt Defeat in the Lower Bracket Final to secure a rematch.
With experience on their side, coming down to a nail-biting third map, ALASKA closed out the series 13-11 on map three, lifting the EPIC.LAN 44 trophy, their third in a row.
No team has consistently driven ALASKA this close time and time again for a while. Now heading into the final chapter of this rivalry, can 8Sins be the first team to dethrone ALASKA in almost a year?
ALASKA’s last dance
Despite being the undisputed best team in the region, ALASKA is currently in a state of uncertainty. With LFT posts coming out the week before the UKIC Finals, 8Sins is in a prime position to capitalise on this instability.
There are a lot of similarities between this final and the previous UKIC finals. In December, when ALASKA – then Verdant – faced Belfast Storm, they were in roster turmoil and ended up playing with Oliver “leaf” Jackson as a standin instead of Remi “Diviiii” Alexandre. Even if Belfast Storm did push them close, Verdant still came out on top and showed that regardless of their internal issues, they would still rise above the rest.
ALASKA – then Verdant – after winning EPIC.LAN 42
But this time around, it seems to be a new level of intensity as there is a very real chance that we won’t see this core play together again. For certainty, Jamie “Tree60” Callan, Callum “Girafffe” Jones and Ciaran “biscu” King will not be continuing with ALASKA next season, playing their final game in the UKIC Season 5 Division 1 Final.
Currently, there is a chance that Tom “arTisT” Clarke, Matas “Extinct” Strumila and Mason “Vacancy” Haines will continue playing together. But this could change if someone gets a better offer, or just stops playing CS entirely.
UKCSGO understands that coach biscu will not be attending the UKIC Finals and has already moved on to a new project.
First regional trophy lift for 8Sins?
Not only would this be the first trophy for 8Sins as an organisation, but for every single player on the roster. A lot of them have come close, with John “Dutchy” Holland placing second at EPIC.LAN 35 with EKO Esports and Andrew “Wolfie” Allan being the runner up at the inaugural UKIC Division 1 Finals with Verdant. This, funnily enough, was with the core of ALASKA, and they lost to Jamie “Tree60” Callan, who now plays on ALASKA.
EPIC.LAN 44 was not even the first time Michael “Prime” John Fury and William “wfn” Maskrey lost to the core of ALASKA in a Grand Finals. At EPIC.LAN 42, playing with Invictum, they lost to Verdant in both the Upper Bracket Finals and the Grand Finals.
Wolfie playing on the EPIC.LAN stage with 8Sins
Among these certain results, every single player from 8Sins has been so close to lifting a trophy but never could. With ALASKA walking wounded and revenge on the forefront of their mind, this is the perfect opportunity for 8Sins to seize the moment.
As mentioned previously, this would also be the first time 8Sins would lift a trophy. Founded in late 2024, this organisation has found seismic success, and lifting a trophy so early is almost unheard of. Whatever happens, this is a match not to be missed.
Disclaimer: The writer of this article works as a coach for Belfast Storm, who also competes in UKIC Division 1.
