Game Changers Championship: Gentle Mates reach grand final as KRÜ Blaze set up Shopify rematch

Gentle Mates GC have reached the grand final of the VALORANT Game Changers Championship 2026 in São Paulo. On Friday, 30 October, they came from a map down to beat Shopify Rebellion Gold 2-1 in the upper bracket final. KRÜ Blaze stayed alive by sweeping MIBR GC 2-0 in the lower bracket. That sets up a best-of-five lower bracket final between KRÜ Blaze and Shopify Rebellion Gold later today. The winner meets Gentle Mates in Sunday's best-of-five grand final at the Riot Games Arena. Our earlier coverage stopped when the final four was set. This report covers the matches played since.

Gentle Mates recover after losing Split

VLR.gg's match page shows Shopify Rebellion Gold winning Gentle Mates' own map pick, Split, 13-11. Noia led the server on that map with a 262 average combat score (ACS). Gentle Mates levelled on Shopify's pick, Sunset, 13-11, with Nami top-scoring at 264 ACS. On the deciding map, Summit, they won 13-10, and Marti led the scoreboard with 255 ACS.

The win continues a strong debut. Hotspawn notes this is Gentle Mates' first appearance at the Game Changers Championship. They came in as EMEA's top seed on circuit points and had swept MIBR GC in the upper semi-finals. Their roster is Marti, berryx, Nami, Wens and safiaa.

KRÜ Blaze edge MIBR in two tight maps

The lower bracket match was close throughout, but KRÜ Blaze won both maps 13-11, on Sunset and Abyss, according to VLR.gg. It is the latest win in a strong lower bracket run. Hotspawn reports they had already beaten the defending champions, Team Liquid Brazil, 2-0 to reach this stage, after a 0-2 upper semi-final loss to Shopify Rebellion Gold.

MIBR GC go out in fourth place. They had been one of the form teams of the lower bracket, beating SK Nebula 2-0 with a round difference of 26-4, including a 13-0 map.

Rematch for a place in the final

Today's lower bracket final is a rematch of KRÜ Blaze's upper semi-final, which Shopify Rebellion Gold won 2-0. Hotspawn notes that Shopify, last year's finalists, are trying to win a third Game Changers Championship title. Their roster for this event, led by interim in-game leader alexis, is Noia, glowstick, vanitas, dodonut and alexis.

The lower bracket final and the grand final are both best-of-five.

Malaysia viewing times

Match pages on THESPIKE and VLR.gg give the following times:

• Lower bracket final, KRÜ Blaze vs Shopify Rebellion Gold: Saturday, 31 October, 18:00 UTC, which is 2am MYT on Sunday, 1 November
• Grand final, Gentle Mates GC vs lower final winner: Sunday, 1 November, 12pm US Central (18:00 UTC), which is 2am MYT on Monday, 2 November

Both matches are on the VALORANT Esports YouTube channel and twitch.tv/valorant, according to esportnow. US daylight saving time ends on 1 November, which is why the listed Central time changes but the UTC slot stays the same.

Key takeaways

• Gentle Mates GC beat Shopify Rebellion Gold 2-1 (Split 11-13, Sunset 13-11, Summit 13-10) to reach the grand final.
• KRÜ Blaze beat MIBR GC 2-0, winning both maps 13-11, and MIBR finish fourth.
• KRÜ Blaze and Shopify Rebellion Gold meet again in today's best-of-five lower bracket final.
• In Malaysia, the lower final is at 2am MYT on 1 November and the grand final is at 2am MYT on 2 November.

FAQ

Q: Who is in the Game Changers Championship 2026 grand final? A: Gentle Mates GC have one place. They will play the winner of KRÜ Blaze vs Shopify Rebellion Gold.

Q: What time is the grand final in Malaysia? A: It is listed for 18:00 UTC on Sunday, 1 November, which is 2am MYT on Monday, 2 November.

Q: Is this Gentle Mates' first Game Changers Championship? A: Yes. Hotspawn notes that São Paulo is the team's debut at the event.

Sources: VLR.gg, Hotspawn, THESPIKE, esportnow