In the finale's opening game, the two teams came out of lane neck and neck. Although the Grogladytes started strong, the Trophy Collectors had managed to catch up from behind at the last second. By expertly converting a fight at bridge buff into taking the green tower, they pulled ahead from a 4k gap. However, KoggyS on Kelvin recovered his team's lead by depositing urn in the safety of his Ice Dome. This brought the souls to Trophy Collectors at 56k and Grogladytes at 58k.

After trading kills and objectives through mid game, the Grogladytes maintained their narrow lead. Leveraging the momentum from their second urn, the Grogladytes moved to destroy one of the Trophy Collector's walkers, losing three players in the process. The Trophy Collectors responded to the wipe by rushing to the Temple Guardian's lair. Showing excellent discipline, the Grogladytes surrendered Rejuvenator to secure a third urn and a second walker.

So, even after weathering the Trophy Collector's full Rejuvenator, the Grogladytes stood ahead with a 10k lead. Wielding this lead, the Grogladytes made a play for the 4th urn. Their successful deposit came at the cost of two players in the Trophy Collector's counter engagement. As the Trophy Collectors pushed this numbers advantage into the Grogladyte's base, wackojacko unleashed a devastating Storm Cloud. This decisive ult killed two Trophy Collectors and scattered the rest of the team.

Capitalizing on the turn, xav was able to clean up wolololo and BeniaminG, with Ciqroqs falling in Koggy's icy tomb soon after. The Grogladytes were then able to capture Rejuvenator unabated after a glitch neutralized Fvnex's 4 man Affliction. The Grogladytes then rode Rejuvenator to an electrifying round 1 win.

The second round of the tournament saw tight lanes from both teams, leaving the Groglodytes breathing down the Trophy Collectors' necks. This time it was the Grogladytes who pulled back from behind with a signature urn capture. However, Trophy Collectors still remained ahead with 62k to 59k souls.

Although they fought fiercely and took the first walker, the Grogladytes started to fall behind. Soon, the Trophy Collectors had doubled their lead. The Grogladytes still kept up a strong opposition, even stealing the Trophy Collectors' Rejuvenator with quick draw timing from Niko___. However, the Trophy Collectors maintained their advantage by turning every lost objective into a trade while defending their walkers tooth and nail.

As the Grogladytes' chance at a comeback slipped away with the rest of the Rejuvenator timer, they left the Trophy Collectors ahead by 17k. Pushing back, the Trophy Collectors extended their lead before having a wildly successful urn fight. Converting those kills into a second Temple Guardian, they were primed for the win.

In an attempt to slow them down, DEVIL made strong efforts to split push a walker and steal another Rejuvenator. This time, the Trophy Collectors were able to present a solid defense on both fronts. Soon after, they steamrolled through a final fight at the Grogladyte's mid-walker and took the patron.

For the last round of the DDS finale, the Trophy Collectors quickly built a resounding lead by destroying both side guardians, putting them 6k souls ahead. Soon after, they hostaged and later secured the Grogladytes' comeback urn, denying their signature play and window back into the game.

Although they leveraged their patience and macro skills to snag the first walker, the Grogladytes unfortunately had a disastrous urn fight soon after. Their ensuing team wipe allowed Trophy Collectors to capture two key objectives with the middle walker and Temple Guardian.

In the end game, the Trophy Collectors took their turn with the urn, leveraging it along with their 20k lead to capture the remaining two walkers. Coming away from the push 35k up, the Trophy Collectors took a moment to regroup and steal the Grogladytes' farm, sealing their fate.

As the game neared its final moments, the Trophy Collectors carried the unclaimed urn to bait one last fight. The Grogladytes attempted to contest the objective and successfully kited to avoid a slaughter at the drop off. Unfortunately, they were powerless to stop the Trophy Collectors from streaming into their base behind them. Ultimately, the Trophy Collectors wiped the Grogladytes' base clean in one fell swoop, taking the patron and the DDS-EU Grand Finale.

Over the course of these three games the two teams showed strong bias for Rescue Beam and Enchanter's Emblem. Rescue Beam is already well known to be the healing item of the month after the nerf of Healing Nova. The two teams collectively bought it 16 times for its powerful heal and the strong utility to pull teammates out of danger.

On the other hand, the small armors are often overlooked in pubs. However, in this match Enchanter's Emblem had a stand out performance, showing up 19 times across the three games. Likely bought for its great value in stats including the scarce and valuable cooldown reduction. These two items are definitely ones to keep a close eye on moving forward.

Congratulations to the Grogladytes and the Trophy Collectors for their incredible games in the final match, they both gave an excellent performance and display of skill. It was a fantastic way to end the first European Death Slam tournament.

I'd also like to celebrate the other teams who participated in the tournament as well. It's been a treat for the whole community to watch their improvement and growth over the course of the tournament. Finally, one last thank you to all the fans who watched the streams, donated, and supported the event as a whole. This couldn't have happened without you.