A victorious debut for RiP

This article was originally published on GameSpot's sister site onGamers.com, which was dedicated to esports coverage.

The SoloMid EU Invitational concluded moments ago with Rest in Pepperonis taking a convincing 3-1 victory over Gamers2. The highly anticipated clash did offer exciting action for the crowds as the team led by Ocelote was no push-over for Alex Ich's crew, a fact many would have argued yesterday.

The tournament began with a Loser Bracket final between tough challenger team Invaders and a determined Gamers2. After a rather appalling performance yesterday, Ocelote's crew were back with a vengeance. Seemingly forgetting past mistakes, an inspired Yuuki spearheaded his squad into the lead and proceeded to obliterate the opposition in style. Backing him up was an on-form Ocelote who was just getting warmed up. In two convincing games, the Invaders from yesterday were gone, but so were the Gamers2 mistakes. With back-to-back victories, the final obstacle was now Rest in Pepperonis who were patiently waiting in the grand final.

RiP started with a game advantage due to winning the Winner Bracket final on Saturday. In game one, G2 surprised with a very aggressive play style and seemingly caught their opponents off-guard. In addition, Ocelote was on fire, hitting spear after spear with his Nidalee, thus creating cracks in the enemy line and opportunities for G2 to collapse on a weak RiP. With the challengers equalising, we were in for a series! Unfortunately, the Pepperonis got their act together and showed exactly why they are dubbed a Super Team. Picking an AP top lane twice, Alex Ich completely destroyed Gamers2 in back-to-back games to ensure the 3-1 victory for his team.

Final standings:

1. Rest in Pepperonis - $ 1,200

2. Gamers2 - $ 500

3. Invaders - $ 300

4. Mousesports

With a victory against the Challenger elite, the Pepperonis have already started solidifying their status and reinforcing the hype around the constellation of players. Unfortunately for fan-favourite Oce, he and his team had to settle for another second place.