The Brazilian team Imperial has advanced to the closed qualifier of the Thunderpick World Championship, debuting with Marcelo "⁠chelo⁠" Cespedes in the lineup. The team secured one of the two South American slots, and the victory was particularly significant in light of recent setbacks and roster changes.

For the team, this is the first tournament after a disappointing major and the summer break. Instead of taking a vacation, the players decided to get back to work immediately, and the gamble paid off — the new lineup is already delivering results. Interestingly, besides chelo, José "Shr" Gil also appeared in the matches.

Confident Progress Through Strong Opponents
Imperial confidently navigated the playoff bracket of the qualifier, dropping only one map. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Bounty Hunters, and then in the semifinals, they overcame Bestia , to whom they lost a map. Bestia was supposed to represent South America at the last major, but due to visa issues, ODDIK went instead.

The final opponent was the team ODDIK , and Imperial handled them with a 2:0 score. The veterans of the lineup delivered particularly strong performances: Kaike "⁠noway⁠" Santos stood out in the semifinals, and Santino "⁠try⁠" Regal shone in the decisive series.

Thus, Imperial has advanced to the global closed qualifier of the Thunderpick World Championship, where they will face Legacy , NaVi Junior , and 13 other teams. At stake are 4 slots for the final LAN tournament in Malta with a prize pool of $850,000.

For the revamped lineup, this is an opportunity to make a statement on the international stage and return to the fight for major titles. The start has been promising — now all hopes are pinned on the team continuing in this vein in the next stage.