[APAC] ZETA Returns to Top of EA, RVL Jumps Ahead in LCQ Race

Image Credits: BLAST & Michal Konkol

After a disappointing show from East Asia at the most recent Brawl Cup as the reigning World Champions, the Japanese side of Brawl Stars was looking to be one that would claw their way back to the top of the scene. With emerging rookie teams and underdog stories, East Asia is a region that is always packed with spontaneous results. Ahead of the Monthly Finals, Crazy Raccoon and ZETA DIVISION sat at the top of the table with a comfortable lead from Brawl Cup points.

With a dynamite performance to end their Spring Split, the LCQ spot was held by SKCalalas EA heading into June with rookie-veteran mix team Rival Esports right behind. Throughout the past few monthly finals, SKC showed that they indeed deserved to be at the epitome of the scene and challenge the greats of East Asia. Moving down to the mid-table fight, FENNEL found themselves in a deteriorating form post-February, being unable to replicate their early success after being signed to one of Japan’s premier organizations. Insomnia and IGNUM share a rather similar story with lower expectations but incredible upset potential. Lastly, new faces in Faze Zero would hope to create a strong first impression in the scene and establish themselves amongst the greats of East Asia after an upset win over ZETA DIVISION in the Monthly Qualifiers as a day 1 team.

Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals kicked off with a matchup between the unexpected semi-finalists from May and the reigning world champions. The match saw two teams on the opposite side of the spectrum. Crazy Raccoon as reigning World Champions, against IGNUM Esports who have recently been climbing up the leaderboard. Knowing the significance of a first seed finish in a region, Crazy Raccoon would be gunning to increase their momentum in order to defeat the current #1 Seed, ZETA, who performed better at Brawl Cup with a win over BH in the quarterfinals of the event. Crazy Raccoon has always been titled the "LAN demons", but this does not defeat the fact that they contain players of the highest quality. IGNUM has showcased their joyous nature through the two cosplays they have done so far, but it is safe to say that a Barley cosplay definitely provided Shigyemon a better buff than the Mortis cosplay this month. IGNUM displayed positive growth by pushing Crazy Raccoon to the limit, but CR outlasted their opponents in an exciting 3-2 victory to kick off the day.

\The second quarterfinals featured newly qualified team Faze Zero, a fresh face in the East Asia Monthly Finals. Faze Zero managed to qualify through the upper bracket against all odds when they defeated ZETA DIVISION 3-1 in the first round of the upper bracket and IGNUM Esports in a closely contested 3-2. Longtime pro player Mira was the only returning player to this level of competition and was accompanied by two new faces in the scene in Telpny and れんのすけ. Their opponents were Rival Esports, who were looking to challenge for the LCQ slot in EA and demanded victory to stay in the race. The match was a hard fought one, the scoreline ended at 3-2 once again, this time to the side of Rival as they advanced to another semifinals appearance this year.

The third quarter final placed Insomnia against SKCalalas. SKC was currently the frontrunner for the LCQ slot, obtained by finishing 3rd in East Asia. SKC had a strong buildup going into the Monthly Finals with not only the most sets scrimmed but also the highest winrate at over 70%. On the other side, Insomnia was attempting to regain their footing after a disastrous first split. The side of content creator and pro player Jene Azure would aim to reach a higher mid-table position and hopefully regain some momentum to ultimately finish in the top five. However, the match showed a one sided victory towards the side of SKC, with the scoreline ending 3-0.

The last quarter finals featured ZETA taking on FENNEL, arguably a battle of titans with Achapi taking on the organization and teammate he won his first World Championship with all the way back in 2021 once more. ZETA are still the current kings of East Asia coming off a top four finish at Brawl Cup in May, one position higher than Crazy Raccoon who finished in the top eight. ZETA was definitely carrying the most momentum going into this monthly finals with two monthly finals already won so far. FENNEL’s roster of Achapi, Ken G and I see reached their peak with a 2nd place finish in the first monthly final of the year, followed by not qualifying in March and only finishing top eight in April. This monthly final with the 1.5x point multiplier was their opportunity to reach the LAN spots that they fight so hard for. However, the match did not work out in FENNEL’s favor as ZETA walked through the team with little to no struggle. The scoreline ended with ZETA taking a rather dominant 3-1 over FENNEL after a shaky showing in qualifiers, rebuilding confidence in one of Japan’s favorite teams.

Semifinals

Going into the Semi Finals, Rival Esports found themselves facing the titans of East Asia. The rookie team with the core of Ryohei found themselves in one of their toughest fixtures so far, facing a dangerous CR team that they have failed to overcome this year so far with losses in February’s qualifier and April’s semifinals. The community vote spoke volumes lwith 96% of individuals voting for Crazy Raccoon. Spectators would find themselves pleased with their prediction at the start of the game, as Crazy Raccoon gained a 2-0 lead in the series. However, where there is a will there is a way. With incredible perseverance, Rival Esports showed with the dedication they put into the game, and against all odds evened out the score to 2 sets a piece. Rival Esports was on the verge of pulling a reverse sweep against the #2 seed of East Asia. In classic Brawl Stars cinematic fashion, Rival Esports staved off defeat on double match point in the final set and reverse swept Crazy Raccoon in this David vs Goliath matchup for the ages.

The other side of the bracket saw a rematch of SKC and ZETA after a strong showing from SKC at the end of the Spring Split, taking down ZETA in the semifinals. Despite ZETA's current placement in the East Asia leaderboard, SKC was looking extremely strong with a 70% scrim win rate (the highest in East Asia). Despite these past results, 92% of the community backed ZETA to win the game. Knowing Crazy Raccoon failed to reach the final, ZETA would be looking to claim their second Monthly Final of the year to gain a further lead on their long time rivals in order to cement their place as the first seed in East Asia. On the other hand, SKC would be looking to face off against their 2026 rivals, Rival Esports, in the final, to keep their narrow lead in the race for LCQ. Although both teams were fighting for different spots on the leaderboard, this match was equally important for both sides. SKC vs ZETA should have been a tight match, but this time the community was rewarded for their faith as ZETA handily swept SKC 3-0, advancing to their third grand final of the year.

Grand Finals

Like every match so far, the Grand Final was yet another David vs Goliath story for Rival Esports. With a miracle run from the lower bracket to the grand finals, RVL started the match carrying the hopes and dreams of a rookie team led by an experienced veteran who has never seen the World Finals stage, whereas ZETA came into the final carrying the hearts of all the long time Brawl Stars viewers. While expected to be closer, ZETA was clearly the better team on the day and were determined to reassert their dominance in the face of doubt, handily sweeping Rival Esports 3-0 to claim victory in June.

Setting the theories aside, the current East Asia leaderboard places ZETA and Crazy Raccoon in World Finals slots. Both teams hold a significant lead on any other teams on the leaderboard. With their own Grand Finals showing and the introduction of 1.5x points, Rival Esports have overtaken SKCalalas as the two teams remain separated by a singular point. The fight for LCQ is not over yet, East Asia has proven to be a region of upsets with plenty more gas in the tank for rising teams to display the mechanical prowess of the best in the world.