EPIC.LAN 45 Finals: Iberian Soul take CS win with UK player smooya, while Aconite claim Valorant title

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 20/07/2025

Kettering’s famous BYOC (bring your own computer) tournament has come to a close for July. Here is an overview of how the EPIC.LAN 45 Finals went down on the tournament’s last day.

Iberian Soul emerges on top in their AaB Grand Finals rematch 

In the Upper Bracket Final, AaB were able to push Iberian Soul down into the Lower Bracket Final to fight Alliance for the Grand Final slot. The 2-1 best-of-three set an expectation for AaB to replicate their performance in the rematch. 

However, Iberian Soul flipped the script in the Grand Final. Where they previously struggled, they excelled. 

Map One, played on Nuke, saw Iberian Soul embark on a dominant display of talent. AaB were barely able to protest, with the map ending on 13-2 to Iberian Soul. 

Map Two appeared to follow the same pattern, with Iberian Soul picking up quick early-game round wins on Ancient. However, AaB players began to realise their plight and fight back. However, their efforts were too little, too late. 

Ancient ended in a 13-9 win for Iberian Soul. Flipping the script from their Upper Bracket Final loss, they took the EPIC.LAN 45 title, and did so in 2-0 style.  

Notably, UK Counter-Strike player Owen ‘smooya’ Butterfield joined the Spanish core of Iberian Soul in their EPIC.LAN 45 journey. His history with the tournament has been marred by controversy. Winning EPIC.LAN 45 hopefully marks a fresh start for the player in UK Counter-Strike.

Alliance forced to settle for third place at EPIC.LAN 45

Despite being defeated by Iberian Soul and forced to settle for third place, Alliance’s EPIC.LAN 45 run was anything but a failure. 

In an interview with Esports News UK earlier this week, Alliance’s Simon ‘twist’ Eliasson spoke about motivating the younger players on the team and benefitting from the VRS (Valve Regional Standings) points on offer at the Kettering tournament. 

Viewers appeared split over whether they believed Alliance or Iberian Soul had the best chance at success.

In the Twitch livestream chat, comments discussed which Counter-Strike betting sites they used to gamble on the Alliance and Iberian match-up, while the two teams battled it out over the three maps.

Map One, Train, was won comfortably by Iberian Soul, 13 rounds to 5. However, Map Two was claimed by Alliance. They started Map 3 following a 10-13 win on Nuke.

Alliance had a dominant start to the final game in the best-of-three, much to the dismay of several fans in the livestream’s chat who had confidently wagered on Iberian Soul. 

However, Iberian Soul closed out the best-of-three 13-11 on Inferno and progressed to the final, where they would eventually defeat AaB. 

Aconite win the EPIC.LAN 45 Finals to claim the Valorant title

The EPIC.LAN Valorant finals also took place on Sunday. Aconite defeated the free agent team “gillyweewee” in the best-of-three to take home the trophy. 

Displaying determination and dominance, Aconite closed out the final in two games, beating their opponents on both Sunset and Icebox and denying gillyweewee a comeback. 

Aconite had to fight through the lower bracket. They took on “The Last Resort” in the July 19th Lower Bracket Final to claim their Grand Final position against gillyweewee. Nevertheless, their extra game appeared to be only an asset in experience and practice rather than a disadvantage in the competition. 

Looking ahead – EPIC.LAN 46 set for October 2025

Fans of the iconic Kettering BYOC need not fret; dates are already set for EPIC.LAN 46. The next iteration of the tournament will take place from October 30th to November 2nd.

Information is already available on their website. 

Given the thrills of EPIC.LAN 45, number 46 is not one to miss! 

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Hannah is a journalist specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports, Apex Legends, and advocating for women's esports initiatives. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ALGS LANs, ESI London, EGX, and watch parties.

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