North American esports team ENVY clinched victory at The Shroud Gauntlet Marvel Rivals tournament, sweeping 100 Thieves in the finals and securing the $25,000 grand prize. Here’s how their underdog comeback and last-minute roster changes stunned fans and rivals alike.
On May 17, 2025, top-tier North American esports team ENVY emerged victorious at The Shroud Gauntlet, a Marvel Rivals invitational tournament hosted by renowned streamer and former esports professional Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek. The tournament featured a $50,000 (~£39,000) prize pool and saw eight elite teams compete in an intense, single-day showdown that spanned over 16 hours of high-octane gameplay.
Organized in partnership with the Fight Night team and Shroud’s management, The Shroud Gauntlet brought together some of the biggest names in the competitive Marvel Rivals scene. Invited teams included ENVY, 100 Thieves, Sentinels, Gen.G, Luminosity Gaming NA, FlyQuest, Shroud-X, and Shikigami. The event was streamed live on Shroud’s Twitch channel and Fight Night’s platforms, with Shroud’s own channel alone amassing over 660,000 views on the VOD.
ENVY’s path to victory was anything but straightforward. The team started strong, securing wins over Sentinels and FlyQuest to advance to the upper bracket finals. However, they faced a setback when they were swept 2-0 by 100 Thieves, dropping to the lower bracket. Refusing to be discouraged, ENVY regrouped and defeated Sentinels once again with a commanding 2-0 scoreline to earn a rematch against 100 Thieves in the grand finals.
In a stunning reversal of fortunes, ENVY dominated the grand finals with a clean 3-0 sweep. Each game was a nail-biter:
- Game 1 – Yggdrasil Path (Convoy): ENVY 3-2 100 Thieves
- Game 2 – Hell’s Heaven (Domination): ENVY 2-1 100 Thieves
- Game 3 – Spider-Islands (Convoy): ENVY 4-3 100 Thieves
Commentator Andrew ‘ZP’ Rush highlighted ENVY’s resilience: “They licked their wounds, they learned their lessons, and they came back stronger.” The team’s final victory earned them the $25,000 (~£18,000) lion’s share of the prize pool.
What made ENVY’s triumph even more impressive was their last-minute roster overhaul. Just days before the tournament, they added Alex “Window” Ludlow, a Vanguard player previously with Shroud-X, on May 14. Even more remarkable was the addition of Nicholas “Shpeediry” Zou, known as Speedily, who joined as a Duellist on May 8 and went on to claim MVP honors during the finals.
Host Robert “Hexagrams” Kirkbride praised ENVY’s rapid rise: “Window joined this squad three days ago, and Speedily ten days ago. It’s just insanity what this ENVY team has become.”
With this decisive victory, ENVY not only secured the trophy but also cemented themselves as a rising powerhouse in the Marvel Rivals esports scene. The Shroud Gauntlet showcased top-tier talent, dramatic comebacks, and the kind of storyline esports fans live for: an underdog squad defying the odds and rewriting expectations.
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