Major upsets and surprises in NA VALORANT Challengers 2

With the first closed qualifier wrapped up, who punched their ticket to the Masters? Check out our recap of the event to see the best teams and players.
The VALORANT Closed Qualifier Winners and Losers

The first four teams for the VCT’s first Masters have been decided and the first closed qualifier concluded with major upsets and surprises. The resurging Envy and Sentinels had dominant showings while the steady, yet inconsistent, Immortals and Xset rosters also made the cut. Many favorites and longstanding members of the early VALORANT scene however fell short, as FaZe, Gen.G, LG, and even 100 Thieves were all forced to play through another set of qualifiers.

Xset are the real deal

This Cinderella story got its fairy tale ending for the Xset squad as they landed a spot at Masters. Most of these players started their careers in VALORANT instead of transferring games and this team proved that the scene can cultivate its own talent instead of lending from other esport scenes. Though Xset were not without their faults as they played a relatively one-dimensional style, running the same composition 75% of the time but having a 0% win rate anytime they deviated from the Raze and Sova pick.

Still, Xset picked up wins when it counted as they 2-0ed FaZe and LG with BcJ putting on a clinic and showing that he belongs in the conversation for the best individual carries. BcJ held the 4th overall individual player rating with the 2nd highest ACS of the tournament. Overall, their teamplay was excellent when on comfort picks, as while not posting flashy stats, Thwifo was invaluable with his constant stream of vision on the Cypher pick.

In general, Xset will be an exciting team to watch as this roster seems to have shown a high skill ceiling, however they need to diversify their playstyle to avoid another sweep by the likes of Sentinels.

Sentinels Get Another Finals Appearance

Sentinels made a spectacular lower bracket run to attain yet another grand final showing, sweeping 100 Thieves, Xset, and Immortals, all through 2 – 0 wins. All Sentinel members showed their playmaking abilities and team cohesion through their 14-game run, picking apart First Strike Champions 100 Thieves and stomping out Xset’s miracle run. SicK however had a standout performance, holding the highest K/D on the team (1.19) and heralding a tournament leading 63 multi-kills primarily facilitated through his Phoenix pick.

Envy proved to be Sentinel’s weakness however, as they were responsible for both of Sentinel’s series losses. Sentinels lost on their own map picks and showed their desperate need to improve on Bind specifically as they lost the final map in a swift 13 – 3 finish, continuing their losing trend on the map as it heralds their lowest defense side win rate (43%). The force buy meta shows most having ‘boom-or-bust’ games, certainly reflected in the final series as Sentinels played almost all their rounds at an economic disadvantage.

Overall, Sentinels had a great showing with a disappointing finish and though they made it into Masters, the old kings of North America still have a lot to improve on.

100 Thieves Choke

100 Thieves only managed to win a single Best of 3, as after a stunning 2 – 1 loss to Luminosity Gaming, the former First Strike Champions had only a short stint in the loser’s bracket. Ultimately, 100 Thieves’ historically dominant playmakers simply were not finding their shots and giving away careless deaths. Asuna for example dropped an average 60 damage per round, his entry frag rate went from 61% to 33%, and overall K/D went from 1.72 to .88 from the open to closed qualifier. Asuna alone was not the problem, as almost all members of 100 Thieves saw a similar slump in stats and their collective failings is seen best through their knockout game versus the Sentinels.

The usual lockdown Killjoy pick by Steel was picked apart by Zombs’ lurks and it certainly did not help that SicK was putting on one of his best individual performances. However, the roster seemed disjointed and had zero objective presence as out of their total 10 wins in the series, they only planted the spike a total of 3 times.

It was disappointing to see 100 Thieves play so well in the open qualifier but have such an underwhelming finish. This loss makes 100 Thieves’ road to Masters significantly harder as now the squad will have to drudge through another closed qualifier.

Envy Comes Out on Top

Envy had an astonishing tournament showing and only dropped two maps through their entire championship run. The former T1 duo, Crashies and Food, came up massively for the Envy squad as Food left with the best overall player rating in the closed qualifier. In addition, Food ended with a 1.50 K/D, 180 ADR, .99 KPR and a constant threat in even losing situations as he had 6 total clutches. Crashies provided integral information and support on Sova, only deviating from the pick twice and the veteran member of the squad, mummAy, remained one of the best Operators in NA on his signature Omen pick.

Envy’s victory lap came in their absolutely decimating performance against Sentinels as they ended their tournament with a 3 – 0. The roster played at a breakneck pace and out fragged Sentinels, ending the series +45 kills over their opponents. This closing performance ended Sentinel’s 15 game win streak on Haven and earned them the best seeding going into Masters. This team had previously seen glimpses of success, but this closed qualifier was by far Envy’s finest moment.

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