VALORANT Challengers NA 2 Preview

Sentinels and 100T are already through to the playoffs. Version1, TSM, FaZe, and T1 are just some of the teams competing for additional spots at the event. Eight teams, four slots, and one Double Elimination Bracket: This is the North American Challengers 2!

We shouldn’t be surprised to see Sentinels advance in Week 1 already. Team Envy and 100 Thieves have started to climb back to the top. Alongside XSET, they are now the frontrunners of this ongoing Challengers circuit. In Week 2, we can see the losers from Challengers 1 battle against four Open Qualifier candidates. The players who most recently qualified for Masters Reykjavik are also going to participate.

VERSION1 IN DECLINE AFTER REYKJAVIK

Unfortunately, Anthony “vanity” Malaspina and his men are struggling with performance issues. Challengers 1 was a complete disaster, which can be put down to Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro. The player had made bad remarks towards a RIOT admin and was penalized according to the rulebook. This includes a suspension from Challengers 1. After two straight losses, the team made last place and now gets the chance to set things straight.

While Zellsis is back on board, this incident should have some impact on them. They shouldn’t underestimate their opposition at Challengers 2. T1 will try to kick them off early on.

WHO ARE THE FRONTRUNNERS?

The teams who had already qualified to the first installment should obviously be stronger on paper. T1 took part in the first qualifier, but suffered a 2-1 loss to Envy. On Haven, they even recorded a 0-13 defeat. While they did have some better opponents for the Challengers 2 Qualifier in the form of Built By Gamers and Renegades, this shouldn’t really prepare them for the dangers of the main tournament. They’re immediately facing Version1, who are strong even in a slightly weakened state.

FaZe, TSM, and Luminosity had tougher opponents in the qualifier. It’s hard to estimate whether Pioneers, Rise, and Gen.G. have actually got the upper hand. There haven’t been a lot of matches on record between these teams. Pioneers are new to this level of competition. They could pull off an underdog run and qualify for the Challengers playoffs, or just fold against their high profile competition.

THE PRICE: CHALLENGERS PLAYOFFS

This is what the Top 4 of Challengers 2 are going to receive. Winning a ticket to the playoffs, they’re just steps away from making Masters Berlin. This would be a huge achievement for every team in attendance. Even if Version 1 or the underdogs come out on top here, they still have to get past Sentinels, Thieves, and Envy in the playoffs. This is surely not going to be an easy feat!