NA Challengers Stage 1 Main Event - Week 3 Group A Recap
We are already halfway through VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 1 - Main Event and the matchups are starting to increase in intensity, but that only means more entertainment for the NA fans. So, without further ado, here’s a detailed recap of each matchup from Group A that took place over the weekend.
Cloud9 vs. Evil Geniuses
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ReformedGiven that Cloud9 has had a rich tournament history with a 1st place in Knights Arena VALORAMPAGE - Main Event and outstanding performances over the past two weeks, they were the favorites in the matchup. However, Evil Geniuses gave Cloud9 a run for their money by forcing a decider after a win on Breeze, which was Cloud9’s pick.
Proceedings began on Haven and despite it being EG’s map pick, Cloud9 had no difficulty dominating on both halves of the map. Cloud9 started off relatively slow on their attack phase and let a few rounds slip out of their control such that the score after round seven was almost tied at 4-3 with Cloud9 in the lead. However, Cloud9 had warmed up by the round because they embarked on a five round streak and finished the half with a 9-3 score. Cloud9 being only four rounds away from taking the map served as a wake-up call for EG but they couldn’t do anything more than the first couple of rounds following the halftime break. With the scoreboard reading 9-5, EG’s chances had improved but not enough since the momentum returned to Cloud9 as they took 4 consecutive rounds to secure the map.
Instead of Cloud9, it was EG that took control of the momentum early on. Throughout the entire half, they only lost the lead during round 7 and 8 due to Cloud9’s brief three round streak, which ended with EG starting a streak of their own. The took 7 back-to-back rounds, 4 of the first half, and 3 immediately following halftime. EG were now leading 10-5 and Cloud9’s chances of winning the map were diminishing each passing round. Even though Cloud9 was able to sneak three more rounds, EG finished the map with ease and forced the decider.
Cloud9 was no stranger to the decider map, having beaten XSET last week with a 2-1 score as well. Breeze had raised the esteem of the entire EG roster and motivated them to perform even between on the last map; however, Cloud9 with their desire for vengeance became an unstoppable force. They finished the map in 15 rounds, with only rounds 3 and 10 going to EG. This extraordinary display of talent was courtesy of their Kay/O main, Erick "Xeppaa" Bach, who finished the map with a 2.21 Rating and 359 ACS.
The Guard vs. XSET
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The Guard had one of the best performances last week defeating 100 Thieves in a 2-1 fashion with the decider going in their favour with a 13-0 score. With such a dominant performance, they became the obvious favorites against XSET, who were recovering after the defeat against Cloud9.
This matchup started on Haven, the Guard’s map pick and they were ready to prove this from the start of the map. Except for round 4, they were dominating the opposing team one round after the other. XSET were, however, able to put up a desperate attempt to take the last three rounds of the half to reach a score of 8-4. In the second half as well, The Guard didn’t slow down. They took the needed 5 rounds to win the map, while limiting XSET to a total score of 7.
XSET were disappointed with their performance and decided to draw up counter strategies in order to force the decider and have a chance to win the matchup. To demonstrate their strong intent to win this map, they started the map four back-to-back rounds. However, they couldn’t keep up the momentum for much longer as The Guard pushed back with almost seven consecutive rounds of their own. At halftime, XSET was down by two points but that wasn’t the case for long as they tied it up immediately after the second half started. They maintained this performance intermittently in the second half and were able to finish the map with a 13-11 score courtesy of a three round streak coming in clutch.
Being tied 1-1, both teams were looking to steer the momentum towards themselves from the get-go but only one team was successful, which happened to be the favorites for this matchup, The Guard. From straight out of the gate, there was something about the team because they were essentially repeating the same performance, they had against 100 Thieves in the decider last week. They took 11 out of the 12 rounds in the first half making a comeback impossible for XSET and just showing how the extent of their abilities. In the second half, XSET managed to take two desperate rounds only to be dominated once again by The Guard, who finished the map with a 13-3 score and won the matchup.
Luminosity Gaming vs. 100 Thieves
After the defeat 100 Thieves faced against The Guard last weekend, they opted to make the most sudden roster change in the history of Valorant esports by replacing the recently signed Adam "ec1s" Eccles and Hunter "BabyJ" Schline with Sean "bang" Bezerra and Noah "jcStani" Smith. On the other hand, Luminosity Gaming were comparatively more relaxed having won against EG in a thrilling match last week.
The matchup began on Split and LG were quick to take the pistol round looking to set the momentum early on, but 100 Thieves managed to counter it with a round of their own. This, however, ended up being only a brief loss of momentum because they were able to take the next five rounds before being stopped by 100T. In the first half, 100T was able to take only 4 rounds to LG’s 8. The four round lead would be difficult to overcome despite Split being their map pick. 100T tried several times to attempt a comeback but couldn’t maintain a streak greater than one spanning a couple of rounds. Without having any momentum to rely on, they had to surrender the map to LG with a final score of 13-9.
Both teams then moved onto Fracture, where 100T looked to bounce back and were able to display their intent from the pistol round continuing it throughout the half leading LG at the half with a 7-5 score. The pressure of their current position in Group A seemed to serve as a motivational factor as they were able to maintain the performance in the following half by establishing two intermittent streaks of three rounds each and then taking round 22 to finish the map at a 13-9 score and forcing the decider.
Breeze, the decider, lived up to its name and provided just the entertainment the NA community was looking for. The first half commenced with 100 Thieves taking almost five consecutive rounds. LG quickly turned the momentum in their favor to reach equal footing with 100T at halftime. With the scoreboard reading 6-6, the matchup could’ve proceeded in either direction – and it did. A similar pattern emerged with scoring in the second half with 100 Thieves taking the lead early on and LG balancing it out later. After round 23, LG sat one point away from winning the matchup, but 100 Thieves wasn’t planning on giving up without a fight and were able to force the decider, which unfortunately ended up in LG’s favour and they had to add another loss to beside the team’s name in the group leaderboard.
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