NA Challengers Stage 1 Playoffs Week 2 - Viewers Guide

The flagship North American event of the spring comes to its final weekend and it’s time to see which two teams will make it to Masters Reykjavik. While Sentinels and Pittsburgh Knights were the ones to drop out last time around, here are the best remaining squads, players, and storylines to keep an eye on going into the weekend.

Match 1: Luminosity Gaming vs XSET at 9:00 PM CET / 1:00 PM PST on 3/24

Luminosity Gaming and XSET inaugurate a grueling lower bracket where there is no room for mistakes. The fourth and third teams respectively of group A are no strangers to this kind of pressure, having sneaked into the playoffs in the first place. XSET, however, will certainly be relishing their chances in this clash, given they’ve already beaten Luminosity earlier on in the tournament, as well as the fact that the latter have only won one of their last four matches.

Yet another card in XSET’s favor is star Jett Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban, who is in red hot form with a 1.24 rating and 251 ACS, making him the second highest rated player at the tournament. On the side of Luminosity Gaming however, it will be interesting to see if Tanner "TiGG" Spanu’s switch over to Omen and Brimstone will be able to have more impact than Rory "dephh" Jackson’s rigid Astra picks.

While XSET’s quality is expected to be too much for Luminosity Gaming to handle, the latter simply cannot be counted out and are capable of doing some real damage, which Version1 learnt the hard way earlier on.

Match 2: Cloud9 vs Version1 at 12:00 AM CET / 4:00 PM PST on 3/24

The second match of the day is perhaps a banger that many expected to see in the grand finals: Cloud9 against Version1. The two North American powerhouses that topped their groups took unfortunate losses against OpTic Gaming and Luminosity Gaming respectively, and now face the realization that only one of them can make it to Iceland. There is a great story and case for either team: Cloud9’s pedigree, heroic run at Champions, and one of the most accomplished North American in-game leaders in Anthony "vanity" Malaspina, against a Version1 that themselves were at Reykjavik last year, broken down after the departure of key players including vanity, and then built back up this year with as good a foundation as anyone else.

Speaking of key players, Cloud9’s Nathan "leaf" Orf is certainly one of them, topping the tournament charts with a 1.33 rating and the second highest first bloods per round at 0.19. Version1 will look to strike back with their duo of Erik "penny" Penny and young IGL Alexander "Zander" Dituri, and a lot of the match will come down to whether they can handle leaf’s antics.

This match is sure to be a nail-biter and could very easily be decided by which team is really feeling themselves on the server.

Match 3: OpTic Gaming vs The Guard at 9:00 PM CET / 1:00 PM PST on 3/25

OpTic Gaming and The Guard face off in what is quite possibly one of the most important matches in either organization’s VALORANT history so far, a ticket straight to Masters Reykjavik. Both teams placed second in their groups, overshadowed by their first placed counterparts, but came up big when it mattered in the playoffs, picking up wins against XSET and Cloud9, and Sentinels and Luminosity Gaming respectively. But the manner of the wins for either team has been completely different, with OpTic edging both their opponents in tough 2-1 series, while The Guard have breezed past both their rivals in a dominant 2-0 fashion.

The Guard's Trent "trent" Cairns has caught the eye of pros and fans alike, with an impressive 1.21 rating at the event, alongside former Overwatch player Ha "Sayaplayer" Jung-woo, who has posted a 1.19 rating and looks a far cry away from his T1 days. OpTic will look to activate the titan that is Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker and hope that he can win them the match on his own, but he will be helped by Victor "Victor" Wong, who has found good form this tournament with a 1.16 rating.

While this match remains too close to call for sure, The Guard’s incredible hot streak at the tournament makes them slight favorites over OpTic Gaming.

The playoff matches will run through the weekend and be broadcasted live on the official VALORANT Twitch channel.

Who do you think will be the first team to qualify for Iceland? Let us know in the comments!