Qualified Teams for NA Stage 2 - Main Event

Within few days of OpTic Gaming making NA proud by winning VCT 2022 - Stage 1 - Masters Reykjavík, the first International LAN event of VCT 2022, proceedings had already commenced for the next stage with the start of VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 2 - Open Qualifier 1. Following the conclusion of that event was VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 2 - Open Qualifier 2 yet another qualifying tournament that granted four more teams an opportunity to make VCT 2022 - Stage 2 - Masters Copenhagen.

Stage 2 - Open Qualifier 1:

Teams that couldn’t fulfill their potential in stage 1 of VCT introduced changes to their roster before tournament season re-commenced. Among these teams was NRG Esports who brought back Ethan "Ethan" Arnold, a former member of 100 Thieves’s roster. His contributions, coupled with his strong presence, has reinstated the hopes of the roster after a poor performance in VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 1 - Main Event. They managed to earn the qualification spot after a unparalleled run in the Upper Brackets without dropping a single map, even against the likes of Version1 and Pittsburgh Knights.

The other team to qualify through the upper brackets was FaZe Clan, a team that couldn’t place higher than 17th-24th place in stage 1 qualifiers. Their rebuild with Jake "POACH" Brumleve, Kevin "POISED" Ngo and Phat "supamen" Le seems to finally be the perfect winning formula that the team has been searching for. It is worth mentioning that their run might not seem as dominating as NRG’s on paper considering they dropped a couple of maps along the way. However, a deeper insight at their competitors reveals teams like TSM and Sentinels, one of the best teams in the region during VCT 2021, which makes their qualification considerably more impressive.

The first team to make it out of the Lower Brackets was none other than Upper Bracket finalist TSM. Following their loss to Faze Clan they were pitted against 100 Thieves. Despite having a decent run in the Lower Brackets, they couldn’t keep up with the revamped TSM roster consisting of Johann "seven" Hernandez and Anthony "gMd" Guimond.

Finally, a familiar name, Luminosity Gaming, retained their qualification spot for the Stage 2 Main Event after strong performances against Version1 and Sentinels in the Lower Brackets. Managing a win against these teams was an impressive feat, and they truly proved themselves to be worth of the qualification. It is worth noting that they are one of the only teams to return to stage 2 with the same roster. It seems that the organization focused their efforts on developing the team’s chemistry rather than introducing new players and sending them back to the drawing board.

Stage 2 - Open Qualifier 2:

The NA fans were taken aback with the difference in skill levels and entertainment from stage 1 of VCT. Teams were showing greater restraint and competition than ever before, and major teams were being upset one after the other. From the Upper Brackets, it was 100 Thieves, that managed to confirm their spot at the Main Event after defeating Akrew, which had reached the matchup after a close match against Sentinels. 100 Thieves, on the other hand, pummeled pass the newly reformed AndBox team now playing under the NYFU banner.

Evil Geniuses once again managed to qualify for the Main Event from the Upper Bracket rounds despite a poor showing in VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 1 - Main Event with a 0-5 record in the Group Stages of the event. They had a fascinating run in the tournament, a surprising outcome considering the recent acquisition of Corbin "C0M" Lee and Corbin "C0M" Lee as the replacement of the more veteran players Pho and YaBoiDre. It is worth mentioning that Alexander "jawgemo" Mor has been the team’s driving force finishing the event with 1.53 Rating, 314.3 ACS, and 1.71 KD – the most consistent stats of any player throughout the event.

Second chances are crucial in high-stakes tournaments and Ghost Gaming wasn’t looking to waste theirs in the Lower Brackets. Evil Geniuses had forced their relegation in the Round of 16 but they managed to keep their composure and take out four teams over two days dropping only a single map against NYFU where they lost 13-11, not too far from forcing overtime either.

The team that barely managed to clinch a qualification spot at the event was surprisingly the Sentinels, once known as the best team in the world was now only a loss away from failing to qualify as they made their Lower Bracket run after an early loss to Akrew. However, they were able to redeem themselves by going on an undisputable streak in the Lower Brackets in true Sentinels fashion. The highlight of their run was the final match against Akrew, where they sought their revenge over consecutive maps with 13-1 and 13-9 scores respectively. Eric "Kanpeki" Xu has demonstrate the potential he possess to help Sentinels bounce back in the NA scene and retain the legacy they once had.

VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 2 - Main Event will consist of 12 teams: the top four from Stage One, the top four from the first open qualifier, and the top four from the second open qualifier. Here’s all the teams that have earned a spot at the Main Event:

• The Guard
• OpTic Gaming
• Cloud9
• XSET
• NRG Esports
• FaZe Clan
• TSM
• Luminosity Gaming
• 100 Thieves
• Evil Geniuses
• Ghost Gaming
• Sentinels