Envy win VCT Americas Ascension and return to compete in Tier 1

Following a 3-1 victory over TSM, Envy have punched their ticket to the VCT Americas for the 2026 season, marking the organization's return to the top of VALORANT competition since 2021.

From ranked to tier 1

Envy's journey to reach the Ascension trophy began in the ranked servers. With ranked grinders like Alex "canezerra" Banyasz and ion2x joining forces with established ranked streamers P0PPIN and Eggsterr, the unlikely squad qualified to Challengers through Premier and dominated each stage of Challengers as RANKERS.

Envy have been one of the most interesting teams to watch throughout the 2025 season with their aggressive, ranked-like gameplay and unorthodox team compositions. The team's refusal to give in to "standard" or "meta" compositions has been the biggest strength of the Ascension-winning squad: Eggster has yet to play a single game not on his signature agent, Yoru.

Inspire's return to Tier 1 following the infamous 13-0 loss to The Guard during his time on 100 Thieves has truly been inspiring as well.

Envy's presence in the VCT prior to their signing of RANKERS was, while shortlived, extremely iconic. The organization's original VCT international debut with the legendary OpTic Gaming roster at VCT 2021 - Stage 3 - Masters Berlin - Group Stage saw the Pujan "FNS" Mehta-led squad achieve a second-place finish in the event. And who could forget the squad's 2022 run? Envy's return to the VCT circuit is a nice callback for long-time VCT fans who will no doubt be eager to see the damage they can do this time around.

However, there remains the elephant in the room: Envy's top fraggers Canezerra and ion2x will both remain under eighteen years old by the time the 2026 season starts, prohibiting them from competing in the VCT circuit. While Canezerra, often dubbed "the future of North American VALORANT," turns eighteen in June (allowing him to compete in Stage 2), ion2x will have to wait until the start of 2027 for his opportunity. Envy will have to search for players of the highest caliber to replace them to continue staying competitive, especially at the Tier 1 level.

For more VCT news and updates, stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG.