VCT 2022: EMEA Stage 1 Playoffs - Viewers Guide

After a 6-week group stage marathon with different factors affecting the competition, it is now time for the VCT 2022 - EMEA - Stage 1 - Challengers - Main Event Playoffs.

Match 1: M3 Champions vs Guild Esports 4:00 PM CET / 8:00 AM PST on 3/22

The ex-Gambit Esports roster, M3 Champions, will face the toughest opponent after their break from the tournament. The Russian team managed catch a 3-game winning streak against Natus Vincere, BIG, and OG LDN Utd, respectively. Moreover, all these three wins were one-sided sweeps. M3 Champions’ recent performances look scary for sure, especially with Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov’s consistent contribution to the team. The Russian player holds a 1.35 rating and 264 ACS for the past three months and he is one of the most important pieces of the roster.

On the other side of the competition, Guild Esports will be facing the Russian giants. Guild Esports’ performance has improved unquestionably. The European team tracked Fnatic until the very end for the leadership but fell short after facing two losses against G2 Esports and Fnatic. Guild’s Leo "Leo" Jannesson’s performance is the key factor of their success as the Swedish player is holding a 1.32 rating and 251 ACS for the past three months. Besides, Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko’s Sova has been very successful with a 1.28 rating for the past three months. Guild’s clean teamwork and chemistry get them ahead of their opponents. It will be a great matchup before the semi-finals for sure and it is hard to tell which side is superior.

Match 2: G2 Esports vs Team Liquid 7:00 PM CET / 11:00 AM PST on 3/22

G2 Esports will come up against Team Liquid in the second quarterfinal matchup. After parting ways with Wassim "keloqz" Cista as [covered], G2 Esports’ performance increased with Oscar Cañellas "m1xwell" Colocho getting back to the starting lineup. However, the main factor of G2’s success is not only the change but also Žygimantas "nukkye" Chmieliauskas’s insane individual performances. The Lithuanian player proved his worth once again during VCT 2022 - EMEA - Stage 1 - Challengers - Main Event and he is now holding a 1.22 rating on the top of the 247 ACS for the past three months. Depending on G2’s map choices, nukkye’s Raze is always a big threat to the enemy. Also, keep in mind that G2 Esports managed to sweep Guild Esports in the last match of the group stage which seems like a big morale boost.

Team Liquid failed to show supremacy against M3 Champions and FunPlus Phoenix during the group stage. Despite facing hard losses against the CIS representatives, the European competitor managed to dominate other teams in the group to qualify for the playoffs. We are used to seeing Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom with Reyna and Jett but he has been playing lots of Skye and Sage lately. It shows TL’s flexibility depending on the situation and the strategy. There is still time for the game and they may surprise everyone with a different strategy. Dom "soulcas" Sulcas steps up as one of the key parts of the roster, holding a 0.98 rating and 205 ACS for the past three months.

Apart from the four teams above, Fnatic and FunPlus Phoenix are waiting for their opponents in the semi-finals as they got a bye for their group stage success. The semi-finals will start on March 23, just one day after the quarter-finals. It is not the end of the road for the losers as they will have another chance to bounce back in the lower bracket. The competition will be streamed live on the official VALORANT Twitch channel as scheduled. You can find more information about the schedule on the events page.