VCT 2022: NA Challengers Stage 1 Main Event - Week 4 Group A Recap
We’ve entered the final stretch of VCT 2022 - North America - Stage 1 - Main Event Group Stages and the matchups continue to deliver the entertainment the fans long for. If you missed any of this week’s events, don’t worry because here’s a detailed recap of Group A matchup this week.
Evil Geniuses vs. The Guard
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Boostio
Reformed
SayaplayerComing into this matchup, Evil Geniuses were still searching for their first victory in the Main Event while The Guard were undefeated so far, which made them the worst opponents for EG to secure a win against and it didn’t take long for them to lose their hopes. The Guard managed to win by executing a perfect sweep, but it wasn’t entirely uncontested.
Despite Haven being EG’s map pick, the Guard had no trouble dominating both halves of the game. The Guard adopted a slower pace during the start of their attack phase allowing EG to capture four straight rounds out of their hands relatively early in the map resulting in a score of 4-2 with EG in the lead by round seven. However, the Guard had warmed up by that point, as they went on a five-round winning streak to conclude the half with a 7-5 score. The Guard’s lead should’ve served as a wake-up call for EG and force them to initiate a comeback, but they couldn't do much more than stall the opposing team’s momentum winning only four rounds in the second half while the Guard took the map 13-9 courtesy of Jonah "JonahP" Pulice with a 1.41 rating, and 286 ACS.
Bind being the Guards’ map pick was, on paper, an unfortunate predicament for EG since their opportunity for a comeback became limited. Nonetheless, being down 1-0, they tried their best to work with what they had and managed to momentarily build a lead over the Guard in the first half. The lack of consistency in their performance, however, became the reason for their loss as the Guard managed to turn the momentum in their favor and finish the half with 7-5 lead.
With EG’s chances of winning a matchup diminishing exponentially, they decided to give it all they had and build a brick-like defense and surprisingly they were successful taking six consecutive rounds immediately after halftime. They were only two rounds away from forcing the decider, but the Guard wasn’t planning on granting EG’s wish and seemed to be enraged by the comeback show EG had put on as they rivaled it with six rounds of their own, which were enough to win them the map 13-11 and their fourth matchup as well confirming their place in the Playoff stages of the Main event.
Luminosity Gaming vs. Cloud9
Winners of Knights Arena VALORAMPAGE - Main Event and the one of the only two teams in Group A with a 4-0 win streak, Cloud9, they were the favorites in the matchup even though Luminosity Gaming had a noteworthy performance last week against 100 Thieves. Denoting the events on Haven, Cloud9’s map pick as ‘one-sided’ would be a relatively accurate description given the 11-1 run they embarked on straight out of the gate catching LG off guard and forcing them to surrender the first map 13-3. LG’s defense was no match for Nathan "leaf" Orf’s offensive capabilities as he finished the map with a 1.62 Rating and 321 ACS.
Both teams then moved onto Bind, where LG looked to bounce back after a disappointing performance on the Haven. However, the first half wasn’t very kind to them as Cloud9 was able to take 7 rounds to LG’s 5. It was clear that Cloud9 was still in charge of the matchup’s momentum and LG needed more time adjusting themselves to the new opponent. The pressure of their current position in Group A seemed to have served as a motivational factor as they were able to launch a successful comeback by establishing two intermittent streaks of two and four rounds respectively.
After round 22, the scoreboard read 12-10 in their favor, and winning another round would’ve prevented the overtime and won them the map, but Cloud9 wasn’t planning on delaying their win any further and managed to force overtime. LG returned the favor by extending the match to a double overtime, which unfortunately going against them as Cloud9 recovered to their first map form and destroyed LG’s hopes of winning this matchup.
100 Thieves vs. XSET
dephhFor the last Group A matchup for this weekend, it was 100 Thieves going against XSET. 100 Thieves had had one of the most questionable performances this event with no wins to their name and a surprising roster change halfway through the event, which unfortunately bore no significant results for them. On the other hand, XSET were seeking to regain their position on the scores table and secure a playoff spot for themselves after a close loss against Cloud9 last weekend.
The matchup began on Breeze and XSET were quick to take the first couple of rounds looking to set the momentum early on, but 100 Thieves managed to counter it with three quick rounds of their own. However, this 100 Thieves endeavor ended up being only a brief loss of momentum because XSET were able to take the five rounds more rounds ending the half at 7-5. The two round deficit that 100 Thieves now faced wasn’t too difficult to overcome. 100T seemed to have realized this and also engaged in several attempts for a late comeback but couldn’t establish a consistent streak. However, without having any momentum to rely on, they had to surrender the map to XSET with a final score of 13-8.
Both teams then moved onto Fracture, where 100T looked to bounce back and demonstrated their intent during earlier rounds but stumbled momentarily allowing XSET to tighten their grasp around the matchup’s momentum and once again finish the first half at 7-5 score. During halftime, 100 Thieves understood the consequences of their actions and strategies in the upcoming round with the playoff spot hanging in the balance and they were able to channel this elevating pressure into the battle and take XSET by surprise by constructing a formidable defense immune to XSET’s brilliantly designed offensive strategies.
Bind, the decider, failed to live up to its name and proved to be relatively ‘one-sided’ as opposed to the intense battle NA fans were hoping 100 Thieves to put up. The first couple of rounds went to 100 Thieves, and they seemed to have noticed an increase in self-esteem and morale. However, XSET were hesitant to put an end to the opponent’s hope of winning and secure their spot at the playoffs. They were able to do so without much hassle as they embarked on a 10 round streak to end the half at 10-2, a scoreline which 100 Thieves wasn’t entirely a stranger to given their 13-0 loss a couple of weeks back. Having such a circumstance develop was interesting, since it would give 100 Thieves an opportunity to react differently this time and prove their fans that the change in their roster was necessary. But they couldn’t do much then take a couple of rounds more before XSET finished the map 13-4 and confirmed their place in the Playoff stage of the Main Event.
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