100 Thieves Sweeps VCT Stage 2 Challengers Main Event
| Tags: Valorant
| Author Malik Shelp
100 Thieves have redeemed themselves, walking away as the Champions for Week 1 of Stage 2 NA Challengers.
The first Masters event in North America was somewhat disappointing for 100 Thieves after they got knocked into the lower bracket by Sentinels, and were sent home by Gen.G. Their road to the Main Event was fairly unchallenging, and the 100 Thieves squad had no problem dealing with Cloud9 Blue and Andbox. In the Upper Finals match against Envy, 100 Thieves spent most of the time exuding confidence and making plays happen consistently. Ascent went the way of Team Envy in overtime, but between Bind and Haven, Envy only scored seven rounds.
// Each and every Map was a nail biter, but in the end, @100Thieves proves their dominance and walk away victoriously 3-1 over @XSETGAMING as the #VALORANTChallengers
Stage 2 Week 1 NA Champions (What a mouthful) #100T #100thieves #VALORANT #VALORANTESPORTS #VCT pic.twitter.com/ZLqSyGXI79— VALORANT Esports (@EsportsValorant) April 11, 2021
This loss was huge for Envy and put them in a position that ultimately led to their defeat. The Grand Finals match of XSET vs. 100 Thieves is one that every fan of Valorant should watch. The 3-1 scoreline doesn’t accurately represent how close some of these maps were. From the get-go, teams traded rounds back and forth leaving no margin for mistakes. Icebox went to OT and immediately set the stage for the tense maps to come. Ascent was all XSET, utilizing their most recent Astra, Sage, and Viper composition.
The XSET Envy Rivalry Begins
Earlier on in the tournament, Team Envy knocked XSET into the lower bracket after a runaway Haven and unsteady Ascent. Haven is Envy’s map, and with Astra in their roster, attacking can be nearly impossible. Ascent did not fare much better for XSET considering that at the half, the score was 9-3 favoring Team Envy. Control is everything when it comes to Ascent and XSET was forced to play at Envy’s game. Towards the end of Ascent, they gained more and more confidence as the rounds went on, but it can only go so far when you are at match point for five rounds straight.
While XSET was grinding their way through the lower bracket, Envy was handed a loss by none other than 100 Thieves. The match went three maps, and it was oh so fitting for the last map to be Ascent. This time, XSET picked up Viper and Sage to synergize with Astra. This composition change allowed XSET to exert control over Envy with untamed aggression. They found success when they could take the site off of the back of kills and save their utility for the post-plant. Viper is bound to become a meta choice going into the next Challengers, and XSET has her on lock.
From this past weekend, four teams have secured their spot at the Challengers Finals at the end of the month. 100 Thieves, XSET, Team Envy, and Version1 were all saved from the stress of having to battle in the single-elimination bracket. Challengers 2 for Stage 2 continues this weekend, on April 15, with the Round of 128 Open Qualifier.