North American VALORANT is making a comeback, with a lot of teams participating in the open qualifiers for the first NA VCT Challengers One event of 2022. A total of 12 teams will compete in the main event, starting on Feb. 11. This main event consists of four direct invites, four teams from the first open qualifier, and four teams from the second open qualifier. Let’s get to know the 12 teams that will be competing.
The Invited Teams:
– Sentinels
– Team Envy
– 100 Thieves
– Cloud9 Blue
These four teams were among the best in North America in 2021. Sentinels dominated in the first two stages, winning both Masters One and Two. Envy had a breakout performance at Masters Berlin, reaching the grand finals without losing a map. 100 Thieves were consistently competitive throughout the year, while Cloud9 Blue had a strong showing after qualifying from the NA Last Chance Qualifier.
Except for 100 Thieves, all the rosters have remained the same since last year. 100T made some changes during the offseason, bringing in BabyJ and ec1s to replace nitr0 and steel.
The First Open Qualifier Teams:
– Version1
– XSET
– The Guard
– NRG Esports
These four teams were the first to qualify through the open qualifier. Version1 secured their spot without dropping a single map, while XSET only lost one map in their run. The Guard bounced back from a loss to XSET and secured their spot with a solid victory. NRG had a tough start but managed to go on a strong run through the lower bracket.
The Second Open Qualifier Teams:
– Evil Geniuses
– Knights
– Luminosity
– Rise
These four teams qualified through the second open qualifier. Evil Geniuses showed great resilience with two reverse-sweep wins, as did Knights. Luminosity also secured their spot with back-to-back reverse-sweep victories. Rise, the breakout team from last year, finally made it to the main event after a close series win.
Stay tuned for the exciting action from North American VALORANT!
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