The Road to Masters Reykjavík: North American VCT Challengers One Playoff Bracket Is Set
The group stage for the North American VCT Challengers One main event has concluded, marking the start of an intense double-elimination playoff bracket. The top two VALORANT teams from this bracket will represent the region at Masters Reykjavík.
After five weeks of round-robin matches, several surprising stories emerged. Cloud9 and Version1 displayed near-flawless dominance, while 100 Thieves and Rise experienced a sudden slump in performance. Now, the eight remaining teams will compete from March 17 onward, aiming to secure a top-two finish and secure their tickets to Iceland.
Power Rankings: North American VCT 2022 Challengers One
| Rank | Team | Rank change |
| 1 | Cloud9 | – |
| 2 | Version1 | – |
| 3 | The Guard | – |
| 4 | OpTic Gaming | – |
| 5 | Sentinels | – |
| 6 | XSET | – |
| 7 | Luminosity Gaming | – |
| 8 | Knights | +1 |
| 9 | Rise | -1 |
| 10 | 100 Thieves | – |
| 11 | NRG Esports | – |
| 12 | Evil Geniuses | – |
Better Luck Next Time for 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses, NRG, and Rise
Three teams, 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses, and NRG, were already out of playoff contention before week five began. In a match with just pride on the line, 100 Thieves finally had something to be proud of with a close 2-0 victory against EG. Despite some close maps, EG ended up on the wrong side of the results throughout this stage. While they weren’t expected to reach this stage, a 0-5 record is still disappointing.
In the match between NRG and Rise, Rise needed a win to secure a playoff spot if OpTic were to lose to Knights. However, Rise faltered against NRG, sealing their fate outside the playoff picture with a 2-0 defeat. After an initial win against OpTic, Rise lost their next four series, winning just one map out of nine. While there were signs of instability heading into VCT, their plummet in performance came as a surprise.
Unlikely Masters Candidates: Knights, Luminosity, XSET
In a double-elimination bracket, any team has a chance, but it would be a surprise to see any of these three teams finish in the final two and secure a spot in Reykjavik.
Both Luminosity and Knights enter the playoffs following recent losses. Despite not needing to win in the final week, their decisive defeats against XSET and OpTic raise concerns about their ability to compete against top teams.
XSET convincingly defeated Luminosity, as they did with other teams not at their level, such as 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses. While XSET couldn’t overcome C9 and The Guard in group play, they managed to take a map off both teams. Among this trio, XSET is the most likely to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Serious Threats: Sentinels, OpTic, The Guard
Only two spots are available for NA at Masters, but these teams, while not considered heavy favorites, have a chance to secure a spot in Iceland in April.
Both Sentinels and OpTic have experience winning in Challenger playoffs and making it to Masters. The Sentinels roster, in particular, began their five-month-long period of dominance after the playoffs at the end of stage one last year. While they’ve shown flashes of brilliance this stage, they haven’t reached that level of dominance just yet. TenZ’s performance dipped after the first two weeks, and he’ll need to return to form for Sentinels to compete against the top teams in the bracket.
The Guard’s impressive run came to an end against C9 at week five, losing on both Ascent and Haven after winning the first map. Although The Guard showcased their skills throughout the stage, C9 has been their only real test against top-level competition. To reach Iceland, The Guard will need to face Sentinels, Version1, OpTic, and/or C9 again in a challenging gauntlet. It’s not impossible for this exciting new team, but it will certainly be a tough journey.
Iceland on Their Minds: Cloud9, Version1
The two teams with intertwined history, Cloud9 and Version1, both secured 5-0 records and are the favorites to qualify for Masters Reykjavik.
C9 faced their biggest challenge against The Guard but responded with decisive wins on Ascend and Haven. Since the NA LCQ, C9 has been in excellent form, and apart from one exception, no other team in NA Challengers has shown such consistency.
The exception is Version1, a team that has exceeded expectations set by others and themselves, according to Zellsis. V1 has a favorable bracket ahead of them, starting with a match against struggling Luminosity and the potential to face The Guard or Sentinels, both of whom V1 has already defeated.
Please note that this article includes affiliate links that may provide small compensation to .
North American VCT Challengers One, VALORANT, Masters Reykjavík, double-elimination playoff bracket, power rankings, 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses, NRG, Rise, Knights, Luminosity, XSET, Sentinels, OpTic, The Guard, Cloud9, Version1, Iceland.