The qualifiers were marked by epic moves, heated rivalries and extraordinary VALORANT matches. Here is a summary of the most important developments of the first and second closed qualifiers of the EMEA and how the challenge has taken shape in Turkey and the CIS:
EMEA 1. Qualifier: BIG and Guild lead the attack
Proving his dominance in the top group, Guild beat TENSTAR and rebels after a string of tight games. In the process, they lost only one map and faced vitality, who managed to beat G2 Esports and BIG on their way to the top group final.
Meanwhile, BIG emerged from the lower group to qualify for the subgroup final, where Vitality faces another tough test. BIG eliminated Vitality 3-0 to reach the Challengers leg of the tournament.
EMEA 2. Elimination: Familiar rivalries reignite
Only G2 Esports managed to put its name at the top of the table in the second qualifier. The samurai team, which beat Alliance and TENSTAR in the first qualifiers together, faced off against their former league of legends rivals EXCEL in the top group final.
After a 3 – 1 series, they secured their place in the Challengers, responded to EXCEL star Patryk ‘paTiTek’ Fabrowski’s magnificent Phoenix with an incredible comeback at Ascent, resulting in a G2 Esports victory.
After their defeat to G2 Esports, the EXCEL team faced London United from their home country. London United were the last side to take their place in the Challengers after this match.
CIS: FPX and Natus Vincere triumph
CiS’s first open qualifying match ignited the spark between two successful esports teams, FunPlus Phoenix and Na’Vi, presenting a series that will not be forgotten. FPX, which showed its EMEA followers a flawless BO5 for the first time in 2022, managed to sweep its opponents through Breeze, Haven and Split with clear wins.
Returning in the second round, Na’Vi defeated 5MOKES. They’ve lost only one game all tournament and come to the Challengers with all their weapons on.
Turkey: Star-studded match series
Turkey has once again proved to be one of the most competitive regions in VALORANT with challengers qualifying. When The Footballist and Fenerbahce Esports threw in the towel early, SuperMassive Blaze met Fire Flux twice throughout the tournament and won both games to win the first ticket.
Returning in the second wave of qualifying, Fire Flux failed to perform fully and was unable to block Futbolist on his way to the final.
However, the famous team was beaten by BBL Esports after a heated 3-1 series that went from 10 to 13 in Split, and the team that received the second ticket was BBL Esports.
Teams and groups eligible to participate in VCT EMEA Challengers Phase I
VCT EMEA will feature the return of champion and semi-finalists Fnatic and Team Liquid, as well as Acend and finalist Gambit.
All qualifying teams and which of these groups they will be in:
Group A: Gambit, Team Liquid, BIG, FunPlus Phoenix, London United, Natus Vincere
Group B: Fnatic, Acend, SuperMassive Blaze, Guild Esports, BBL Esports, G2 Esports
Each of these teams will compete for a place at masters 2022, while the final team will fall into the VALORANT Challengers Promotion Tournament.
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