The competition in Asia is heating up with the start of the VCT Korea Stage 1 Challengers Playoffs on March 16.
The top six teams from the Korean region have made their way into the playoffs, where they will battle for a single spot at Stage 1 Masters in Iceland.
However, it’s no longer immediately clear who will come out on top this year. The kings of Korean Valorant, DRX Vision Strikers, have stiff competition this year with On Sla2ers and DAMWON Gaming nipping at their heels in the group stage.
The region also features up-and-coming squads World Game Star, Maru Gaming, and Holy Molly, all of which are looking to make their international debut by upsetting the top teams in Korea.
What is the VCT Korea Stage 1 Challengers Playoffs?
The Playoffs is the final leg of VCT Korea Stage 1 Challengers. The winner will advance to VCT Stage 1 Masters Reykjavik and walk away with a prize pot of ₩30,000,000 (US$24,000).
The team that qualifies to the first Valorant international tournament of 2022 will also earn VCT circuit points that will go toward qualifying for Valorant Champions at the end of the year.
VCT Korea Stage 1 Challengers Playoffs schedule and results
The playoffs will take place from March 17 to 27, with each day’s matches starting at 3:00 p.m. GMT+8.
March 17
Upper Bracket Quarterfinals
TEAM | RESULTS | TEAM |
World Game Star | 2 — 0 | Maru Gaming |
DAMWON Gaming | 2 — 0 | Holy Molly |
March 18
Upper Bracket Semifinals
TEAM | RESULTS | TEAM |
DRX | 2 — 1 | World Game Star |
On Sla2ers | 2 — 1 | DAMWON Gaming |
March 19
Lower Bracket Quarterfinals
TEAM | RESULTS | TEAM |
Maru Gaming | 0 — 2 | DAMWON Gaming |
Holy Molly | 2 — 0 | World Game Star |
March 20
Upper Bracket Final
TEAM | RESULTS | TEAM |
DRX Vision Strikers | 2 — 0 | On Sla2ers |
Lower Bracket Semifinal
TEAM | RESULTS | TEAM |
DAMWON Gaming | 0 — 2 | Holy Molly |
March 26
Lower Bracket Final
TEAM | RESULTS | TEAM |
On Sla2ers | 3 — 0 | Holy Molly |
March 27
Grand Final
TEAM | RESULTS | TEAM |
DRX Vision Strikers | 3 — 0 | On Sla2ers |
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Teams that are competing in the tournament
TEAMS |
DRX Vision Strikers |
On Sla2ers (ESports Connected) |
DAMWON Gaming |
World Game Star |
Maru Gaming |
Holy Molly |
Format of the tournament
The six teams in the tournament will compete in a double-elimination best-of-three format, except for the lower bracket final and grand final, which will be best-of-five series. The winner will advance to VCT Stage 1 Masters Reykjavik 2022.
Top seeds DRX and On Sla2ers have been seeded deeper in the tournament bracket, where they will eventually face off against the winners of the first two games.
Where to watch the tournament matches live?
Valorant fans can watch the matches live on Riot Games’ official Twitch, YouTube, and Afreeca TV channels:
CHANNEL | PLATFORM |
Valorant KR | Afreeca TV |
Valorant KR | Twitch |
Valorant KR | YouTube |
READ MORE: VCT APAC Stage 1 Challengers Group Stage: Schedule, results, teams, where to watch