The VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers playoffs is finally here. After five weeks of group stage action that saw several favorites drop out of contention, the remaining eight teams are set to battle for one of two spots at Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen.

Reigning Masters Reykjavik champions OpTic Gaming took the top spot in Group B with a 4-1 record, advancing directly to the upper bracket semifinals of the playoffs. 

Right behind them are FaZe Clan, Evil Geniuses, and Luminosity Gaming, three teams that finished with the same 3-2 record. Since the three teams were tied, their playoffs seeding was determined by each team’s map win percentage throughout the group stage, according to the VCT rulebook.

Since Luminosity Gaming had the lowest map win percentage at 5-5, while FaZe Clan had 6-4 and Evil Geniuses finished at 6-5, LG will start their playoffs run in the lower bracket while FaZe and EG move on to the upper bracket quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, in Group A, XSET and Ghost Gaming were tied with a 4-1 record. But since XSET had the head-to-head advantage, they secured the second upper bracket semifinals spot in the playoffs. Ghost Gaming and 100 Thieves will continue their tournament run in the upper bracket quarterfinals of the playoffs.

NRG round out the playoffs, clinching the final slot after they knocked out The Guard in the last week of the group stage.


What is the VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers playoffs?

Valorant XSET Cryocells VCT NA
Credit: XSET

The playoffs are the final leg of VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers. The top two teams will travel to Denmark to compete in Riot Games’ second international VCT LAN event in July.

The teams that qualify for Masters Copenhagen will compete for VCT circuit points that will put them one step closer to qualifying for Valorant Champions at the end of the year.


VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers playoffs schedule and results

VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers playoffs bracket
Credit: Riot Games

The playoffs will run for two weeks from June 17 to 27. 

Top seeds OpTic Gaming and XSET have received a direct bye to the upper bracket semifinals, while the second and third seeds from each group will start in the upper quarterfinals.

NRG and Luminosity Gaming, who finished last in their respective groups, will begin their run in the lower bracket instead.

On match days, games are scheduled to begin at 4:00 a.m. GMT+8.

June 17

Upper bracket quarterfinals

TEAMRESULTSTEAM
FaZe Clan1 — 2100 Thieves
Ghost Gaming0 — 2Evil Geniuses

June 18

Lower bracket round 1

TEAMRESULTSTEAM
Ghost Gaming0 — 2NRG
FaZe Clan2 — 1Luminosity Gaming

June 19

Upper bracket semifinals

TEAMRESULTSTEAM
XSET2 — 0100 Thieves
OpTic Gaming2 — 0Evil Geniuses

June 20

Lower bracket quarterfinals

TEAMRESULTSTEAM
Evil Geniuses1 — 2NRG
100 Thieves1 — 2FaZe Clan

June 25

Upper bracket final

TEAMRESULTSTEAM
XSET1 — 3OpTic Gaming

Lower bracket semifinal

TEAMRESULTSTEAM
NRG1 — 2FaZe Clan

June 26

Lower bracket final

TEAMRESULTSTEAM
XSET3 — 1FaZe Clan

June 27

Grand final

TEAMRESULTSTEAM
OpTic Gaming1 — 3XSET


Teams that are competing in the tournament

VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers Playoffs teams
Credit: Riot Games
TEAMS
XSET
OpTic Gaming
FaZe Clan
Ghost Gaming
100 Thieves
Evil Geniuses
NRG
Luminosity Gaming

VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers prize and point pool

OpTic Gaming wins Masters Reykjavik 2022
Credit: Riot Games
STANDINGTEAMVCT POINTSPRIZE MONEY
1stXSETQualifies for Masters CopenhagenUS$50,000
2ndOpTic GamingQualifies for Masters CopenhagenUS$32,000
3rdFaZe Clan65US$26,000
4thNRG55US$20,000
5thEvil Geniuses45US$14,000
6th100 Thieves45US$14,000
7thGhost Gaming35US$10,000
8thLuminosity Gaming35US$10,000

Format of the tournament

All teams will compete in double-elimination best-of-three matches, except during the upper bracket final, lower bracket final, and the grand final, which are best-of-five games.


Where to watch VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers matches live?

Valorant fans can watch the matches live on Riot Games’ official Twitch and YouTube channels:



CHANNELPLATFORM
ValorantTwitch
Valorant 2Twitch
Valorant 3Twitch
Valorant EsportsYouTube

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