OpTic Gaming have become the first team to qualify for Valorant Champions in September, after their 2-0 dismantling of Evil Geniuses in the VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers playoffs.
The reigning Masters Reykjavik 2022 champions took their revenge against the upstart EG squad, following a surprise upset in Week 4 of the group stage.
Their upper bracket semifinals victory in the playoffs secures them at least a 3rd to 4th place finish and 65 points, adding to the points awarded to them from their Masters Reykjavik win.
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OpTic Gaming are a lock for Valorant Champions
Pujan “FNS” Mehta and his team strolled to 13-5 and 13-3 victories on Breeze and Haven, a drastic turn from the close 2-1 series during their last meeting.
“I would say we were happy, but we were kind of expecting this,” said Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen in a post-match interview. “After the tournament in Europe and all the practice we got, it elevated our game and we’re not really afraid of any opponent anymore.”
As a mark of OpTic’s dominance, Evil Geniuses failed to win even a single round where both teams had full buys on their map pick of Breeze. Victor “Victor” Wong looked unstoppable on Jett and Neon, dropping 43 kills across two quick maps and finding 11 first bloods.
In a highly anticipated Chamber battle between Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker and Kelden “Boostio” Pupello, yay also had the slight edge, winning their duels 6-4.
But it was in-game leader FNS who really stood out. Against EG star Alexander “jawgemo” Mor, one of the top performers in the group stage, FNS came out on top 9-1.
OpTic’s victory ensures that they have at least 815 points and cannot fall below second place in North America, effectively securing their spot at Champions. The Guard, who are currently placed second in NA following their Stage 1 win, have 220 points.
OpTic now move on to face XSET on June 25 in the upper bracket final.
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