The VCT NA LCQ 2022 is shaping up to be the biggest regional tournament of the year.
OpTic Gaming and XSET have already punched their tickets to Valorant Champions Istanbul, but the next eight teams with the most VCT circuit points still have one more shot at Champions in the North America Last Chance Qualifier, where they will battle for the final regional spot in Riot Games’ Valorant world championship.
Headlining the tournament are Sentinels and their new roster, featuring the shock signing of former CS:GO pro Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek, who is making his highly anticipated return to pro play. With former Version1 star Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro on board as well, the hype is already reaching a fever pitch around the new Sentinels team.
However, it will be far from an easy journey to Champions. Other LCQ teams include VCT NA Stage 1 champions The Guard, an ever-improving 100 Thieves roster, and a FaZe Clan powered by the red-hot Quan “dicey” Tran and Andrej “babybay” Francisty.
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Full list of teams qualified for VCT NA LCQ
Sentinels are undoubtedly the team everyone will be watching. After missing out on both Masters events this year, everything is riding on a fairytale run to Champions via the LCQ.
The team squeaked into the LCQ in 10th place in NA, after Ghost Gaming failed to find the wins needed to overtake them in the VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers playoffs.
The Guard lead the pack with 220 points, followed by FaZe Clan, Cloud9, Shopify Rebellion, and NRG Esports.
No team can be overlooked in the LCQ. Even Evil Geniuses, who looked lackluster in Stage 1, appear revitalized now with an impressive group stage showing that included a win over OpTic Gaming.
| VCT NA STANDING | QUALIFIED TEAMS | VCT CIRCUIT POINTS |
| 3rd | The Guard | 220 |
| 4th | FaZe Clan | 75 |
| 5th | Cloud9 | 70 |
| 5th | Shopify Rebellion (formerly Luminosity Gaming) | 70 |
| 5th | NRG Esports | 70 |
| 8th | 100 Thieves | 60 |
| 9th | Evil Geniuses | 55 |
| 10th | Sentinels | 45 |
Riot Games has yet to announce the schedule for VCT NA LCQ 2022, except that it will take place in August.
The winner of the tournament will join 15 other teams in Istanbul for Valorant Champions in September.
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