NSG Invitational: FaZe, T1, Cloud9 & Immortals on to Playoffs

The revamped T1 roster has made their way to the Quarter Finals of the NSG x Renegades Invitational and is accompanied by FaZe, Cloud9 and Immortals. The best American teams are now fighting for the trophy of this VALORANT event.

T1 ADD DAZED AND SKADOODLE

Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham stepped down from the roster quite a while ago. He wanted to take some time off to expand his agent pool and raise his skill level. With the signing of Sam “DaZeD” Marine, he now returns to the active lineup. Four of the infamous iBUYPOWER CS:GO players, who got caught up in a match-fixing scandal in 2014, are now back together in this roster.

DaZeD manages to impress in his role as in-game-leader, but he struggles in the fragging department. However, other players like Ha “Spyder” Jung-woo and Keven “AZK” Larivière shine in this roster. The two did the heavy lifting in their Opening Match versus Time In. The team only narrowly won on a 13-11 scoreline, but they were much more competitive afterwards. They topped the Winners’ Match of their group with a one-sided 2-0 win, in which Spyder, Skadoodle and Braxton “brax” Pierce each got 37 kills.

But is that enough? So far, they haven’t had to face a top team and the weak individual performance of DaZeD hasn’t yet become a disadvantage. But in Immortals, they will encounter a skilled opponent in the Quarter Finals. Jason “neptune” Tran and his boys currently sit just outside the North American Top 5 and will be T1’s first big test. Should they overcome this challenge, more superteams are lying in wait.

CLOUD9 DISAPPOINT IN GROUP B

Due to the absence of TSM and Sentinels, Cloud9 are the highst ranking team in attendance at the NSG x Renegades Invitational. But Tyson “TenZ” Ngo and his boys had some initial issues. In their Opening Match versus Andboy, they let Bradley “ANDROID” Fodor and his men get away with a 13-8 win, dropping down to the Elimination Match. There, C9 got their act together with a 13-5 win and soon surpassed Complexity on two quick maps. Now, they’re in the playoffs and will compete with FaZe Clan. Even if they’re not in top form, they should be able to take this match home.

HOW FAR CAN ANDBOX MAKE IT?

Andbox haven’t just won against Cloud9, they also followed this up with a win over Complexity. Just like most teams, this roster consists of former Counter-Strike pros and ironically features quite a few old Complexity CS:GO faces. So far, this line-up hasn’t been tested in any big tournament. Now, facing Mamba Mode Gaming, they have a legitimate chance of making it to the Semi Finals. There, they will likely meet up with Gen.G, who have already been able to topple Immortals during the Group Stage.

Today, the playoffs will be executed in quick fashion. All Quarter Finals will take place simultaneously, with the Semi Finals following up. Towards midnight CEST, they Grand Finals will commence.