These are the First Strike EU and NA Winners!

Only one of these events ended with a result that at least some fans and analysts had anticipated. In the United States, 100 Thieves secured a narrow 3-1 victory, but in Europe, the favorites didn’t even make the Finals.

There, Team Liquid already had to wave goodbye in the Quarter Finals against Team Heretics. Their 13-15 loss on Bind must have hurt especially badly, but Heretics have definitely earned this victory. With relatively tight 2-0 wins, FunPlus Phoenix and G2 Esports managed to continue on, but they couldn’t make it past the Semi Finals. There, FPX succumbed to SUMN FC and G2 lost out to Heretics, who wound up taking the trophy after a 3-1 Grand Finals.

The 100 Thieves had made waves with their signing of former CS:GO talents Joshua “steel” Nissan and Nick “nitr0” Canella. In the NSG Qualifier, they only made the Top 8, as they were bested by Team SoloMid. But there is no shame in losing to TSM, after all they won half the IGNITION Series events in North America. However, this placement was enough to advance to the NSG tournament. There, they got into the Grand Finals versus Team Envy. Making such an enormous leap (and beating TSM in the process), they quickly became North America’s hottest prospects.

So it wasn’t a shock to see them succeed over T1 and Sentinels at this First Strike event. Expectedly, they faced TSM in the Grand Finals. After an overtime on Split and the full 24 rounds on Bind, they already had two map wins in the bag. TSM finally answered with a 13-7 win on Ascent. But on Haven, the Thieves closed it out on the same scoreline for the Grand Finals victory.

A lot has happened in Europe and the top teams of this reason will have to get back to the drawing board. At the end of the event, neither G2, FPX, nor Liquid had made the Grand Finals. Instead, SUMN FC and Team Heretics fought for the coveted trophy. Heretics eventually managed to secure the victory. Even though this is a monumental achievement for this young team, this event primarily feels like the downfall of the old guard. How could the favorites suddenly break down like this?

WHY THE EUROPEAN SCENE IS SO UNSTABLE

Here at Fragster, we have already talked in length about the dangers of early-adopting an esport. Many teams, like the Ninjas in Pyjamas, had already signed a roster prior to the official release of the game. However, these players quickly became irrelevant, just like the ones from the 100 Thieves’ first attempt at a VALORANT roster. New players got in and the old ones had to somehow be let go from their contracts. The big issue here is that the scene and the game are just too young. Only a fraction of what is possible within VALORANT has been thoroughly explored. The game offers so much more depth and potential. What works today might be obsolete by tomorrow.

Exactly because of this, there is so much movement between the teams. Every single trick or move can give a team a headstart and help them surpass others. But this success only lasts until that strategy remains undetected and no one comes up with something better. This would actually help explain the results of First Strike Europe. Obviously, players like Christian “loWel” Garcia Antoran are just as responsible for their victories and have put up great performances. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise when suddenly, Team Heretics won’t even make the Semi Finals of the next big tournament.

WHY WERE THERE NO UPSETS IN NORTH AMERICA?

On the other side of the world, we witnessed the two favorites for the event duke it out in the Grand Finals. There were no real upsets, as the 100 Thieves had shown great potential earlier already. The only met the expectations that were set for them. Apart from Cloud9, who failed to qualify for the event altogether, every team has more or less performed to their expected level. Why did this happen in North America, but not in Europe?

One of the reasons for this might be the consistency of the North American scene. The likes of Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, Daniel “vice” Kim, or Matthew “Wardell” Yu have now been part of the scene for quite some time. Apart from a few outliers, the top talent seems to be present already. There are only very few breakout players within the ones that are newly arriving. But the same does not hold true for Europe. There, the player pool is enormous and talents like loWel and Žygimantas “nukkye” Chmieliauskas have only just joined two months ago. As long as reputable players keep joining the scene, G2 and their colleagues can’t rest easy and expect to remain at the top forever.

So Team Liquid, FunPlus Phoenix, and G2 Esports have lots of catching up to do. With the upcoming winter break, they will have plenty of time to sit down in front of the First Strike VODs. They’ll be able to study their new opponents and be ready to attack in 2021. The North American teams also have gotten a new task. The rise of 100 Thieves to the top had been a long time coming and was confirmed at this event. Now the chase is on, as Team SoloMid, Sentinels and T1 will try to dethrone the Thieves early on next year.