VALORANT Challengers 2 NA: What to Expect Before Playoffs

At Challengers 2, two more teams are getting an opportunity to qualify for the EMEA playoffs. Liquid, fnatic, and Vitality are just some of the top teams in attendance.

The Closed Qualifier was a brutal affair. More high-profile teams than ever before fought through the bracket with the goal of making Challengers 2. Team Heretics and the Ninjas in Pyjamas failed in the Lower Bracket already. BIG valiantly fought all the way to the qualification match, but couldn’t contend with Alliance.

The Challengers 1 top 4 is being extended with TENSTAR, Giants Gaming, Team Vitality, and Alliance. Fnatic, Team Liquid, Team BDS, and Rix.GG Thunder set themselves on top of a long list of teams. So what are the rosters’ chances in this Double Elimination bracket?

The answer is simple: Worse than during Challengers 1. Here, only two teams can make it through and the Double Elimination bracket is shrinking with every single day. A lot has changed after Masters Reykjavík.

ARE LIQUID AND FNATIC STILL FAVORITES?

Iceland was the host of the only international VALORANT LAN so far. There, the European teams and North America had the upper hand. Even though Sentinels won the tournament, Liquid and fnatic proved their worth. The latter came into the Grand Finals and only narrowly fell on three maps.

But not a lot is left from that Masters dominance. In Challengers 1, they bombed out against Guild Esports and G2 Esports, placing outside the Top 4. Liquid also only won one single match before they exited. While they already had their Challengers 2 spot in the bag, the distance to the new European rosters is more than visible.

BDS and Rix.GG both blew out without achieving anything. They should be the ones worrying about the new teams in Challengers 2. Giants Gaming feature David “DavidP” Prins, one of the former G2 star players. But TENSTAR are the biggest surprise so far. We haven’t heard this name at the top so far. Nonetheless, they fought past Heretics on a decisive scoreline and achieved qualification without any losses.

After all, online matches are a different turf than a real LAN tournament. There, fnatic and Liquid would probably have the upper hand experience-wise. But first, they have to get there. After Challengers 2, the playoffs against the frontrunners of the EMEA region are coming up. Only then can they actually advance to the Challengers Finals in Berlin.