With the group stage in the rearview mirror, we’re into the playoffs and are one step closer to crowning the first ever Valorant Champions winner.
In the first round, we’ll see Acend face Team Secret, Cloud9 try to upset Liquid, Gambit vs X10 and Fnatic vs KRU.
Here’s a complete recap of both days of competition.
Gambit advance in 2-1 win
Gambit, the reigning Masters 2 champions, have had an interesting run in Champions. They continue to lose a map to every team they play, despite being the heavy favorite every time.
The team has now lost on Icebox, Bind, and Ascent. We’ll have to see if this trend comes back to bite them when they face another EMEA team.
X10, for their part, were just happy to be here. Not many people thought they’d make it out of the group stage, so losing a 1-2 game against the Masters winners is still overachieving for them.
KRU upset Fnatic
Apart from the Envy/X10 upset, KRU has been the surprise of the tournament. With both X10 and Cloud9 eliminated, they’re the last underdog standing.
Today, they proved that they belong on the main stage by upsetting one of the big four in EMEA: Fnatic.
Keznit was a standout performer on the day, with the highest ADR in the lobby and the most kills by a decent margin.
Ascend handle Secret
Team Secret was ranked at the bottom of our playoff power rankings, so it was no surprise to see Acend handle them and advance to the second round.
There’s not too much to take away from this one. It was a good run for Team Secret, but it ends here.
Acend now awaits the winner of Cloud9 vs Liquid.
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