Roster moves and new teams set up exciting NA Challengers 3

With the conclusion of the VCT 2021 - Stage 1 - North America - Challengers 3 - Open Qualifier this weekend, all teams are known for VCT 2021 - Stage 1 - North America - Challengers 3. With several teams having already qualified to VCT 2021 - Stage 1 - North America Masters, the door was wide open for teams that had been unable to break through to get their big shot, and several did.

The full list of participants for NA Challengers 3 is:

FaZe Clan Gen.G 100 Thieves Luminosity TSM NRG T1 DaHoonkaBhanKoloos

The first match for qualification featured TSM up against Version1. Version1 had been on the main broadcast for one of their previous matches, against Rise, where they pulled off a massive comeback on Split, winning every single one of their attacking rounds to pull it back from an 11-1 deficit to a 13-11 victory. They looked good while doing it too, showcasing a lot of different looks, changing up the pace and outthinking their opponents. Coming up against a slumping TSM, it looked like an upset could be on the cards, but it was not to be. They looked uncomfortable on Icebox, and while they made their pace-changing moves work for Ascent, they still barely fell in overtime.

The second match was interesting. NRG, with the brand-new addition of Bradley "ANDROID" Fodor, faced off against Demon Time, who had taken down 3 signed rosters - Cloud9 White, NYFU, and Pittsburgh Knights on their way to the top 8.

Split was very close. NRG looked shaky - perhaps expected for a roster trying to integrate a new superstar, but still. Continuing with the odd trend of attackers coming out ahead on the map, NRG led 8-4 after their attacking half, but Demon Time did the same thing, with Josh "pwny" VanGorder coming alive and posting a 15-6-2 KDA. NRG would ultimately clutch it out in overtime, taking things to Haven, where it wasn’t nearly as close. NRG’s duelists popped off, with ANDROID putting up 1.79 Rating, 317 ACS and Shanks 1.52 Rating, 337 ACS.

After closing things out at 13-2, NRG advanced to the closed qualifier. It could have been cleaner, but they’ll be on their way to show what their new pickups can do.

T1 and Cloud9, the most anticipated top 8 matchup, ended up being a messy match. Both teams were quite uncoordinated, and there were many teams when “what is happening?” was yelled at the screen. The one big consistent of the match, though, was Ha "Sayaplayer" Jung-woo. Clearly the best player in the server on the day, he routinely out-dueled his Jett opponent (and fellow Korean) Son "xeta" Seon-ho, and continuously broke rounds wide open for T1. Rahul "curry" Nemani was great too, finding big impact frags for T1, and these two players led them to the victory. With scores of 13-10 on both Icebox and Ascent, T1 headed into Challengers 3.

The final matchup for a Challengers 3 spot was an interesting one - beastcoast against new free agent mix Kooky Koalas. Featuring former Mamba Mode Gaming, Rise, and The Slimy Boogermen members, they had upset Spacestation Gaming and Built By Gamers on their way to this spot. And they certainly showed why. With great teamwork and good fragging from Kyle "ScrewFace" Jensen and a revitalized-looking Nick "Harmon" Harmon, they made it count against the signed beastcoast squad. Jamal "jammyz" Bangash was far and away bc’s best on the day, and probably the best in the server on their map win of Icebox, but it wasn’t to be. With more and more organizations entering NA VALORANT all the time, it was an unsigned squad that made things work to make top 12 and qualify for Challengers 3.

This all sets up an entertaining event. With Ethan "Ethan" Arnold debuting on 100 Thieves, Bradley "ANDROID" Fodor continuing to make things look up for NRG, and TSM making their Challengers debut, there are storylines aplenty. Tune in starting March 4th on https://www.twitch.tv/nerdstgamers, and follow along with everything with THESPIKE.GG!