The group stage of the VCT APAC Stage 2 Challengers is set to begin tomorrow, three days following the conclusion of the Play-In Stage.
https://twitter.com/RRQ_Nexi/status/1535908570361110528?s=20&t=SCOntj7LugY3GpqZy3UJ_w
It features 16 different teams, 12 of which were directly invited with high seeding from previous events, while the remaining four would be familiar faces who fought through the Play-in stage.
VCT APAC Challengers 2 Play-In Results
Made in Thailand were the champions of Group A, fishing 2-0. However, despite going undefeated, the team lacks the dominance shown by other top teams in APAC. Their battle against Enigma Gaming saw them forced into two overtime matches in the Best of 3. Similarly, the champion of Group B (Bleed) also finished 2-0 but lacked the dominance possessed by top teams. The team nearly fell into two overtime matches in their Best of 3 again RRQ.
Second-placed teams, BOOM Esports and RRQ both had close series throughout the event, and the Play-In showed that all regions are fairly matched in relative strength. This hints toward an exciting Group Stage, with most teams evenly matched across the board.
Heading into Groups, all matches will be Best of 3s which will allow for more consistency. The 16 teams will be split into 4 groups of 4, and similar to the group stage again, the top two teams in each group will advance. This will ensure only the top 8 teams in the APAC region participate in Playoffs.
VCT APAC Challengers Favorites’
- Paper Rex defied all odds, emerging from the Malaysia & Singaporean region, a traditionally underrepresented region in esports. They are likely the main tournament favorite moving into Groups. While the team had shown domestic success, despite qualifying for the 2021 Masters Berlin, Paper Rex placed in last place. This made many wonders if they had qualified due to Riot filling a quota. However, Paper Rex remains the undisputed favorite having had a recent amazing run in the latest international event, Masters Reykjavik.
- Xerxia is still coming in second on our list of favorites. Their run at Reykjavík was cut short by OpTic and we didn’t get to see their true potential. Optic won out in Reykjavik in the end, and Xerxia was among the teams that pushed them the hardest. Coming into Challengers 2, Xerxia is up there in terms of relative strength.
- Global Esports is our dark horse coming into this event. They will likely trail Xerxia out of Group B, but ultimately make a deep run into the event. The Skyesports Champions look extremely consistent, and I would put them ahead of the entirety of Group C and D moving forward.
The entirety of the Group Stage will be played out this week. You can catch all the action on one of the four official Valorant esports Twitch Channels.
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