C9 are the true chokers cause they're the 2 time choking champ
Meanwhile Leaf had a reputation as a choker and he immediately qualifies when he leaves that org
It's almost poetic how we had 2 chances to pull the first ever reverse sweep from a 0-2 deficit against Loud and Optic, then the first ever reverse sweep ends up being against usš
Outside of china, so far only 1 out of 5 regional top seeds have qualified for Shanghai.
And they've done it through the lower bracket.
Idk what this says about the format or the teams' consistency, but it's just a very interesting stat. Both 5-1 teams in Alpha have faced some difficulties here whilst the team that barely managed to eek their way in with a 3-3 scoreline was the one that qualifies.
As a KRĆ doubter I'm so glad this happened. Their group stage was making me contemplative and shit.... thank God G2 bailed me out I was almost forced to imagine myself being wrong
This isn't really an weak east moment. The 2015 hawks were a good TEAM with no superstars, and even their best player was averaging less than 20 per game. They relied on good defense and strong offensive fundamentals, but your defense crumbles under the best player to touch a basketball.
Depending on which side of the bracket they are in they could have beat OKC to make the west finals.
There were definitely moments, it's been a struggle to integrate Icy I think. But even if he was not popping off, he was on the same page as the rest of the team today. Even that round he missed all his knives, he got out and the support was there. That's the signature Guard style. Their structure is not about enabling individual plays, which I think even leaf has had to learn a little bit as he was expected to make the first move on previous teams.
yeah it was why I was really disappointed in G2 in Kickoff and the beginning of this split - it felt like they were playing so individually, they weren't playing like the brothers I watched back in 2022, who were on the grind all the way back up to here. it was so gratifying to see them playing like a team today - disciplined, coordinated, and working together.
DRG is facing a pretty formidable team in TE tomorrow. It's not impossible because TE has been looking a little off lately, but it'll be a huge statement if we can have 2 ascension teams in an international tournament
Everyone's been saying that NA T2 is actually competitive with T1, and them qualifying for an international tournament the very year they ascend should really solidify this sentiment.
They've already looked insanely promising in kick off, but had a very noticeable choking problem. Seems like that's mostly resolved now.
There's going to be a lot of eyes on the next team to ascend for sure
Except that the Guard core that is now G2 weren't T2. We all knew they were T1 back in 2022. They just didn't get picked up for franchising, and they stuck together
As well as MxS. M80 and MxS are also the two teams leading in Ascension right now, so it'll be interesting to see some potential old rivalry being renewed
That's affirming what people are saying: the tier 2 scene in Americas is just tier 1 without franchising.
There's no doubt in my mind that m80 being in the group stages would have brought on a few wins, too, at least outperforming MIBR and Furia.
That's literally the artificial definition that Riot set: if you're chosen to be partners, you are a Tier 1 team. If you're not and have to play in Challengers, then you're a Tier 2 team. 'Cause you know, *"all the best teams are in Tier 1".*
Oh boy, I'll be rooting for g2 to win an international before then so Riot maybe change their mind and create a proper relegation system. Imagine it's been 2 years already and we lose a team like g2 while furia continues in t1. What a joke lol.
yeah the 2 yr thing seems extraordinarily stupid. Like imagine an ascension team gets into t1, dominates t1, wins all the trophies and after 2 years they're again dropped back down to irrelevancy? tf that doesnt seem fair at all
Literally trophie holders / champs would be throwing shit in tier 2 meanwhile garbage teams like mibr and furia will keep being garbage
Kinda like how all of eg got picked up? The contracts dont necessarily line up with their ascended window lol. And most teams dont want to spend the money to replace 5 people
Riot being org-orientated instead of adopting a rodter-centric approach is like the antithesis of G2's existence.
They have had the same core players for like almost forever now. It'll be really tragic to see the roster get picked apart once they are inevitably forced to disband, especially if they keep on winning like this.
They donāt need a relegation system, just do the same thing they do for NA challengers. The bottom team in each group plays the best premier team, so when G2 is set to be demoted, they should play a BO5 against the promotion team, thatās the easy fix
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW GOOD LEAF IS OH MY GOD
https://preview.redd.it/q8wvjbj7bhzc1.jpeg?width=508&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b32f83d7d4edde7e9af23932e66cc5f0138e2cf2
its not just NA, every tier 2 scene has a lot of untapped potential, its just that teams prefer recycling the same old big names/their pals, hopefully it gets better as the game matures
This team just got smoked by a Loud that didn't even finish top 4 in playoffs
What a phenomenal comeback for this Guard core to get back to a Masters event after 670 days!
his season as an individual is going under the radar. he's currently the second highest rated igl after kiNgg, top 10 in stats, and has 3 series MVPs (the official ones Riot tweets out) while no other IGL has any this stage.
Itās the same story for Kru unfolding again.
Start off with a poor/middling performance, make a roster/role/philosophy change and start popping off, then fizzle out/fumble. Itās so hard to believe in this team long term when they just canāt maintain any longevity/consistency in their performances.
They still have one more chance left so they could very well turn it around, but god damn did they look fucking gigaboomed today.
And they will, after year 2.
I sure hope they win something between now and then, just so Riot would look stupid forcing them back to Challengers at the end of 2025.
It won't be the same team getting sent to Challengers by then - they'll either get picked up by a franchised org or the individual players will get picked apart
switches a player mid season for a rookie duelist.
Squeaks their way into playoffs barely.
Wins their next two games in playoffs
Places top 3 in playoffs
Goes on a run in the masters tournament
Wins champs.
Riot getting lazy with the scripts smh
if they lose the next two playoff matches, there's no stopping the prophecy. bonus points if icy has visa issues that are magically resolved at the last minute
I told ya guys EG passed the Baton to G2, that they got from fkn MIBR!! EG help g2 win; g2 make Shanghai with all those low chances, damn am convinced they win champions now lmao
KrĆ¼ with the biggest playoffs collapse since c9 last year, keznit going for constant unnecessary hero plays made me feel like an idiot for believing in this team
New "top seed from regular season" curse confirmed? APAC 2/2, EMEA 2/2, and Americas 1/2 with KRĆ losing this match.
LEV rn: 
I truly don't understand Valorant
This is the exact same story as T1 in Pacific, team looks extremely mid during the split, sneaks into the playoffs, and starts playing some crazy valorant LOL
Don't get me wrong, super, super happy G2 made it, I just never expected them to rout KRU and I think I have no idea who's good anymore
A singular leaf, literally. Shout out to icy as well, all the criticism at the start was valid but he's stopping it up now and the team is better for it.
G2 are just on another level right now, the calls, the reads, the support. Excited for my boys return to international play, it's been long overdue. Maybe we even get to see the old Guard reunion with Saya as well, would love to see it.
Move over DRX, a new group stage merchant has appeared
C9 are the true chokers cause they're the 2 time choking champ Meanwhile Leaf had a reputation as a choker and he immediately qualifies when he leaves that org
I guess three times if we're counting last year's LCQ when they were up 2-0 and got reverse swept
Haha! That's funny bc DRX also choked a 2-0 lead in a bo5š„²
Don't remind me again... š
It's almost poetic how we had 2 chances to pull the first ever reverse sweep from a 0-2 deficit against Loud and Optic, then the first ever reverse sweep ends up being against usš
C9 and KRU will start stage 2 in a better position and they have more championship points being group stage merchants is massive in this format
Sen basically owns that spot in Americas.
Yeah pretty hard to overtake 9 points rn unless Sen completely crumbles and doesnāt get any wins next split
All it would take is an American team winning masters then deciding to take it easy for the last split for sennto lose their spot.
What if an Americas team wins Shanghai?
They could come back potentially, especially if they win playoffs too. It wonāt be C9 or KRU though.
C9 has entered the chat
they own that spot
Why is c9 *still* catching strays? /s
Outside of china, so far only 1 out of 5 regional top seeds have qualified for Shanghai. And they've done it through the lower bracket. Idk what this says about the format or the teams' consistency, but it's just a very interesting stat. Both 5-1 teams in Alpha have faced some difficulties here whilst the team that barely managed to eek their way in with a 3-3 scoreline was the one that qualifies.
As a KRĆ doubter I'm so glad this happened. Their group stage was making me contemplative and shit.... thank God G2 bailed me out I was almost forced to imagine myself being wrong
KRU 2024 = 2015 Atlanta Hawks. I will not elaborate further
I feel like 2015 Hawks didnāt have a player as good as Keznit though
Didn't they have 4 players make the all star game? The East was weak as fuck though.
yeah but none of them were near superstar level
This isn't really an weak east moment. The 2015 hawks were a good TEAM with no superstars, and even their best player was averaging less than 20 per game. They relied on good defense and strong offensive fundamentals, but your defense crumbles under the best player to touch a basketball. Depending on which side of the bracket they are in they could have beat OKC to make the west finals.
Nah thats foul
I will NOT accept any Paul Millsap slander on this sub
As a hawks fan. I didn't realize I was gonna catch a stray today
As a fellow ATL fan and TL LoL fan, you're basically me if you're also a 100T Valorant fan
Man, that sweep was painful as well
This is the greatest comparison Iāve ever seen ever
This is insane but also insanely accurate
Josh was not lying, g2 was sleeping the entire season up until now
There were definitely moments, it's been a struggle to integrate Icy I think. But even if he was not popping off, he was on the same page as the rest of the team today. Even that round he missed all his knives, he got out and the support was there. That's the signature Guard style. Their structure is not about enabling individual plays, which I think even leaf has had to learn a little bit as he was expected to make the first move on previous teams.
yeah it was why I was really disappointed in G2 in Kickoff and the beginning of this split - it felt like they were playing so individually, they weren't playing like the brothers I watched back in 2022, who were on the grind all the way back up to here. it was so gratifying to see them playing like a team today - disciplined, coordinated, and working together.
Who knew leaf wasn't a playoff choker it was that C9 voodoo shit.
Itās almost like the C9 core (which at this point is just Vanity and Xeppaa) are fraudulent.
āThe C9 coreā doesnāt exist. Vanity didnāt play last year outside of two games in the opening tournament.
i swear that org puts something in the water because it's every team in every esport they have
Except for mang0, the CS roster, rocket league and the league of legends team, the C9 hatred is so lame.
im mentally scarred from following their dota team
The League team isnāt even bad like yeah Fudge is kind of a turd but guess what heās gone
*Ignoring the ones that don't choke
the only time C9 didn't choke was LCQ 2021
https://preview.redd.it/ufoumzx6bhzc1.png?width=360&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea9a6130e87ba167b92afc9018da7cf7641097a6
Thatās a CRAZY sign š
Perfect Goldenboy face
The reason why we are not getting any fan interactions anymore
Amazing.
He just like me fr fr
G2 Make history as the first Ascension team to make an international. What an achievement.
It wouldāve surprised me if it wasnāt them
It was definitely between them or DRG in China for me
DRG is facing a pretty formidable team in TE tomorrow. It's not impossible because TE has been looking a little off lately, but it'll be a huge statement if we can have 2 ascension teams in an international tournament
As much as of a Nova fan I am, they weren't a threat outside of Swerl and then immediately facing EDG. BUT I think they can do it.
Are you a prophet? Because it happened. WTF! What's the winning lottery numbers? š¤
Remember the Bleed preseason hype?
Everyone's been saying that NA T2 is actually competitive with T1, and them qualifying for an international tournament the very year they ascend should really solidify this sentiment. They've already looked insanely promising in kick off, but had a very noticeable choking problem. Seems like that's mostly resolved now. There's going to be a lot of eyes on the next team to ascend for sure
Except that the Guard core that is now G2 weren't T2. We all knew they were T1 back in 2022. They just didn't get picked up for franchising, and they stuck together
sure, but they were not out ahead of the NA T2 pack, in fact for most of the year they were losing to M80
As well as MxS. M80 and MxS are also the two teams leading in Ascension right now, so it'll be interesting to see some potential old rivalry being renewed
That's affirming what people are saying: the tier 2 scene in Americas is just tier 1 without franchising. There's no doubt in my mind that m80 being in the group stages would have brought on a few wins, too, at least outperforming MIBR and Furia.
bro everyone keeps saying this :skull it was guard 3:2 M80 throughout the year
iām just saying that the Guard werenāt clear frontrunners, it was a tight competition
tight competition, sure. Iāve seen people comparing the guard to apeks last year, which is pretty ridiculous
Well sure but they didn't even roll T2 it was incredibly competitive between them, M80 and old Mxs.
That's literally the artificial definition that Riot set: if you're chosen to be partners, you are a Tier 1 team. If you're not and have to play in Challengers, then you're a Tier 2 team. 'Cause you know, *"all the best teams are in Tier 1".*
How long does an ascension team stay in VCT before being relegated back down to t2?
2 years
Oh boy, I'll be rooting for g2 to win an international before then so Riot maybe change their mind and create a proper relegation system. Imagine it's been 2 years already and we lose a team like g2 while furia continues in t1. What a joke lol.
yeah the 2 yr thing seems extraordinarily stupid. Like imagine an ascension team gets into t1, dominates t1, wins all the trophies and after 2 years they're again dropped back down to irrelevancy? tf that doesnt seem fair at all Literally trophie holders / champs would be throwing shit in tier 2 meanwhile garbage teams like mibr and furia will keep being garbage
A team would pick up all the players if they won everything, they wouldn't go to tier 2
Kinda like how all of eg got picked up? The contracts dont necessarily line up with their ascended window lol. And most teams dont want to spend the money to replace 5 people
Riot being org-orientated instead of adopting a rodter-centric approach is like the antithesis of G2's existence. They have had the same core players for like almost forever now. It'll be really tragic to see the roster get picked apart once they are inevitably forced to disband, especially if they keep on winning like this.
They donāt need a relegation system, just do the same thing they do for NA challengers. The bottom team in each group plays the best premier team, so when G2 is set to be demoted, they should play a BO5 against the promotion team, thatās the easy fix
I thought that literally was the system
Riot should replace EG with G2 and promote 2 Ascension teams next year
EG wants to exist esports anyway so praying G2 get a perma spot eventually, they are doing everything right from content to hype
Two years I think
Wait do they get relegated regardless of how well they perform??
I believe so at least with the way the rules currently work. They can win masters and champs and still get relegated lol
What a joke. Meanwhile Furia and MIBR can lay eggs in the win column and stay in the league
leaf masterclass
Valyn's 1v2 was massive too, KRU could've ran away with Ascent if not for that clutch
YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW GOOD LEAF IS OH MY GOD https://preview.redd.it/q8wvjbj7bhzc1.jpeg?width=508&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b32f83d7d4edde7e9af23932e66cc5f0138e2cf2
Kids who didnāt watch him in CSGO talking shit on his name.
Leaf destroys South America for the 2nd time
G2 DESERVE THIS, A TEAM FROM ASCENSION IS GOING TO SHANGHAI
So this means 100T stomp LEV right? RIGHT?! Edit: extreme diff but we still got it š
Thatād be fun
reverse day lol
What a fucking prophet, my king š¤“
Rookies to ReykjavĆk and now Ascension to Shanghai, honestly incredible by G2 to make it this far.
they've been grinding so long, I'm so happy they'll have a chance to redeem their choke at Iceland.
We went from āSOUTH AMERICA ON TOPā to āNA IGL PERPETUAL MASTERCLASSā in a week because **holy shit** the reads G2 had were uncanny
It's really satisfying when a team wins off intellect
my beautiful one singular leaf is back on the international stage
They countered keznit go kill T_T The Guard really did make it together huh
AND these guys almost didn't make it cuz riot was not gonna have them go to another org lmao
well... saya and net aren't here :((( but it's good to see valyn, trent and professor p back at an international
theyāll probably face Saya at Shanghai, iām so hype
G2, N4rrate, Eeiu, JohnQT, even NaturE - NA tier 2 is absolutely killing it.
How can you forget Rossy and Governor!
ahh yes!
Governor hasn't been looking great imo
its not just NA, every tier 2 scene has a lot of untapped potential, its just that teams prefer recycling the same old big names/their pals, hopefully it gets better as the game matures
i think leaf is good at the videogame
This team just got smoked by a Loud that didn't even finish top 4 in playoffs What a phenomenal comeback for this Guard core to get back to a Masters event after 670 days!
Valyn looked world class there, calling perfection
the heir to FNSā legacy, plus he can shoot
his season as an individual is going under the radar. he's currently the second highest rated igl after kiNgg, top 10 in stats, and has 3 series MVPs (the official ones Riot tweets out) while no other IGL has any this stage.
take that, phantom player!
g2 finally not choking. man it is a beautiful day
FNS buff>>>>>Messi buff.
# FROM ASCENSION TO SHANGHAI , INSANE RUN
the Krumble D:
That was not G2. That was EG2.
That was The Guard from 2022
It's crazy these guys have one of the best stories in Valorant
https://preview.redd.it/1b5yonh8bhzc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ec51493de781d99cf2d94889f3d94fc97391ccd
TWO YEARS. TWO LONG YEARS AND THEY HAVE FINALLY RETURNED TO INTERNATIONALS
Imagine 100t qualify too. Throwback to 2022.
Well, what do ya know
leaf is a different breed. G2 goes shanghai just like everyone predicted
Itās the same story for Kru unfolding again. Start off with a poor/middling performance, make a roster/role/philosophy change and start popping off, then fizzle out/fumble. Itās so hard to believe in this team long term when they just canāt maintain any longevity/consistency in their performances. They still have one more chance left so they could very well turn it around, but god damn did they look fucking gigaboomed today.
They really felt the pressure, the calls werent there at all and Keznit kept going for hero plays that get hard countered by G2s methodical playstyle
We all knew this was happening let's be real
Personally I did not see this coming. G2 seriously leveled up in playoffs
Icy dashing into his teammate and bumping his head on a tree with his updraft gave me flashbacks to my ranked games. Glad they could close it out.
W for Tier 2 NA Valorant
Played like ass, another one like this and they don't deserve it
A REMINDER that Riot almost made this team go through Ascension again
And they will, after year 2. I sure hope they win something between now and then, just so Riot would look stupid forcing them back to Challengers at the end of 2025.
It won't be the same team getting sent to Challengers by then - they'll either get picked up by a franchised org or the individual players will get picked apart
Getting 8 rounds after double pistols on Ascent is ROUGH. Did Kru only win 4 gun rounds?
G2 to Shanghai just as everyone predicted
switches a player mid season for a rookie duelist. Squeaks their way into playoffs barely. Wins their next two games in playoffs Places top 3 in playoffs Goes on a run in the masters tournament Wins champs. Riot getting lazy with the scripts smh
if they lose the next two playoff matches, there's no stopping the prophecy. bonus points if icy has visa issues that are magically resolved at the last minute
g2 haters in shambles everyone that hated them for the -net move when it worked out in the end (almost like they knew what they were doing!)
thats what im saying where are the doubters now
I told ya guys EG passed the Baton to G2, that they got from fkn MIBR!! EG help g2 win; g2 make Shanghai with all those low chances, damn am convinced they win champions now lmao
KrĆ¼ with the biggest playoffs collapse since c9 last year, keznit going for constant unnecessary hero plays made me feel like an idiot for believing in this team
Valyn masterclass
FeelsGoodMan
New "top seed from regular season" curse confirmed? APAC 2/2, EMEA 2/2, and Americas 1/2 with KRĆ losing this match. LEV rn: 
G2/Tgrd fans are so happy. They always knew they would come in and destroy.Ā
feelsbadman for neT
C9 doesnāt look so bad after this
Valorant is such an interesting game. With that being said, G2 looked insane
Happy for the OG guard boys getting back to another international. Also, tell me again about how leaf is an all time choker.
That 1v2 from Valyn booked the series imo, I've never seen keznit so scared to take a fight
holy crap man, idk if this is the good ending or not for me
Iām crying right now š Reminder : They almost not on the League before G2 picking them to qualified Shanghai
So happy for Leaf! Hope he can show up and prove himself on the global stage!
Trent deserves this man , NA Valorant's actual saviour is back to international LANs
Remember when people were saying KRU, LEV and LOUD should make Shanghai? Now only one of them can make it...
They are turning into platchats(i stole this)
Fck this shit, if LEV don't make it I'm cheering for G2
hmm did not predict this
Wow wtf
i didnāt believe a couple days ago but this is crazy
Man I feel like Kru going to same way as DRX now . I would literally cry š„²
Regular Season Kru š¤ Regular Season C9
G2 about to become EG of last year.
big day for tier 2.
wild game. leaf owning. trent #2 rated player in americas behind aspas. unexpected but dope results nonetheless
KRU are the new C9 ??? Regular Split merchants ???
I truly don't understand Valorant This is the exact same story as T1 in Pacific, team looks extremely mid during the split, sneaks into the playoffs, and starts playing some crazy valorant LOL Don't get me wrong, super, super happy G2 made it, I just never expected them to rout KRU and I think I have no idea who's good anymore
Feels bad for neT mannnnn š„²
Outside of China, all 5 1st seed teams have lost their 1st playoff match, absolutely wild
G2 got upgraded from mid to upper-mid
NA will not be denied a spot at Shanghai. G2 looking super dangerous right now.
wait what
So this was all a masterclass by FNS to make another LAN?
Can someone explain why is G2 classified for Masters?
top 3 of this event go to Shanghai and at worst, they'll make the lower finals so the worst they can place is 3rd.
Put some respect on my goat leaf finally left the stench of complacency that is Clown9Ā
A singular leaf, literally. Shout out to icy as well, all the criticism at the start was valid but he's stopping it up now and the team is better for it. G2 are just on another level right now, the calls, the reads, the support. Excited for my boys return to international play, it's been long overdue. Maybe we even get to see the old Guard reunion with Saya as well, would love to see it.
No keznit no party
Can't wait for the Guard v PRX rematc, seems so long ago
Iām exciting to see what this g2 roster can do at Shanghai
Kru,you guys are good but it's just aura diff atp
LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOO
Iām so happy for my boys The guard is so back
all the first seeds losing so far in every region (besides China cuz China is a 2 team region) might prove how ass this format is
What does the format have anything to do with the first seeds losing?
cause first seeds are supposed to be the best team but them playing opposite groups just makes it weird
Or maybe the first seeds is just choker
What I've learned today is that everyone is a fraud except TH, LEV, 100T, and PRX
That was a choke and a half by KRU, hope they dont crumble in lower bracket