100 Thieves Take Down XSET in VCT: NA LCQ
Despite a few technical hiccups, the first day of the VCT: NA Last Chance Qualifier LAN event went smoothly. We saw 100 Thieves and XSET slip past Gen.G and Luminosity in the quarterfinals before facing off against each other in the first match of the semifinals.
100 Thieves proved to be a better team and secured the spot in the upper bracket final. XSET dropped down into the lower bracket where they now face elimination.
100 Thieves vs. Gen.G Esports
The esports event started off with a match between 100T and Gen.G Esports. Gen.G pulled off an early upset and took the first map on Breeze, but to their disappointment, this only strengthened the resolve of 100T.
They quickly bounced back and secured the second map, ending the first half with a 10-2 score, after which it was only a matter of wrapping things up. Gen.G might have hoped to turn things around on Icebox, but as we all know, that’s where 100T are at their best.
The match on Icebox was a one-sided battle, with 100T completely dominating and nitr0 going all out with Jett and scoring 19 kills with an average combat score of 286. 100T finished the series with 2-1 and proceeded into the semifinals with renewed confidence.
XSET vs. Luminosity
The second match saw XSET facing off against Luminosity – the two NA teams that have had a pretty solid run in the Valorant Champions Tour, but lacked consistency that would have taken them further.
This event is the last chance for both of these squads to land a spot in the apex of the year-long tournament – VCT Champions.
The match opened up on Haven and Luminosity immediately applied overwhelming pressure on XSET, closing the first half with a 10-2 score. After the break, Luminosity simply took an extra three rounds and finished the match with a 13-2 score.
You’d think this would shake XSET’s confidence, but that wasn’t the case. They quickly composed themselves and claimed a win on Ascent, and the match series went back to square one.
Finally, the third map was played on Split, and this is where the real fun began. Both teams played well, keeping each other in check, but XSET finally closed the curtains and wrapped up the series with a 2-1 win.
The Semifinals
This was the highlight of the day, a match between 100T and XSET. Both squads finished their previous matches in a similar fashion – unexpectedly losing the first map and then proceeding to finish the series with 2-1.
XSET took the first map and 100T fans started to sweat a little. But that’s when Asuna switched from Raze to Reyna and things suddenly clicked. He was always an absolute monster of a carry, but this match truly highlighted that.
On Breeze, Asuna scored 27 kills and finished the map with an average combat score of 323. The open space of Breeze gave him plenty of room to hunt down XSET players and shut down all their advances.
But the credit doesn’t belong to Asuna alone. Ethan played his heart out with Skye and you could really tell how crucial he was to 100T functioning so well. B0i, who replaced the recently-benched steel, was also quite solid. He might have been suffering from LAN jitters, but overall he did his job.
In the end, 100 Thieves emerged victorious and secured themselves a spot in the upper bracket final. They are looking in top shape and all the Valorant betting odds are pointing towards them right now.
Can XSET Pull Off a Miraculous Comeback?
XSET is currently sitting in the lower bracket where they risk facing elimination. Despite all of that, they still have a clear shot at climbing back to the grand final. If they keep their wits about them and persevere, they might have a chance for a rematch with 100 Thieves.
If that happens, things may turn out differently. XSET can adapt and they’ve learned a lot from this semifinal match. Still, it’s too early to speculate. We’ll have to see how both teams perform in the following matches before we can have a more educated guess.