Acend are the first Valorant Champions
Published: Dec 13, 2021
Acend are the winners of the Valorant Champions, the final Valorant Champions Tour event of 2021. They have bested Gambit Esports in a best-of-five grand final and given us the best Valorant match of the year. Not only did Acend win, but they did it in style, even utilizing some of the more non-meta picks such as Breach and Omen.
Gambit Esports came really close as well, first surviving the surprisingly tough group C, and then overcoming X10 and KRÜ Esports in the quarterfinals and semifinals matches.
Finally, they clashed with Gambit Esports and fought tooth and nail for the ultimate Valorant esports title. In the end, Acend was the superior team, but Gambit really went the distance. Both teams showed some incredible skills and the fans in both camps were left completely satisfied with the overall performance that day.
The Best Valorant Tournament of the Year
I think we can safely call Valorant Champions the best Valorant tournament of the year. It simply had everything that we could have expected, and more.
First of all, there were barely any one sided matches that we’ve gotten used to in previous regional Valorant tournaments. Instead, all of the teams put everything on the line and truly gave it their 100%.
We’ve seen so many twists and turns along the way, from the decline of some of the long-time favourites, to the rise of new teams and different regions. And not to mention all the crazy underdog stories we’ve witnessed throughout the tournament, and especially the group stage. Squads like Team Secret, X10 CRIT, and KRÜ Esports have really made the biggest impact here. And there’s also Cloud9 Blue, the only NA team to have landed into the playoffs.
In short, this Valorant esports tournament has redefined the Valorant meta and reshaped the Valorant landscape we’ve come to know. The NA region is clearly no longer the superior region in the world, and the power dynamics have completely shifted.
Europe Reigns Supreme
Acend have reclaimed their throne and placed Europe at the top. They’re the team who have had the cleanest performance in this event, from going 2-0 in group A to swiftly eliminating Team Secret and Team Liquid in the playoffs prior to the grand final.
And speaking of Team Liquid, they’ve also played some incredible matches and demonstrated they’re an opponent that shouldn’t be underestimated. Among some of their achievements in this tournament are the 2-1 win against Sentinels, and also the 2-0 victories against Cloud9 and KRÜ Esports, the two teams that many others struggled against.
Fnatic was also on fire in group D, beating Vision Strikers against all Valorant betting odds and securing the first place.
All three teams were simply brilliant in so many ways and represented their region well.
New Players Claim the Spotlight
This Valorant event had led to the discovery of some of the best Valorant players the world hadn’t gotten the chance to see yet. They’ve won the hearts and minds of the fans, and introduced them to some new playstyles.
Zeek and cNed were always known to be real monsters at fragging. Just in case we forgot, they decided to remind us during this tournament. CNed especially had a real comeback after his performance in the VCT Masters in Berlin, where he received quite a lot of criticism. He has finally set the record straight and shown everyone that he’s as deadly as ever with his Jett.
Then there’s Redgar and nAts, Gambit’s destructive duo. Both gave it their all in this tournament and carried their team to the grand final. With their incredible versatility and ability to adapt to multiple roles and situations, these two will certainly continue their strong performance in the next season.
