VCT EMEA Challengers Promotion: BIG is One Step Away from Challengers 2
The VCT EMEA Challengers Promotion is well underway and BIG is currently leading the charge in the Promotion Stage. The German team has done spectacularly well in this Valorant esports tournament and they’re one step away from securing a slot in the VCT EMEA Challengers 2.
SuperMassive Blaze didn’t have such luck. They had to forfeit their initial match against FOKUS due to one of their players not being ready at match start time. This gave FOKUS a free pass into the Upper Bracket Final, but also probably demoralized SMB, who then lost again to Rebels Gaming, the group A winners.
The Decline of SuperMassive Blaze
The Turkish powerhouse was once an opponent you didn’t want to mess with. SuperMassive Blaze appeared on the global Valorant stage by winning the VCT 2021: Challengers 1 and proceeding to finish second in the VCT 2021: EMEA Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs.
They were unlucky to land into one of the toughest groups in Stage 3 Masters in Berlin, where they had to face both old Vision Strikers and Acend. They didn’t make the cut and dropped out early. However, their fans had high hopes for the next Valorant Champions Tour season.
Fast forward to VCT 2022 and not much has changed for SuperMassive Blaze. They qualified for the VCT EMEA Challengers 1, but ended up being the main punching bag in group B, ending the stage with 5 consecutive losses.
And to make matters worse, they now dropped out of the VCT EMEA Challengers Promotion, which was supposed to be an easy ticket to VCT EMEA Challengers 2.
It’s very obvious something is missing in this team, whether it’s the loss of Turko and russ, or perhaps something entirely different. SuperMassive Blaze need to take a good look at their current situation and make drastic changes quickly, or else they risk completely missing this year’s Valorant Champions Tour action.
BIG’s Redemption
Despite finding themselves in an identical situation to SuperMassive Blaze, unlike them, BIG managed to successfully navigate the Promotion bracket and secured a win against Anonymo Esports. This led them into the Upper Bracket Final where the only thing standing between them and the EMEA Challengers 2 is FOKUS.
This should be an easy match for BIG, but there’s also a good chance FOKUS can throw a curveball and cause issues for the Germans. They definitely shouldn’t be underestimated since they handled the Play-In stage with ease, finishing with a clean 2 – 0 score.
We also have to keep in mind that two top teams from this tournament will be leaving for VCT EMEA Challengers 2. So whoever loses here will have a second chance in the Lower Bracket Final, where they’d face either Rebels Gaming or Surreal Esports. Of course, both BIG and FOKUS would rather avoid this, if possible.
This is why this will most likely be one of the best matches in this tournament, and one you should definitely not miss. It is also an excellent opportunity for those looking to place some Valorant bets. It’s a risky matchup, but the pay-off is potentially enormous.
