While the VALORANT First Strike closed qualifier isn’t over yet, four teams have plenty of reason to rejoice.
Sentinels, 100 Thieves, Envy, and Renegades have all earned a spot in the First Strike main event in December. The four teams, along with four others that will advance from the UMG Closed Qualifier later this month, will have a shot at a $100,000 prize pool.
This closed qualifier pit 16 of the best VALORANT teams together. While some teams handily advanced through the bracket, others scraped through the lower bracket. But now the final four teams are locked in.
Team Envy had yet another solid performance in this event, after coming in second place in last week’s open qualifier. The squad made some successful changes to their roster in September, picking up former T1 pros food and crashies. And they’ve taken that new energy into another grand final. Envy awaits the outcome from the Sentinels and 100 Thieves match to determine who they will face in the event’s final series.
100 Thieves has also gotten plenty of attention after a massive rebuilding, with team captain Hiko putting together a star-studded roster of veterans and young talent. Things looked shaky during group stage when the team fell to Cloud9 Blue. But they were able to beat Luminosity in the lower final, and then take out TSM in the playoffs.
Prior to last week’s event, Sentinels were widely considered to be the best VALORANT team in North America. But they lost to Gen.G in the open qualifier quarterfinals. Now the god squad wants redemption, hoping to beat 100 Thieves and move on to the grand finals.
Renegades are easily the underdogs of the group, hoping to further prove themselves against top-tier competitors. And in a way, they have. While they lost to TSM in last week’s open qualifier and in this week’s closed qualifier, they didn’t get swept in either matchup. And they decidedly beat Cloud9 Blue in the quarterfinals, 2-0. While they lost to Envy in the semifinals, they still earned their spot at the final event.
The First Strike final event kicks off on Dec. 3. But there are still two events, the UMG open and closed qualifiers, that will decide the other four teams that advance.
