VCT Stage 2 - Challengers EMEA Week 1: Acend and Team Liquid back on top

May 17, 2022

With Week 1 seeing familiar faces like Fnatic and G2 Esports skyrocket to the top of the leaderboard, relative dark horses BBL and current champions, Acend, have also dominated Stage 2’s inaugural weekend.

Miss any of the action? Or simply looking to relive it? Here’s our breakdown of VCT Stage 2 Challengers Week 1.

Group A: The perfect start for Acend, Fnatic & G2

Following a disappointing Stage 1 Challengers for resident Champions, Acend, the squad are back in black (or white and blue) and ready to rumble. The return of star player Aleksander ‘zeek’ Zygmunt after a short hiatus has breathed new life into the team, marking them as ones to watch all over again.

Fnatic have also come back with a point to prove following their disappointing Stage 1 Masters run. With new player Emir Ali ‘Alfajer’ Beder guiding the team to a hard-fought victory over FPX, his Raze is set to blast competitors away if left unchecked.

Fellow esports behemoths, G2 Esports, also came out of the gate swinging. Taking on DACH Regional League champions, FOKUS, the squad gave Future Earth’s resident samurai a run for their money, but unfortunately fell at the final hurdle on Icebox, giving G2 the win.

Group B: BBL, Guild & Team Liquid on top

Turkey’s finest, BBL, have come into Stage 2 with victory in their sights, taking down esports icons NAVI in a reverse sweep that saw 34 matches played on Icebox alone. While next week may see them stumble against the might of Team Liquid, this win is the perfect way to start off their run.

Liquid won’t go down easy, though, as the squad easily felled Berlin International Gaming across Icebox and Split in a series that, unfortunately, wasn’t BIG’s best. While they’re set to meet their match in the form of BBL, it’ll be interesting to see if the Turkist titans manage to topple one of Europe’s most iconic orgs.

Matching their tempo is Guild, who clashed with M3C in a battle for the ages. With Leo ‘Leo’ Jannesson flexing on the competition in style, Britain’s finest find themselves at the top of the leaderboard.

VCT Challengers Stage 2 Week 1: Results

Below are the standings for both Group A and B following an explosive Week 1:

Group A

Group B

Challengers EMEA Stage 2: Vods

If you missed out on any of the action, you can check out vods of the event on https://valorantesports.com/vo...!