What was once predicated to be one of the most exciting LAN events of the year, turned into a eerie online event with many different issues still up in the air as a possibility to turn out horrendously. Having already completed one day of matches at the LAN before it was shut down for COVID protocols, the remainder of the matches were to be played online starting October 27 through October 31 when the champions would be crowned and sent to the Valorant Championships in December.

Even though the event will be completed online, different than all other LCQs for the different regions, this is the single most important event for teams without enough points to get into champions. With the online format favoring certain players over others, anything could happen during the LCQ, which is exactly what we saw. With previous Masters 2 LAN event competitors, Version1 exiting the tournament very early, only winning one match before being eliminated by XSET. As well as an unfortunate showing from the favored winners 100 Thieves.

100 Thieves won both their matches the first day at the actual LAN moving them to the Upper (winner) Bracket finals during the online portion. This meaning they only needed to win 2 more matches to cement their place in the Valorant World Champions Tour Finals. Unfourtunatly for them, an online talented team in Rise Nation, came with their best for the week. Winning both their first matches, as well as knocking 100 Thieves down to the lower bracket in a 2-1 fashion. Meaning now, 100 Thieves would have to beat an underdog in Cloud9 Blue, as well as Rise Nation again in the grand finals.

But the story line was not written that way for 100 Thieves. Beating Cloud9 in map 1 in overtime, only to lose their next two maps in embarrassing fashion not even being close and sending Coud9 Blue to the grand finals with their chance to be at their first LAN of their Valorant careers.

NA LCQ Bracket pre grand finals – https://rib.gg/article/cloud9-blue-sweeps-rise-in-na-lcq-grand-final-to-qualify-for-champions/

Setting up the finals for a matchup not a single person predicted at the start of the event with Cloud9 Blue facing Rise Nation in a best of 5 series to decide who would be the last team to represent NA at the world finals. While this was not the matchup anyone expected, there was quite the showing from Cloud9. Beating Rise 3-0, with map two being a demolition not allowing Rise to win a single map, and punching their ticket into the VCT World Finals.

Now all that remains for Valorant in 2021, is the world championships. Which will bring all the best teams from around the world to crown a Valorant world Champion. Will that be the titans of NA Sentinels, will it be another underdog that wins such as Cloud9. Or will we see a European team take the crown and have 3 different winners from the biggest Valorant events of the year?