Total Shorty Kills
Cloud9 Blue to meet Rise in NA LCQ Grand Final
Brandon "Mothman" Moore
10/31/2021
All of the issues with the North American Last Chance Qualifier seem to be behind us. Knock on wood. The event is finally near its end after beginning all the way back on October 12. We’ve seen upsets, tight knit matches, and new superstars come to light during the NA LCQ.
Read ahead to get caught up on the action and see how Cloud9 Blue joined Rise in the Grand Final.
NA LCQ results through the Lower Final
We last checked in following the official second day of tournament play. It ended with Rise taking on Cloud9 Blue, but the match didn’t reach its conclusion until the following day. A storm knocked out Phat “supamen” Le’s power with Rise up 14:13 in overtime on Breeze. You can watch our interview with supamen to hear some details regarding the power outage.
Rise immediately took the first map with a single round to start Day 3. Another overtime ensued on Ascent that went in favor of C9. Then a beatdown by Rise on Haven sent them to the Upper Final.
The competition moved to the NA LCQ Lower Bracket. Day 3 was the first day of eliminations. Gen.G Esports and Version1 had no problems taking down Luminosity Gaming and FaZe Clan respectively.
Onto Day 4, Lower Round 2 sent more teams home. Cloud9 Blue won a hard fought 2:1 against Gen.G and XSET made quick work against Version1. The final NA LCQ series of Day 4 was the Upper Final. In a miraculous 2:1 victory, Rise defeated 100 Thieves, shocking the world and silencing the doubters.
Day 5 has just ended with the last two Lower Bracket matches. Cloud9 Blue made quick work of XSET on Bind, but had to fight for their lives on Ascent. C9 pulled ahead in overtime to send XSET packing and moved on to face 100 Thieves in the Lower Final.
An incredible Lower Final was taken by Cloud9 Blue. C9 battled back on Icebox only to lose it in overtime. Haven was theirs 13:9 with stellar defense to close things out. In the final map, Cloud9 Blue dominated 100 Thieves on Breeze, locking in their rematch against Rise in the Grand Final.
That just needed to be seen by everyone, by the way.
Grand Final preview
The Grand Final of the NA LCQ is set between Cloud9 Blue and Rise. This is 100% nowhere near the Grand Final everyone expected, but it is 100% the Grand Final we’ve got. The rematch is going to blow every other series out of the water from this tournament. It is going to be insane.
In their last match, Rise stunned everyone by moving forward and then beating 100 Thieves. With the momentum from coming through the Upper Bracket, they still have much to prove. These two hungry squads are going to beat the living hell out of each other and we get to watch it for free. One of them is going to Champions!
Stay tuned to Run It Back as the VALORANT Champions Tour continues!
