Total Shorty Kills
VCT Japan Stage 2 Challengers 2 Results
Gabriel Ionica
04/25/2021
It’s time for VCT Japan once again! Masters Reykjavík is quickly approaching and every region is sending its best team to represent them at Valorant’s first LAN. Speaking of the best teams, let’s see the Japanese teams fighting for that title!
Group A
REJECT were so close to making it into Challengers 1 but lost one game to SCARZ. The Challengers 2 Qualifier proved easier and landed them a spot in Challengers 2 Group A. Even with a loss against FENNEL, they still placed top of their group and moved on to the Challengers Finals.
Speaking of FENNEL, they too were in the same boat as REJECT. They cut it close this time with two losses against Shikou Kouketsu and REJECT, but a second-place finish was enough to put them in the Challengers Finals.
Third place went to Feeling, one of VCT Japan’s new contenders. After dropping out of Challengers 1, they tried their luck in the Challengers 2 Qualifiers but with little luck. With their only game victory being against Shikou Kouketsu, their 1:0:2 record was not enough to boost them to second place.
Shikou Kouketsu took fourth place with a single game victory to their name and a 0:1:2 record which is, coincidentally, the same record they had in Challengers 1. Not a good finish for them and unfortunately they will also be absent from the Finals.
Group B
FAV Gaming topped their group with no losses to their name. Their flawless 3:0:0 victory made them the only team in the Challengers 2 Qualifiers to go undefeated and a force to be reckoned with in the Finals.
LAG Gaming and チーム探してます had an identical 1:1:1 overall record. The only difference being that LAG Gaming won more rounds overall compared to チーム探してます. That resulted in a promotion to the Challengers Finals for LAG Gaming and a kick in the pants for チーム探してます.
In last place, surprisingly, is FIRST Gaming. Those who read our Stage 1 recaps will know that FIRST Gaming had a surprisingly good run despite being a new team. Their luck seemed to wane this time around as they lost every match they played in the qualifier.
VCT Japan Challengers Finals Preview
The upcoming Challengers Finals look very similar to Stage 1’s Masters. Northeption and SCARZ are taking the place of FIRST Gaming and BLUE BEES who didn’t make it to the last Challengers stage this time around. In fact, BLUE BEES did not play in any of the Stage 2 matches as they announced they are looking for new players back in March.
Looking at the two teams’ presence in Stage 1, SCARZ made it all the way to Challengers 3 before being eliminated. Northeption never got out of the qualifiers, making them the underdogs of this stage.
The VCT Japan Stage 2 Finals are taking place from April 29 to May 2. The first-place winner will represent Japan at Masters Reykjavík in addition to a large slice of the ¥2,000,000 (≃ $18,534 USD) prize pool. The teams in 2nd-8th place go home with their own chunk of change.
We’ll keep you updated on the results of the Finals. As always, follow us at Run it Back and join our Discord for all your latest news, extensive guides, and exclusive interviews in the world of Valorant.
