What's at stake in final week of VCT NA Stage 1 group play

After nearly a month of back-and-forth games between some of North America’s top teams, the VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 1 Challengers group stage has finally entered its last week, where each team has something to play for in their final match.

These are the matches heading into the final weekend and how it affects their spot going into the VCT Stage 1 playoffs. Only eight of the 12 teams from the group stage will qualify for the playoffs, and only the two grand finalists will qualify for Stage 1 Masters.

Cloud9 vs. The Guard

Friday, 4 p.m. ET

Photo credit: Riot Games

The marquee matchup of Group A, Cloud9 and The Guard both are undefeated with a 4-0 record heading into their final match of the group stage. Both are tied at the top of Group A, and one of these teams will enter the playoffs as the undefeated No. 1 seed, while the other will enter the playoffs as the second seed from this group.

Both teams have looked strong, but it has been an exceptional run from The Guard, who initially qualified for the group stage through the first open qualifier lower bracket. Now, they have an opportunity to usurp North America’s best performing team at VCT Champions last year and put themselves in a prime position to make a deep run come playoffs.

For Cloud9, this is an opportunity for them to once again assert their place as one of the top dogs in North American VALORANT.

NRG vs. Rise

Friday, 7 p.m. ET

This match between the bottom two teams in Group B poses some interesting circumstances for Rise. Currently at 1-3, Rise are on the bubble to be eliminated in the group stage as the fifth-place team in Group B, but they have an opportunity to climb up to fourth given the right circumstances which we will explain later.

However, this will not matter if Rise get upset by NRG. And it is pretty hard to imagine that NRG is perfectly fine with ending their tournament run with an 0-5 record. No matter if they win or lose, NRG are out of playoff contention, but they have an opportunity to fight for pride against Rise. If they end up beating Rise, they will both be 1-4, and NRG will move up to fifth place in Group B due to the head-to-head tiebreaker rules.

It wouldn’t be a groundbreaking leap up in the group stage, but it would be a nice morale boost as the team starts preparing for VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers.

100 Thieves vs. Evil Geniuses

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET

This tournament has been a series of unfortunate events for both teams who have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with 0-4 records. Still, nobody wants to be the team that exits with a giant goose egg to their name, so this match is all about pride.

Although there might be possible changes in both lineups ahead of Stage 2, the winner of this match can at least hold their heads high ending their tournament run with a win. Who knows, maybe we will see some crafty and unique agent picks in this battle for pride.

XSET vs. Luminosity Gaming

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET

Both of these teams are tied for third place in Group A, so their match against each other is a battle for sole possession of third place going into the playoffs. They both have a 2-2 record so there also is some pride in this match where the winner will have a positive win-loss record at 3-2 while the loser will have a negative win-loss record at 2-3.

Either way, both teams have already secured their spot in the Stage 1 playoffs. Expect a fun and competitive match between these two teams.

Sentinels vs. Version1

Sunday, 5 p.m. ET

Photo credit: Riot Games

Both pride and seeding into the Stage 1 playoffs is at stake as Version1 and Sentinels currently sit atop Group B.

Even though Version1 find themselves as the No. 1 team in Group B with an undefeated 4-0 record, first place will be decided with their match against Sentinels, who sit at 3-1.

Due to tiebreaker rules, if Sentinels win against Version1 and tie them in the standings, they will take over as Group B’s first seed going into the playoffs.

However, this can all be nullified by Version1 if they are able to outright beat the Sentinels in this final group stage match, which would be huge for Version1’s chances at returning to another VCT Masters event.

As for Sentinels, their current playoff seed is at risk should they lose against Version1. They could drop to third in Group B if OpTic Gaming beats the Knights.

OpTic Gaming vs. Knights

Sunday, 8 p.m. ET

Photo credit: Riot Games

Even though the match between Version1 and Sentinels is for first place in Group B, this is the most important match of the group. Both teams sit at a 2-2 record with zero chance at being able to grab the first seed in the group. Yet, a win for either side means a major jump up the standings.

A win for OpTic can catapult them up to second place in Group B if Sentinels lose to Version1. At the same time, what makes this game so scary for OpTic is that a loss could potentially mean dropping down to fifth place in Group B and out of the playoffs if Rise beat NRG. Rise beat OpTic, so if both end 2-3, Rise would win the tiebreaker.

So much is at stake for OpTic in their match against the Knights, which is why it is a must-win match for them. The Knights have already locked a playoff spot because they beat Rise, who cannot climb over them in the standings. A win would just be a nice added bonus for them to jump up to third place in the group moving into playoffs.

Lead photo credit: Riot Games