Tiers of play NA Valorant

It seems like all the top tier 2 grinder teams have really closed the gap. Is it tier 2 getting better or "tier 1" teams falling off? Honestly I think the gap between the top 4-5ish teams NA and everyone else has gotten really big, leaving the lower tier 1 teams vulnerable to being taken over by the teams grinding NSG weekly and tournies like that.

From what I can understand, what you're describing is exactly what's happening in SEA. The region is so competitive now that Tier 2 teams can be considered to be tough opponents for the region's best. Of course, the tippity top does still dominate, which will most likely be the same in NA with C9, SEN, Envy and 100T.

too true

I don’t think so, the tier 1 teams still consistently win against tier 2 teams. There was just as many upsets previously, 100T lost to Carpe Noctem, SEN lost to BBG etc. If anything the tier 2 teams are only grinding the tournaments because they can’t get scrims with the high profile teams