I've seen a lot of people, including noyn, rate TBK very highly. Are they really good enough to beat FURIA and NIP?

They got 26-4 by LOUD and only beat the fodder teams in their group.

who's going on here and mass downvoting posts? What a weirdo.

Common Sprouts W

Pog, Gen.G playing on roles that actually suit them.

https://www.vlr.gg/pickem/b6cff0b5

Best guess of the bracket

NA: C9, V1/Guard
EMEA: FNC, Guild (HOPIUM), FPX/M3C/Liquid
SEA: XERXIA, Paper Rex
BR: LOUD
LATAM: KRU
BR/LATAM: Vivo Keyd
KR: On Sla2ers
JP: ZETA Division

Invalid list, because there's no ZETA Division.

The Guard 2-1.

MCE and the boys are practicing, scrimming, and learning about every opponent ahead in the new meta. They are one of most hardworking teams in NA, and they won't slip up against SEN.

https://vlr.gg/pickem/0a3bce05

My Guard HOPIUM is so high

0 points speedrun any%

Wippie gets drippy.

I'm so happy that I have in my fantasy team.

He deserves so much more respect. He is one of the most underrated players in NA.

it's based on placements in the group.

A1-B4, A2-B3, B1-A4, B2-A3

As it stands, we get C9-Knights, The Guard-Optic, V1-LG, SEN-XSET

Damn BBL went ham today.

Also ACEND crumbled. Poor purp0 getting thrown to the wolves like that.

https://www.vlr.gg/pickem/f810b1a9

ZETA Supremacy

I mean, you can't win them all.

G2 was just the better team today, and Guild looked shaky.

Does that mean Guild is bad? Nah, because they went toe-to-toe against EMEA's best.

RIG are no slouches. They beat FL, who went to 3 maps with IGZIST.

And RIG got smoked 13-5, 13-2 against ZETA.

It's a testament as to how insane ZETA is right now.

Disclaimer: As of writing this, Reignite vs FENNEL already finished map 1, so some analysis might be skewed.

The following 4 teams have qualified for Week 2:

Group B:

Reignite (RIG) : As one of the newer teams in the scene, RIG made a big splash by signing Korean prodigy Foxy9 a.k.a. SeolHwa. This young gun has a NASTY Jett, and is considered as a “freakishly good” talent in the KR community. Joining him is fellow Korean star eKo, formerly of TNL. Although he was considered as one of the weaker parts of TNL, eKo made a lot of noise here in JP, as a great Sova at RIG’s disposal. While RIG has great Korean talent, their Japanese pickups leave a lot of questions, as all three of the players hasn’t played since July 2021. Kuro is the flex for the team, and while he boasts good fragging output and a great KAY/O, he leaves more to be desired compared to the Korean stars. Hyouka, a later addition to the team, is solid to say the least. His switch over to sentinel has been alright, although nothing too crazy. Dhimoruto, formerly of REJECT, plays as the controller, and like Hyouka and Kuro, he has been solid as well. Reignite plays against FENNEL, and while RIG aren't slouches by any means, it will be a tough test if they can go toe-to-toe with a darkhorse, and not relying on their Korean stars.

Duelist: Foxy9 (🇰🇷)
Flex: Kuro (🇯🇵)
Controller: Dhimoruto (🇯🇵)
Initiator Flex: eKo (🇰🇷)
Sentinel: Hyouka (🇯🇵)

FENNEL (FL) : The favourites of the group, but a darkhorse in the scene. Their match against IGZIST last week went to all three maps, but it was not a very close affair in the maps that they lost. Mittiii, the duelist, performed pretty well. His Jett and Raze were super impactful for taking space for the team, and capitalizing on the opportunity. CLZ, the controller, was the real star for FENNEL last week. He was fragging out on the first two maps, putting up really good numbers; his performance was akin to Marved in my opinion. Sadly, CLZ cooled off at the last map, but showed his worth as a top controller in Japan. TENSAI and Envy were pretty solid, they had their moments but it wasn’t anything otherworldly. Derialy was a bit of a letdown, he performed well last year, but he has been near invisible this year. FL has a lot of potential, and they can make some noise come playoffs. But for now, they have to get past Reignite, and FL’s chance for redemption.

Duelist: Mittiii (🇯🇵)
Flex: TENSAI (🇰🇷)
Controller: CLZ (🇯🇵)
Initiator Flex: Derialy (🇯🇵)
Sentinel: Envy (🇰🇷)
Inactive players: Jinx (on leave for family) (🇰🇷)

Crest Gaming (CG) : A well known Japanese team in other games, Crest Gaming hopes to make their mark in the scene with a “ragtag” roster. CG recently beat Jadeite in the qualifiers, the team with Allow and Hate at the helm. The star of Crest Gaming is the Russian ranked demon, Jemkin. His Jett is really, really good, and can cause havoc to teams if they aren’t prepared for him. Keep your eye out for KuuKai as well; a player that you shouldn’t sleep on, because he dealt a lot of damage to Jadeite and SCARZ in the qualifiers. SamuraiDeeper might sound familiar, as he was the nutty Jett player on REJECT that made a lot of noise at APAC LCQ last year. Sadly, he won’t be playing Jett for CG, but instead will be playing Initiators such as Sova. I don’t know much about NeruFi, Alpha, Syouta as they haven’t played an official match in a long, long time. In spite of that, CG has a lot of potential to be decent, but shouldn’t be too reliant on KuuKai or Jemkin. Their upcoming match against Sengoku Gaming will prove if CG has what it takes to be a decent team in the scene.

Duelist: Jemkin (🇷🇺) , Alpha (🇯🇵)
Flex: KuuKai (🇯🇵)
Controller: Syouta (🇯🇵)
Initiator Flex: SamuraiDeeper (🇯🇵)
Sentinel: NeruFi (🇯🇵)

Sengoku Gaming (SG) : The team with the most upset potential. Sengoku Gaming played against Crazy Raccoon and put up a good fight but ultimately lost. Kobra is still the star of the team; his Jett is really impactful, and can get really, really flashy. One thing that is a bit of a concern for Kobra is that he can be inconsistent, so much so that it affects the team as a whole. Thiefy, the sentinel, can pick up the pace if Kobra goes invisible. His KJ has been exceptional for the team, and his fragging stats makes him look like a duelist rather than a sentinel. Art, the controller, has been very solid thus far, always anchoring a site with an Odin. While it may be a bit whimsical, it’s not a very good strat, because it can be easily countered. Misaya and GangPin has looked unimpressive, which I’m surprised, as these two were the cornerstones of the old Feeling squad. Granted they both changed roles, but I expected better. SG has a tough game ahead against Crest Gaming, and it will be a slugfest.

Duelist: Kobra (🇰🇷)
Flex: Misaya (🇯🇵)
Controller: Art (🇯🇵)
Initiator Flex: GangPin (🇰🇷)
Sentinel: Thiefy (🇯🇵)

Group B Matches: All 3 games are on Sunday, March 13th
Match 1: Reignite vs FENNEL (12:00 AM EST)
Match 2: Crest Gaming vs Sengoku Gaming (3:00 AM EST)
Match 3: Winners of both matches (6:00 AM EST)

Foxy9 went dumb and stupid.

Kid was hitting some ungodly shots.

I think he's on vacation with his family.

I remember that FL stated that he won't play in Stage 1, because he's taking time off due to family.

He will be back for Stage 2 though.

wait you're actually right.

that makes a lot more sense.

Group A:
FPX (5-0)
Gambit (4-1)
Liquid (3-2)

Group B:
FNC (5-0)
Guild (4-1)
ACEND (3-2)

I won't lie, some animes sound better in dubbed than subbed.

Examples: Code Geass, Death Note, Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop (fun fact: the VA of Spike is Steve Blum; the voice of Brimstone)

But I agree, post 2008 dub is actually AWFUL, like Fairy Tail.

Name a stereotype we have.

they lost to Guild as well

click on the three bars on the top right

go to settings

then you'll see "display" then at the bottom you'll see "change flair"

NA: C9, tossup between GRD and V1
EMEA: Guild (HOPIUM), FNC, Gambit (assuming they can play)
KR: On Sla2ers
JP: ZETA Division
BR: LOUD
LATAM: KRU
BRATAM: Vivo Keyd
SEA: XERXIA, Paper Rex

Every loss is a learning opportunity. C9 studied the hell out of The Guard and counterstratted them hard. Like s0v4k said, if The Guard can bounce back and become stronger then they are a team to be feared.

Plus this is a new meta, therefore new strats. It will take time to figure it out, but The Guard won't fall behind.

s0v4k, nikoya, ValdemieGG, sprouts

thanks brother <3

Damn. Fisker went off.

Where was this Fisker in CR's Champions run?

Disclaimer: Once again, a very in-depth guide. There is a lot of information, so be prepared for walls of text. Check out my previous guide if you need a refresher on some of the teams. I'll separate the groups to make it easier to digest for new readers.

After another 5 days of qualifiers, 4 new teams join the fray while 4 other teams get a second chance for playoffs. But one thing is certain: these 8 teams have their last chance to qualify for playoffs for Masters 1 contention.

The format will be as follows:
4 teams in groups of 2, playing in a single elimination bracket, and the top 2 in each group qualify for Challengers playoffs: so essentially the winners of match 1 and match 2 in each group but this time, the top 4 teams will get a playoffs berth.

The following 4 teams have qualified for Week 2:

Group A:

FAV Gaming (FAV) : This team was fairly decent last year. They weren't the best but they were always hot on the heels onto the top teams. Sadly, contracts expired and players moved on to new teams. FAV Gaming did have a new roster thereafter (consisting of Bazz, L0B, Phantom, Anthem, Toraneco, xnfri ), but weren't very successful. However, two of FAV Gaming's old guards returned, revitalizing the young roster with "veteran" talent: Fisker and Minty from Crazy Raccoon. After Anthem, Toraneco, and xnfri left, FAV Gaming is now: Fisker, Minty, Bazz, Phantom, and L0B. Aside from "veterans'’ Fisker and Minty, my player to look out for is Bazz, their smokes player. I believe he can rise up as Japan's next big controller, and make some noise in the scene. This roster has a fair amount of firepower, and a lot of potential to be back as a solid mid-tier team in Japan with Fisker and Minty at the helm. Their upcoming match against Blue Bees will show if FAV Gaming can put up a fight without relying too much on Fisker and Minty for victory.

Duelist: Minty (🇯🇵)
Flex: Fisker (🇯🇵)
Controller: bazz (🇯🇵)
Initiator Flex: L0B (🇰🇷)
Sentinel: Phantom (🇯🇵)
Inactive players: Anthem (on loan to SCARZ) (🇯🇵)
Coach: pocky (🇯🇵)

Blue Bees (BB) : After their showing last week, Blue Bees proved that they can hang with the best and rise the ranks as a top Japanese team. Something is still a beast, and now that his Jett seems as good as his Reyna, he is going to be the centerpiece of the team. Kr1stal has been really good lately; their firepower has been crucial in BB's success, their flexibility of agents has given Blue Bees breathing room for their comps, and Kr1stal as a player has been impactful. Zerost and Zenakukin have been impactful lately, always picking up the pace when Something or Kr1stal were struggling, especially Zenakukin as their initiator. Zerost has been struggling recently, but has managed to keep up with the meta and his duelists. From what I heard, their recent pickup Xdll is 16, so it does make sense as to his shaky performances, given that he is young and inexperienced as it is his first ever professional circuit, therefore he has time to grow. Blue Bees recently played against REJECT, and have looked really decent, but packet loss and internet issues has plagued the Russian duelists. If these issues subside, then Blue Bees is a force to be reckoned with. Their upcoming match against FAV Gaming will prove that Blue Bees is a darkhorse contender for playoffs come the end of March.

Duelist: Something (🇷🇺)
Flex: Kr1stal (🇷🇺)
Controller: Xdll (🇯🇵)
Sentinel: Zerost (🇯🇵)
Initiator Flex: Zenakukin (🇯🇵)
Inactive players: Million (benched due to boosting allegations) (🇯🇵)
Coach: Simons (🇷🇺)

DeToNator (DTN) : One of the newer teams in the scene, not a lot is known about this team. If anyone has followed the Overwatch scene, FifTy and Skyfull may sound familiar, but in VALORANT, they have made an impact, as they are very flexible in roles. K1llgrave may sound familiar to some VALORANT fans as he was part of the old Insomnia core with Something. In my opinion, K1llgrave wasn’t very impressive back in Insomnia, but in DTN, he had a lot to show. Mr TenzouEz (yes it’s literally pronounced Mis-ter Tenz-oh-E-zee) has been around the scene as a pugstar, so being on DTN is his first professional team. As a player, he has been decent in DTN; his firepower has looked good, and his flexibility into multiple roles has helped DTN a lot. While most Japanese teams imported Korean or Russian players, DTN imported a Chinese player: Xiaonuo. Xiaonuo has been fairly solid as a controller, helping the team with his utility in spite of not putting up numbers on the scoreboard. DTN’s upcoming match against NORTHEPTION will show if DTN has what it takes to be a competitor in the VCT circuit.

Duelist: FifTy (🇯🇵)
Flex: Skyfull (🇯🇵)
Controller: Xiaonuo (🇨🇳)
Initiator Flex: K1llgrave (🇯🇵)
Sentinel: Mr TenzouEz (🇯🇵)
Coach: Tsurugiz (🇯🇵)

NORTHEPTION (NTH) : After putting up a fight against ZETA Division last week, NTH is back for their last chance for playoffs. Star duelist Mete0r has looked really good, although struggled at times, probably due to communication issues. Korean counterpart JoXJo has also looked fairly good, but struggled at times due to being caught with his knife out or losing aim duels. This is probably due to communication issues. The Japanese trio of BlackWiz, Xandrite, and xnfri has been fairly solid so far. BlackWiz has been a major surprise, as he was relatively unknown before being picked up by NTH, so much so that his last game was July 17th, 2021. Much like BlackWiz, Xandrite has been performing very well, exceeding a lot of expectations given that the last time he played was March 14th, 2021. Xandrite’s Killjoy has looked pretty impressive, in terms of fragging output, and assists. While xnfri is the most experienced out of the three, he hasn’t showed a lot yet. As a team, NTH has a lot of potential but is still rough around the edges. Former TNL coach Bail has a tough task ahead of him to polish this team. Sure they may not go back to their former selves, but experience in the circuit will help this team in the long-term. NORTHEPTION plays against DeToNator, and will be NTH’s last chance for a playoffs berth and be considered a contender, despite having a fully revamped roster.

Duelist: Mete0r (🇰🇷)
Flex: JoXJo (🇰🇷)
Controller: BlackWiz (🇯🇵)
Initiator Flex: xnfri (🇯🇵)
Sentinel: Xandrite (🇯🇵)
Coach: Bail (🇰🇷)

Group A matches: Both games are on Saturday, March 12th.
Match 1: FAV Gaming vs Blue Bees (12:00 AM EST)
Match 2: DeToNator vs NORTHEPTION (2:30 AM EST)
Match 3: Winners of both matches (5:00 AM EST)

Damn, Leaf went dumb stupid.

All good, every loss is a learning opportunity. New meta, new strats.

All good.

Haven is gonna be a slugfest, but I believe in The Guard.

L take

LETS GO

I BELIEVED IN THIS TEAM SINCE THE BEGINNING.

LETS GET THIS W

The Guard has possibly the best teamwork in NA rn. Look at their KAST% and you can't tell me The Guard just relies on aim.

he was known as Habib.

Saya is going to have a hell of a game.

2-1 GRD

I guess you don't remember any of the Worlds from 2014-2017

Any answer but Tom and Jerry is wrong

thread

big

very

From what I have watched:

1. Code Geass
2. HxH
3. Death Note
4. Black Clover
5. 91 Days
6. Samurai Champloo
7. Demon Slayer
8. Food Wars
9. Kaguya-Sama
10. Classroom of the Elite

Honourable mention: Akame Ga Kill (the anime was good, but the manga is even BETTER)

Madoka is a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover"

because holy fucking shit, that anime was WILD.

The COPIUM finally paid off.

After months of announcements.

that malaysian user's name was Hoshi_1296 i think

So many bad takes.

I thought Issax was actually improving but guess I was wrong.

Wippie
AYRIN
Valyn
JonahP
Skuba
koalanoob

1. Saya was on a different (and wrong) role on T1. And is this really a honeymoon phase? They've been consistently good for the last 2 months.
2. Okay true
3. Guild is gonna be a top contender this year