OpTic Gaming have broken through the daunting gauntlet that is the 2022 NA VCT Challengers One playoffs, securing a top-two finish with a resounding win over The Guard today to ensure themselves a spot at Masters Reykjavík.
The Guard broke out a surprise pick of Bind to start this VALORANT series, an unusual choice given they’ve only played it once this stage in a loss to 100 Thieves. They got off to a slow start but answered OpTic’s 4-0 opening with six straight rounds of their own. OpTic, however, claimed the final two rounds flawlessly to force a 6-6 halftime tie.
OpTic’s agent comp borrowed from M3C relied on Victor’s Neon using Fast Lane to get onto sites, then using Sprint to catch The Guard rotations early. The Guard began to dig into OpTic’s lead with a string of clutch rounds, but a massive clutch from Victor broke The Guard’s bank and paved the way for a 13-10 win on Split for OpTic.
Turning to Bind, a surprise pick by OpTic given The Guard’s proficiency there, OpTic took another early lead on defense with some solid retakes led by Victor and yay. OpTic built an 8-4 green wall on defense for The Guard to climb over if they wanted to jumpstart a comeback.
That wall only got bigger as OpTic took the pistol round via a clean B take before they made it nearly insurmountable when they claimed the bonus round to break The Guard’s economy. OpTic ended up cruising to a 13-4 win on Bind to clinch the series 2-0 and secure their trip to Iceland.
For OpTic, the mission is accomplished with their win today. They’ve secured just one of two NA spots at Masters Reykjavík. For The Guard, the journey isn’t over yet. They can still snag the second spot at Masters with a win over the winner of Cloud9 vs. XSET.
