The best teams that didn’t make it into VCT NA Masters One

The VALORANT Champions Tour North America Masters One event is just around the corner. The top eight teams secured their spots in the first significant tournament of the year, but several other squads are stuck on the sidelines. 

Some of the rosters that didn’t make the cut are still considered top teams in the region and fans were surprised to see them struggle. Here are the best teams that didn’t qualify for VCT NA Masters One. 

TSM

TSM were likely the most surprising team that failed to make it to Masters One. The team finished in second place at First Strike North America, which led many to believe that they’d have another shot at the next significant event. 

TSM’s roster is filled with CS:GO veterans who quickly adapted to VALORANT. The team won multiple events last August and performed relatively well at the PAX Arena Invitational. But the team hit a wall at First Strike and has failed to bounce back. 

The team didn’t qualify for the first two Challengers events but finally made it to the main event at Challengers Three. TSM beat Gen.G in the upper quarterfinals and moved on to face Luminosity. This was the team’s final match of the event, though, since Luminosity won the series 2-0. 

100 Thieves player Hiko went as far as to say TSM can’t be considered a top-five team right now, which shows how much they’re struggling. TSM have failed to replicate their early success, but they’ll have more chances to redeem themselves.

NRG

NRG made it into the Challengers One Main Event but couldn’t beat Gen.G in their first match. They didn’t qualify for the Challengers Two Main Event but did manage to make it into Challengers Three. 

Many believed NRG would secure a spot after picking up a victory over 100 Thieves, but FaZe Clan stopped they in their tracks in the upper semifinals. 

The NRG roster also features former CS:GO players like Damien “daps” Steele and Sam “s0m” oh. NRG has consistently been a middle-of-the-pack team, but they did finish the Challengers Three Qualifier in first place. 

Daps and Chet explained in January that experience was a major factor when signing new players and said they were confident in beating stronger teams going into the VCT. But the team’s performance indicates that they still need a bit of work.

While NRG aren’t considered a top team by many, they still have the raw talent that was almost enough to get them into Masters One. 

T1

T1 has a roster of former CS:GO and Overwatch professionals with years of experience. This led many to believe that T1 would be a dominant force. But they failed to make the top three at First Strike and qualify for Masters One. 

The team went through roster changes after First Strike and failed to qualify in Challengers One. But T1 performed well in a Challengers Qualifier and finished first in the Challengers Three Qualifier. 100 Thieves eliminated the team in the upper quarterfinals, though, sending another talented team home. 

This lackluster performance doesn’t mean fans should count T1 out forever, but there’s work that needs to be done for them to improve going forward.

VCT NA Masters One begins on Thursday, March 11. 

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