M80 just barely fell short of VCT qualification in 2023, failing to make it to the Tier 1 league by losing in the Grand Finals to now-defunct The Guard. In 2024, after taking a reverse sweep in the semifinals and taking back a number of tense rounds in the final, M80 failed at the last hurdle against 2GAME Esports.
Though the fan-favorite North American org kept it close, their failure to best 2G on defense was ultimately their downfall. 2G shut M80 down completely back to back on attack in Maps 4 and 5 despite the team barely managing to qualify for the tournament to begin with.
M80, meanwhile, were heavily favored to win. They fell short in 2023, and they fell short again in 2024. This was likely a side effect of the set’s last two maps being maps that M80 had played very little in competitive matches, likely playing a huge part in their weak defense for both rounds.
2GAME’s players have are all relatively inexperienced players in terms of playing in the big leagues, whereas M80’s team was stacked with talent that is, for all intents and purposes, just below the level of being grabbed by Tier 1 teams. At least, on paper.
So, with 2G’s grand finals win, they’ve qualified for the VCT Americas league. They’ll get their chance to prove their worth against the very best the Americas have to offer, with potential to make it to international competition.
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And, considering 2GAME Esports have only been in Valorant for less than a year, the team’s had incredible growth in a very short time.
With TenZ and Sacy both retiring and saadhak potentially heading to Europe, there are big shoes to fill in the region when it comes to finding the next Valorant superstar.
Considering how strong 2GAME MVP zap’s performance was in the Valorant Ascension final, he’s the one you should have your eyes on going into 2025.