The eight best Valorant teams from NA Challengers Split 1 locked horns in a mid-season tournament, with M80 coming out on top. Here is our recap of the $30,000 competition.
Drawing inspiration from League of Legends, NA Challengers had its own Mid-Season Invitational between splits. The top eight teams from the first split — four per group — faced off in a week-long tournament that offered $30,000.
In addition to prize money, the Mid-Season Face Off had circuit points (VCL) on the line. These are used to reseed the Challengers groups for Split 2 and will ultimately determine the eight teams making it to the Challengers playoffs.
Without too much surprise, tournament favorites M80 won the Mid-Season Face Off after beating G2 Esports 3-1 in the grand final. M80 went into the tournament riding a wave of optimism after topping the Split 1 standings with the best overall round record. The team, assembled by former XSET founder Marco Mereu, kept the momentum going and booked a grand final spot after beating Disguised, Moist Moguls and The Guard.
After surviving elimination matches against FaZe Clan, Moist Moguls, Oxygen Esports and The Guard, G2 Esports came out the better side and drew first blood in the final. However, they quickly ran out of gas and were powerless to prevent M80 from running away with the series, losing the last two maps 13-5 and 13-3.
Below is everything you need to know about the NA Challengers Mid-Season Face Off.
NA Valorant Challengers Mid-Season Face Off: Format & schedule
The Mid-Season Face Off began on March 22, one week after the conclusion of Split 1. The tournament featured a double-elimination bracket, with every match played in a best-of-three format.
Only the top four teams from each Split 1 group competed in the Mid-Season Face Off. The teams’ round differential was used to determine the initial pairings.
Day 7: March 31
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| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Grand Final | M80 3-1 G2 | 1 PM | 4 PM | 9 PM |
Day 6: March 30
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Lower Round 3 | Oxygen 1-2 G2 | 1 PM | 4 PM | 9 PM |
| Lower Final | The Guard 1-2 G2 | 4 PM | 7 PM | 12 AM |
Day 5: March 29
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Upper Final | M80 2-1 The Guard | 1 PM | 4 PM | 9 PM |
| Lower Round 2 | Oxygen 2-1 TSM | 4 PM | 7 PM | 12 AM |
| Lower Round 2 | Moist Moguls 0-2 G2 | 7 PM | 10 PM | 3 AM |
Day 4: March 28
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Lower Round 1 | Disguised 0-2 TSM | 1 PM | 4 PM | 9 PM |
| Lower Round 1 | FaZe 0-2 G2 | 4 PM | 7 PM | 12 AM |
Day 3: March 24
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Upper SF | M80 2-1 Moist Moguls | 12 PM | 3 PM | 8 PM |
| Upper SF | The Guard 2-1 Oxygen | 3 PM | 6 PM | 11 PM |
Day 2: March 23
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Upper QF | The Guard 2-0 FaZe | 12 PM | 3 PM | 8 PM |
| Upper QF | G2 1-2 Oxygen | 3 PM | 6 PM | 11 PM |
Day 1: March 22
| Stage | Match | PT | ET | GMT |
| Upper QF | M80 2-0 Disguised | 12 PM | 3 PM | 8 PM |
| Upper QF | TSM 0-2 Moist Moguls | 3 PM | 6 PM | 11 PM |
NA Valorant Challengers Mid-Season Face Off: Qualified teams
| Team | Players |
| G2 Esports | ShahZaM, dapr, wippie, penny, OXY |
| TSM | seven, corey, gMd, NaturE, Kanpeki |
| M80 Esports | koalanoob, zander, eeiu, johnqt, NiSMO |
| The Guard | trent, JonahP, neT, valyn, tex |
| Disguised | XXiF, steel, clear, genghsta, riku |
| Moist Moguls | thief, aproto, flyuh, sym, brawk |
| Oxygen | mitch, pwny, randyySAVAGE, skuba, Verno |
| FaZe Clan | dicey, supamen, babybay, poised, Rossy |
NA Valorant Challengers Mid-Season Face Off: Standings
| Placement | Team | Prize Money (USD) |
| 1 | M80 | $11,000 + 10 VCL points |
| 2 | G2 Esports | $6,000 + 6 VCL points |
| 3 | The Guard | $4,000 + 4 VCL points |
| 4 | Oxygen | $3,000 + 3 VCL points |
| 5-6 | Moist Moguls | $2,000 |
| TSM | ||
| 7-8 | FaZe Clan | $1,000 |
| Disguised |