The top half of the VCT Americas Stage 2 playoff bracket emptied out in the space of an afternoon. 100 Thieves took the upper final off NRG without conceding a map, and a couple of hours later LOUD removed G2 Esports from the tournament altogether. A four-team fight for the Stage 2 title is now a three-team endgame, and anyone following the Valorant betting markets around Americas has had to redraw the picture in a hurry.
100 Thieves 2-0 NRG: two maps, no real resistance
Both maps in the upper final were NRG’s own picks, which makes the scorelines harder to explain away. Abyss went 13-3 to 100 Thieves, with Timotino on Jett putting up 297 ACS and a 1.59 rating while no NRG player finished the map above a 1.00. Asuna and bang backed him up, and NRG never found a stretch of rounds long enough to change the momentum.
Sunset was closer at 13-6 but never really contested at the front end. brawk was the one NRG player who looked like himself, ending on a 1.38 rating from Sova, and keiko was serviceable on Chamber after moving off Jett. Beyond that the numbers are bleak: mada’s Neon game finished at a 0.32 rating, and 100 Thieves’ vora and bang both cleared 230 ACS to close the series out. The unused decider, Summit, never came off the board.
LOUD end G2’s run — but not their Champions campaign
Later the same day LOUD beat G2 Esports 2-0 in the lower bracket, a result that ends G2’s Stage 2 but not their season. G2 had already locked a Valorant Champions Shanghai berth before the playoffs reached this stage, so the loss costs them seeding and momentum rather than a plane ticket. LOUD, meanwhile, are still alive in a bracket where they have now beaten MIBR and G2 back to back.
What is left to play for
NRG drop into the lower final against LOUD, with the winner facing 100 Thieves in the grand final a day later. It is a strange spot for NRG: a team that topped the upper bracket for weeks now has to win two series in two days against opponents who have spent the whole playoffs building form in the losers’ side. Market-makers at the major esports bookmakers reacted quickly to the 2-0, and the LOUD side of the lower final is no longer the outsider price it was 48 hours ago.
Pacific runs on the same schedule. Nongshim RedForce edged Global Esports 2-1 in the upper final and wait in the grand final, while T1 came through VARREL 2-0 to set up a lower final against Global Esports. Both regions crown their Stage 2 champion this weekend, with Champions Shanghai opening on Sept. 24.
For readers new to esports markets, it is worth reading the terms before staking anything on a bracket this volatile; our guide to welcome bonuses and their wagering conditions covers what to check first.
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