The VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers group stage has been filled with all manner of surprises and upsets. Teams that looked like they were on top of the world in the previous stage are either fighting tooth-and-nail to qualify in the final week, or have already been eliminated.
At the same time, two teams that have locked in playoffs – 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses – finished at the bottom of their group in Stage 1.
In Week 4, Evil Geniuses even managed to take down reigning Masters Reykjavik 2022 champions OpTic Gaming, a stunning reversal for a team that did not find a single win in the Stage 1 group stage.
Stage 1 heavyweights Cloud9 are out of playoffs contention entirely, failing to win a single game since trading Son “xeta” Seon-ho for T1’s Rahul “curry” Nemani. The same goes for Sentinels, who have not won a single match in the group stage.
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Full list of teams qualified for VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers playoffs
Here are the eight qualified teams that have secured their berth at the Stage 2 Challengers playoffs. They will begin competing June 16 for two spots at VCT Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen in July.
| TEAM | GROUP | MATCH RECORD (W-L) | MAP RECORD (W-L) | ROUND DIFFERENTIAL |
| XSET | A | 4-1 | 8-3 | +17 |
| Ghost Gaming | A | 4-1 | 8-3 | +36 |
| 100 Thieves | A | 3-2 | 6-4 | +22 |
| NRG | A | 2-3 | 4-7 | -24 |
| OpTic Gaming | B | 4-1 | 9-3 | +26 |
| FaZe Clan | B | 3-2 | 6-4 | +10 |
| Evil Geniuses | B | 3-2 | 6-5 | +15 |
| Luminosity | B | 3-2 | 6-5 | -5 |
All teams will square off in a modified double-elimination bracket. The top seed from each group will receive a bye to the second round of the upper bracket. The fourth seed from each group will then begin their playoffs journey in the lower bracket.
Meanwhile, the second seed will face the third seed from the other group to determine which team moves forward to the upper bracket, and which falls to the lower bracket.
All matches will be best-of-three series, except for the upper final, lower final, and grand final, which will be best-of-five.
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