Riot Games’ Valorant 2022 season has finally kicked off with the action-packed VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers Open Qualifiers 1 where the top teams competed to qualify for the new regional league.

Top-tier teams Version1, XSET, NRG Esports, and up-and-coming squad The Guard conquered the first Open Qualifiers, advancing to join Sentinels, Team Envy, Cloud9, and 100 Thieves in the upcoming Main Event. 

Out of all the 128 teams that competed, the tier 2 teams had the best moments from the open qualifier. These include insane clutches, incredible aces, and high-IQ plays that took place at VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers Open Qualifiers 1.

The Top 5 best plays from VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers Open Qualifiers 1

Credit: Riot Games

5. NRG’s Android is a real Headhunter

NRG’s stacked Valorant roster is finally living up to their full potential after they qualified for the upcoming regional league under the leadership of former TSM in-game leader James “hazed” Cobb. 

Bradley “Android” Fodor proved you should never count out a Chamber main with perfect aim. He was able to clutch out a 1v3 situation against NA stack Rumor 2.0 in VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers Open Qualifiers 1’s round-of-128 match with insane Headhunter shots that helped NRG win the series 2-0.

4. Girl Kissers’ alone aces the new TSM roster

North American stack Girl Kissers didn’t just have one of the funniest team names in VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers Open Qualifiers 1. They also proved that they have an incredible Jett main by the name of alone during their round-of-128 match against TSM.

TSM didn’t know what hit them as alone stormed the C-site of Haven, eliminating every opponent with his Frenzy. TSM eventually won the series 2-0 and advanced to the round of 32.

3. The Guard’s neT and his laser beam precision

The surprise team of the tournament, The Guard, showcased that they’re ready to compete against the top Valorant teams in North America by qualifying for the Main Event.

Chamber main Michael “neT” Bernet hit four ridiculous headshots with perfect precision in The Guard’s round-of-32 match against FaZe Clan. The flawless round win gave The Guard all the momentum they needed to win the match, 2-1.

2. FaZe Clan’s Dicey with the smartest play of the tournament

FaZe Clan’s Quan “dicey” Tran had the smartest play in the entire VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers Open Qualifiers 1 when he stopped his teammate from getting pulled away from the spike defuse.

After The Guard planted the spike in A-site of Haven, FaZe Clan used Killjoy’s Lockdown ultimate to force the attackers to retreat, followed by Astra’s Cosmic Divide to cover their opponent’s line of sight. In response, The Guard used a Gravity Well that would pull the defuser away from the spike. 

FaZe Clan was able to stick the defuse because of dicey’s high-IQ play where he put himself in between the Gravity Well and the spike, which stopped the defuser from being pulled away from the bomb.

1. Soniqs’ Miniature is a Chamber god

We’ve seen plenty of Chamber highlights from VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers Open Qualifiers 1, but Soniq’s Blake “miniature” Gittins walked away with the best play in our top 5.

Miniature demolished Rise on Ascent’s B-site with an insane ace that made it look like Rise was going up against John Wick. After losing two teammates on entry, Miniature found himself in a 1v4 situation he quickly rectified with four perfectly placed Headhunter shots that won the round.

Rise eventually won the match, 2-1, and advanced to the quarterfinals, while Soniqs dropped to round 2 of the lower bracket.

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