VCT Masters format ‘ridiculous’, OpTic FNS says
Pujan “FNS” Mehta, OpTic Gaming’s in-game leader, criticized the VCT format for taking the top teams straight into the playoffs in an international tournament. FNS mentions this issue in a recent interview right after winning against Thai team Xerxia to qualify for the playoff round of the Valorant Champions Tour Stage 1 Masters, Reykjavik.
FNS wrote on Twitter, “Won 2-0 vs @XERXIAESPORTS Ggwp [heart emoji] only love and respect for those guys. Onto playoffs [devil emojis] #GreenWall”.
FNS said that it is ridiculous for top teams to automatically qualify for the playoff stage. This decision was made by Riot based on their performance in VCT leagues, which was a regional tournament.
Based on their online performances in the regional VCT leagues, teams like LOUD and The Guard were put straight into the playoff bracket. Teams placed second in their regional leagues had to play in the Group Stage to advance to the next round, which ended Wednesday with OpTic, DRX and Team Liquid making it through.
In the North American VCT Challengers playoffs, OpTic had a shot at earning a direct seed and bypassing the group stage. However, The Guard defeated them by a score of 3-2.
“I think every team has should have to playgroup stages and earn their spot in playoffs,” FNS said. “But that’s not the fault of the teams or anything. I just think it’s a terrible format in that sense. They should not do that.”
He further added, “I don’t think any team should just make playoffs. I think even if we won the final versus The Guard online I still would be saying that that’s a ridiculous thing that any team can just make the playoffs right from online play and not having to play the group stages.”
FNS’ teammates respond to Masters Reykjavík format
Other OpTic players have different opinions regarding the format of Valorant Masters. Some of them thought the format was a good idea.
According to OpTic’s star player Jaccob “Yay” Whiteaker, his team may have benefited from this format. Yet, playing additional games while other teams are staying on the sidelines will give their opponents time to plan their attacks.
“I do feel like there is like some advantage, I think for our team because usually, we kind of start slow,” Yay said in response to the question of whether they have an advantage as they came through the group stage. “So for us to get that out of the way now, so we can keep building and keep building and writing momentum.”
With the double-elimination format, the OpTic Gaming Valorant squad will now face The Guard in the playoffs. The Guard is the winner of the North American Challengers 1. The team defeated OpTic Gaming by a score of 3-2 in the final.
G2 Nukkye disagrees with FNS
Apparently, FNS’ reaction to the VCT Masters format has been a discussion among Valorant professionals in Iceland. G2 Esports’ Žygimantas “Nukkye” Chmieliauskas shared his thought on the topic.
“I think it’s good that they reward people that win like fully they go through top bracket and they win everything in the qualifiers. I think there should be a thing at least seeding or like this, for example, putting you into playoffs. It’s like a twitch blade regarding getting put into playoffs so I think it’s pretty fair,” said Nukkye in an interview.
