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VCT's Last Chance Qualifiers for the North American region is now halfway across its schedule, with two nail-biting matches scheduled for August 12. Eight teams are battling for a prestigious wildcard for the Valorant Champions 2022, and only one team will get a ticket to Istanbul via the NA LCQ stage.
As a part of the Lower Quarterfinals Knockout, Cloud9 will face NRG for a nail-biting best-of-three tomorrow. The winner advances into the Last Chance Qualifiers, while the loser bids adieu to the tournament.
There are three slots available for the North American region in the upcoming Valorant Champions Tour. Two deserving teams, OpTic Gaming and XSET, have already qualified for the same via Circuit Points, which they gathered over the course of the tournament.
Cloud9 vs NRG: Who will win the VCT LCQ 2022 Lower Quarterfinals match?
Being two of the most popular esports organizations, Cloud9 and NRG are deserving candidates for the Last Chance Qualifiers. However, only one of them will get a chance to advance to the Lower Semifinals.
The qualifying team will face the winner of the other Lower Quarterfinal match between The Sentinels and 100 Thieves on August 13.
Cloud9 and NRG need no introduction in the field of esports, owing to their successes. Both these teams feature competent rosters for Valorant Esports but couldn't grab a direct slot for VCT 2022. However, they managed to claim a place in the LCQ based on Circuit Points and will battle it out for a final chance.
Predictions
While NRG has had a satisfactorily good track record in Valorant, both official and unofficial, Cloud9's Valorant roster has bagged a lot of notable achievements earlier.
As of now, the result could favor either one of the teams. Both teams have displayed incredible promise overall but failed to showcase their potential during the Challengers stage. However, Cloud9 may have an edge due to its tremendous experience in competitive gaming and present form.
NRG finished 4th in VCT Challengers 2 but choked considerably in Challengers 1. On the other hand, Cloud9 bagged the 3rd position in VCT Challengers 1 but failed to perform in Challengers 2. Both missed out on Masters Reykjavík and Copenhagen, leaving Last Chance Qualifiers as their only way to VCT 2022.
Head-to-head
NRG faced Cloud9 two times in last year's VCT Challengers Stage 2. Cloud9 won both the matches with a dominating score. Furthermore, they competed against one another in third-party tournaments like the Nerd Street Gamers Summer Championship and Valorampage, and Cloud9 dominated those matches too.
Recent results
Both NRG and Cloud9 seem to be putting their best efforts into winning the LCQ. While Cloud9 also displayed its valor in recent third-party tournaments like MCT and Knights, NRG's last notable performance was in VCT Challengers 2.
NRG lost against 100 Thieves in the Upper Quarterfinals match of LCQ and entered the lower bracket as a result. However, they performed well against Evil Geniuses in Lower Round 1, knocking them out of the LCQ and VCT 2022.
On the contrary, Cloud9 defeated Shopify Rebellion in the Upper Quarterfinals match of LCQ but faltered against The Guard in the Upper Semifinals. This defeat pushed Cloud9 to the Lower Bracket. Although both teams display similar results, Cloud9 has a slight edge form-wise.
Potential lineups
Cloud9:
- Nathan "leaf" Orf
- Anthony "vanity" Malaspina
- Rahul "curry" Nemani
- Erick "Xeppaa" Bach
- Mitch "mitch" Semago
- Gael "vexel" Attal (Coach)
NRG:
- Sam "s0m" Oh
- Daniel "eeiu" Vucenovic
- Ian "tex" Botsch
- James "hazed" Cobb
- Ethan "Ethan" Arnold
- Josh "JoshRT" Lee (Coach)
Where to watch
Fans can watch the match on the Valorant Esports YouTube channel and on Twitch as well. The matches will be livestreamed with official commentary. Moreover, fans can also join the watch parties that popular streamers host.
Cloud9 will take on NRG in one of the two Lower Quarterfinals Knockout matches on Friday, August 12 at 4 pm PDT / 4:30 am IST.
