Undefeated to win the title: 100 Thieves esports players have won the third edition of the Red Bull Home Ground invitational tournament. In the final, Cloud9 was defeated 3-0.
“It’s great,” said Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban in the winner’s interview about the first international Valorant title for 100 Thieves. The e-athlete thought directly of the future: “For us it’s a good rehearsal for next year at the VCT.”
The US Valorant professionals managed an almost perfect tournament with five wins from five games – and that with only two map defeats. In addition to Cloud9 from North America, four teams participating in the EMEA League, the new top league for Europe, Africa and the Middle East in 2023 were defeated with Team Liquid, Team Heretics, Team Vitality and FUT Esports.
Valorant Home Ground: Mixed Tournament for Focus
The tournament in Manchester was much more mixed for the almost completely renewed line-up of the German e-sports organization Focus. The roster was changed except for the Dane Jakob “JUGi” Hansen. The most prominent new signing is Semyon “purp0” Borchev, who most recently played for M3 Champions in the EMEA region’s Last Chance Qualifier for the World Championship.
After a surprising success in the first group match against eventual finalist Cloud9, the team suffered two defeats against Team Vitality and KRÜ Esports. Because of the direct comparison, the team was subsequently eliminated as the last in the group.