The South American region is kicking off its regional Challengers tournament a few days earlier than the rest of the world. The Brazillian leg is now in the closed qualifiers stage, finishing up the online open qualifiers with a few upsets.
All of the top four teams in the Brazillian First Strike event were upset in the open qualifiers and will not be defending their titles at the event. Gamelanders and B4 eSports, which finished first and third respectively, were upset in the last leg of the qualifier.
So without the top teams from First Strike, which teams are the favorites to take the title of the first Challenger event?
Furia is a recent addition to the Brazillian scene, picking up players post-First Strike. The organization is a powerhouse in its region and showed great promise in its first major event. The newly minted team qualified over Gamelanders in dominant fashion, beating the First Strike champions in two straight games.
Furia has picked up many of the more promising talents in the scene, notably former B4 eSports frontman Alexandre “xand” Zizi, and now looks poised to take the first Challengers title.
This team is one of the more consistent Valorant squads in the Brazillian region. It was formed just before First Strike as two teams merged together under one organization and is one of the few teams that has qualified for the 2020 major tournament and Challengers.
Vorax did have one of the easier brackets through which to qualify, mostly battling against unsponsored and amatuer teams, but still impressed by not dropping a map in its run from the round of 32.
Team Vikings is more of a dark horse to take the tournament, but has the stats to back up a favorite status. The squad has three players that are in the top 10 of KDA in the qualifiers, and the team’s ace Gustavo “gtnziN” Moura had an over 300 average combat score.
In its run to the closed qualifiers, the team also took down Brazillian stalwart paiN Gaming, which is ranked in the top five in its region. Of the teams competing in the closed qualifier, Team Vikings are one of the more intriguing squads that fans should keep an eye on.
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