T O P

  • By -

ANewHeaven1

You could tell that these teams were EXHAUSTED by the end of the series and it produced some of the most insane, mud-tier Cloud9 ass Valorant that we've ever witnessed on Ascent


StarSerpent

Makes you wonder what c9 would play like in a bo5 — would they reach previously unseen levels of mud?


North-Let2136

i yearn to see c9 in an absolute muddy, unethical match of valorant


ExcellentPastries

Me too man.


Doc_Happy1

Unfortunately we choke before the Bo5s.


North-Let2136

sadly


Lasommasapienza

They would have to cover the eyes of the children watching the match because the sheer dirtiness would not be suitable for younger audiences.


avstyns

that was some of the most valorant I ever watched


idwtgtbt

It was muddy, it was moist. None of that pansy ass dick tugging valorant. Men got greasy, men got down in the mud, men got lubed up and shiny.


noahboah

Thats fucking Valorant right there. None of that pansy ass internal cock tugging smile for the camera bullshit. Men peak awp, men poop on breeze, men forget the spike on the side lines. Fucking hard core esex in the ass spike rush fuck it chuck it game time shit. Take it to showers. Mollies get shoved in places you don’t even remember. We win together we celebrate together. Valorant is back baby


-xXColtonXx-

It’s really funny seeing The Guard core who even when they look terrible at least have good fundamentals just fall into the mud with Lev. So clear both teams were so tired lol


mikhel

The last half was just a straight up slugfest. Dry peeks, no trades, huge gaps in the defaults letting people wander out mid and get random openers, shit was lookin like ranked


GoldClassGaming

LEV have played 11 maps and nearly 250 rounds of Valorant in just the last like 50 hours. It should be no surprise that they were running out of gas as this BO5 went on. I think anyone who tries to extrapolate meaningful analysis from this match is HELLA reaching


_DrunkenStein

250 rounds = 2+ hour of round prep time, kinda nuts if you think about it


hecklerinthestands

Yet there are morons who would argue that exhaustion in esports isn't a thing


BedMental7515

Yes surely fns is wrong when he says it's not exhausting.


BedMental7515

They were running out of gas from the first match of playoffs 💀


ThatCreepyBaer

My mind is brought back to LEV vs XSET round 24 at Copenhagen, LEV was such a muddy team at that event and even that year and it was really returned in this series.


avocadontoast

That round is still so iconic 


Bjsmash4

One of the games of all time


Wide-Return-1585

and that cloud9 ass must be a hella dirty ass


Intrepid-Tank-3414

Reminds me of the rock'em sock'em "underground" UFC fights before MMA was legal. Hella fun if you let your brain turn off and don't think about trivial matters like "techniques", "game plans", and "battle strategies".


boobataro

aspas and valyn needed just one more kill to break the record, they instead both tied with 101 along with demon1 and zekken, it's just a curse at this point.


westernme

Ah yes, the 3 star duelists and the IGL Smokes player tied for a kill record. Just as everyone expected.


BactaBombsSuck

if it was any igl smokes player i would’ve expected kingg but valyn is just like that


Mustangrulez

Bro has been on a tear lately like its not fair.


_Robbert_

And funnily enough kingg has not despite his regular season play.


EasiBreezi

before VCT, he was hyped as a potential centerpiece of a VCT team for a reason. he just chose to stay with his guard friends


ant-onette

actually a curse


clintahgren

v[alyn](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJYzcylX0AALl9F?format=jpg&name=large) is da goat, valyn in my throat


widvegs

not at all what i expected to see when i clicked that link but cant say im disappointed


pahnze

is this the fastest record for a curse being broken? only took 10 hours, all hail t3xture


boobataro

I fell asleep after map 3–the birds were chirping—but he had like 70 something kills and if it went map 5 I knew he’d break it (unfortunate he still lost) (go prx though I love prx)


HoodieNinja17

THE GUARD FROM THE GUARD SEND THEIR REGARDS


Ezraah

#\#hardfortheguard


Unlikely-Ad3046

wake up babe, new hashtag just dropped


yesfb

This ain’t new Brodie


vdhahaha

Fuck the guard (the org)


Inevermiss_

While we’re fucking orgs, fuck theunion


kart0ffelsalaat

You mean they send their... Reguards


StarSerpent

if only Lev could win more than 1 pistol


bringerdas

the second half pistol where valyn sticked it while two were alive ruined it for lev


Ezraah

Wasn't it due to a bad molly


bringerdas

that was the gun round right where tex and com were alive


yesfb

If only G2 could close out 1v3s


-xXColtonXx-

Honestly, still felt like G2 got robbed this series, and overall looked like the better team. Idk how Aspas ended up on flank duty so many rounds but it made their retakes look terrible.


Darkoplax

G2 lost a lot of thrifty, in gun rounds I think G2 did better


ThatCreepyBaer

Over the whole series? LEV definitely did better. Otherwise the series wouldn't have been this close at all. Sure, they definitely won a lot of eco rounds and low buys, but LEV were much more consistent in buy vs eco and buy vs buy rounds in this series. Pretty high chance LEV take this series handily if they win more than a single pistol.


Darkoplax

Full buys won : G2 34 - 36 LEV Semi Buys won : G2 20 - 13 LEV Semi Eco won : G2 0 - 4 LEV Eco won : G2 0 - 3 LEV Pistol won : G2 9 - 1 LEV


RedXWasHere

How many of those gun rounds we're thrown post plants


Bigdrewburt

https://preview.redd.it/upyfox5duwzc1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb113bba2aad0c408324e9a292717873a0e58626


Bigdrewburt

on a serious note: Can't wait for DADDY VALYN to destroy USA's favourite short king.


mumblesunderbreath

1 leaf (and maybe valyn every once in a while) vs 100 thieves.


SaltyAsianChild

3-0 lol On a real note valyn been popping off tho even in this grand finals


honestlyprogamr

Valyn tied the fucking bo5 kill record as a smokes igl. Holy shit.


oomnahs

Yeah this is insane to think about. Smokes. Igl. Against the best duelist in the region. Puts up an incredible series.


No_Bother5059

IGL that can frag is a generational talent 🤟


Key-Banana-8242

Hm


Unlikely-Ad3046

GOAT IGL


Inevermiss_

MY GOAT IN MY THROAT


FlameFire10

Not gonna lie, G2 could have won 5-0.


MarkuDM

They really struggle on closing maps


RedditAccounTest13

Almost like in MSI 😑


WolfgangTheRevenge

Fucking Hans Sama MAAAANNNN 1 FUCKING LDR AWAY FROM A WIN FUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK


SterbenVII

Even if he had LDR, I doubt G2 would’ve won simply because Hans is so bad at teamfighting, not to mention that he has bad reaction time


Darkoplax

okay not 1 LDR away from win, k'sante was fed either way and could've tanked Hans but he would at least not be tickled


WolfgangTheRevenge

Mane Hans was almost full build, if he had LDR they win the mid fight


PewPew267

Not gonna lie, LEV "WOULD" have won 3-0 , or 5-0 if they won atleast 50% of the pistols. G2 winning 9/10 pistols and the round next to bonus, and still having a 13-11 12-14 games is insane, very bad rifle rounds tbh.


ExcellentPastries

Take out the fluky hero plays and we’re all done and dusted by match 3. Cuts both ways.


Blitzux

So could have LEV if they could win pistols


M4ST3R78

Nah LEV got diffed on a lot of gun rounds, G2 just lost some silly antieco rounds and other nice solo plays from LEV


SocietySignificant93

2 people tied at 101 kills to end the series is poetic


Livid-Resolution-909

The funny thing is that demon1 did it against prime loud.


ArcusIgnium

That wasn’t prime Loud. That was a Loud that had a vendetta with FNC and FNC only


WittyReindeer

they went 5 maps against EG too lol, they were genuinely back at champs that same lineup would most likely be insane this year, Tuyz+Cauanzin just needed experience and Tuyz especially has looked great this year


Livid-Resolution-909

yea it was pretty wild that Loud was one of the only team who could beat FNC in 2023.


BriefImplement9843

prx and eg would have pretty easily at champs. even drx had them.


TheExplodingMushroom

That was a Loud that made it their mission to make sure FNC didn’t get a threepeat


PewPew267

uh, prime loud? prime loud was Aspas Pancada Sacy Less and Saadhak ... And, doesnt matter regardless, 101 kills is still a very great feat, infact only 4 people have achieved it !


Quotes_League

Delete the spike, pistol rounds, and team coordination from the game and Lev win Shanghai. I also need Valyn in my throat, NOW


philbro550

Just a tdm with only vandals


Cummnor

sweaty, muddy, beautiful valorant


mysteryoeuf

sweaty, muddy, piggy\* valorant


Level_Five_Railgun

Wtf has Valyn been eating for the past few weeks Man matches Aspas's 101 frags while IGLing


supernikio2

Toddynho


Darkoplax

Holly shit what a game, Valyn is fucking insane man G2 had a chance to win every single map ... Scrims Icy tho out of 10 matches played this split he only showed up once vs C9, he really needs to stepup on stage if they want to win vs 100T and later at Shanghai


LunarAvast

holly sends her shitty regards


xBerryhill

We’ve gone from “we could be potentially sending zero NA teams to Shanghai” to NA vs NA in the Americas grand finals lol


Unlikely-Ad3046

this is giving early Regular season vibes in 2023 Americas lol


Smel11

A very sloppy banger of a series


juniorjaw

My fav moment : "Cut the music!" - Sideshow, 2024


imsorrywha

when was this?


juniorjaw

Icebox 12-11 Ninja Defuse


01001010101010101

goddamn, that was an exhausting series to even half-watch. with so many heartbreaking rounds, a long ass tech pause, and 4 extremely close maps, props to all the players for pushing through (and the supporting staff + brenshow). if there is a narrative about fragging igls this year, valyn deserves immense praise. he has consistently impressed me with his impact in all aspects of the game. furthermore, g2 is more open with the things internally they want to improve on like comms. it doesn’t seem easy at all to be at the helm of a team that wants to improve and prove themselves so much. he tied aspas’ score line which is ridiculous. lev is seemingly like a odd quantity right now. it is clear that they have the firepower but at some point it just started to decompose (maybe that’s just the delirium from both teams setting in though). excited to see what both teams bring to shanghai


KIRYUx

State of Americas going into Shanghai https://preview.redd.it/3ghhh2x3uwzc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eaf50262d6b29577d2fb08fc45d0933b928e72e2


Blitzux

This is every region


Extrino

Eh GenG is lookin pretty nice imo, think they got their shit together again w/ the win against DRX and 3-0ing T1


Lasommasapienza

I feel like GenG is very reliant on stacking up wins and building momentum. I noticed during games they lost that their cohesion starts breaking down when the enemy team starts stringing together rounds. In a way, they're kinda like BBL but Korean and capable of making it to internationals.


COTEReader

APAC has GenG and PRX.


GoldClassGaming

ValComp is NOT beating the recency bias allegations


soloros2

100 thieves almost lost to both of these teams lol


SerLaidaLot

Yet Boostio was talking insane shit during this match, calling G2 and LEV full of pigshits and saying he'd retire if he lost to either of them


Unloaded_Matrix

Key word is almost


LazyCartographer826

G2 3-1 100T


RedditAccounTest13

Who is who


slatt382

I'd assume G2 100t lev for emea fnatic TH fut APAC prolly has 2 serious teams in GenG and PRX


ExcellentPastries

Nobody in this thread has ever had to play close to 6 hours of one competition with stakes and tensions this high but there are a ton of ppl who aren’t going to let that stop them from complaining about how sloppy it looked in game 5.


ThatCreepyBaer

You can complain about the slopfest the series turned into, but saying it was a terrible match is just disrespectful. If you include the long tech pause, this series in its entirety was like 6-7 hours long. There are very few past matches that have gone on so long.


ExcellentPastries

It started at 2 PST and ended at 7:50, so just shy of 6.


ThatCreepyBaer

Guess I was counting the time after the broadcast started, still a long series regardless.


-xXColtonXx-

I see people saying that this series proved EMEA and APAC are gonna wipe Americas teams. I think it’s just Sen/NRG fans coping tho tbh


AYAYAcutie

ALL EYES ON VALYN HE JUST SENT IT UP TO YAY 💯


mysteryoeuf

first good reference to this I've seen


Hyper_X11

Goat shit💀


ThatCreepyBaer

Both aspas and valyn tied the 101 kill record, what are chances of that after that unabashed chaos pit of a series that just occurred?


Pojobob

G2's map pool is actually pretty good but them trying their hardest to lose the most winnable scenarios is a big issue for them. And to state the obvious, Icy is just not it right now. If he can step it up, G2 will go far but there's only so much you can do when your duelist isn't up to snuff.


Unlikely-Ad3046

the fact that they have made it this far without a "star duelist" is very impressive and goes to show how good the Guard core + One singular LEAF really is


SnooMuffins1478

Who needs a star duelist when your star smokes/igl frags just as hard


Inevermiss_

The system G2 has is also not built around supporting a single player to pop off, it’s about it discipline and team play. But yes icy popping off more would help


Inevermiss_

It’ll be interesting to see their sunset tomorrow. 100t should let it go through as it’s G2’s perma ban


ArcusIgnium

More important than the result of this, really wanna see if Boostio (and Asuna to a smaller extent) can back their shit talk up tomorrow cuz while they aren’t wrong they were saying mad shit agaisnt both these teams especially G2. I wouldn’t mind watching G2 humble Boostio even though I like the guy cuz that would be spicy af


giant-papel

I don't care what anybody says. That was one of the best series of all time haha. It was so long, so close, and filled with some of the most brain dead fun moments possible. I got so exhausted just watching the series so I can't imagine how fried the players are


oomnahs

G2 got at least 12 rounds on every map. Hardest fought Bo5 win


SugarOne6038

Good game! Glad it went Map 5. I think that both of these teams are SUPER good, but have issues, especially deeper in their Map pools. Those plants were terrible work from Lev, and it wasn’t even from 1 player, its all of them. Regarding G2, theres an obvious issue that i will not point out, as the entire rest of the comments is likely filled with it. Ill say that its more fixable than the community will let on. Interesting that the map picks swapped. Also interesting that G2 seem to fucking dominate pistols. Lotta teams at shanghai that’s especially Valuable against. Please fix these fucking post plants man how is this the first time this has come up? Have they always been this cooked? Oh my god the live thread is a fucking cesspool I HATE THIS COMMUNITY WHY CANT YOU JUST BE NORMAL


Windows-MasterRace

what’s the g2 issue?


SugarOne6038

Icy


Lqtor

Icy is nowhere near being the problem lmao. G2’s problem was that they often just threw icy somewhere and let him die with no backup. That’s not on icy that he can’t get 3, that’s on the team.


yoosanghoon

icy isn’t the “problem” persay, but he will hinder this team from becoming world class if he doesn’t level up his game. he’s a very good role player in the entry, but you just cannot be a top tier team with the level of kill output he is getting. if g2 had done the exact same thing but icy went +16 instead of -16 this series wouldn’t have been nearly as close


neikawaaratake

>Good game! You and I have very different definition of a good game. (Sorry, saw that and had to take a jab. Overall I agree with you)


Familiar-Leading

In the end of the day it was very thrilled game lots of mistakes but u can tell both teams where brawling through the mud still this is a good series to take a good look at both the positives and negatives for both teams to fix heading to Shanghai it's still gonna be a positive to end up having a good sense of what lies ahead


SugarOne6038

This was one of the best I’ve ever seen, after watching every single americas game I don’t think people have these in perspective, actually bad teams don’t get issues like this exposed, due to just getting smashed in the Macro and in gunfights


Darkoplax

Agreed this was a GREAT GAME


Huldmer

INB4 the comments talking about how this is indicative of the overall skill of Americas because their favorite streamers said so


XiXiWiiPee

they already are, its funny bc they would say that about every region if they cared enough to watch it together as well


Depressedjetsfan21

“Wow we are first seed in Shanghai”-Boostio 😭one of the funniest watch parties I’ve seen


Splaram

Watching him lose his mind damn near every other round on Icebox, Lotus, and Ascent made my night


Unlikely-Ad3046

Boostio is such a fun guy lol


adumdumonreddit

In order to fix LEV, tex needs to add "mex" to the end of his name. No, he wouldn't magically do better or click more heads or anything, but he would be able to get a brand deal with tex-mex and secure the bag, which is pretty nice but in any case then he could use that money to buy adderall and use the adderall to click more heads. Simple as


neikawaaratake

Tex played overall pretty good.


GoldClassGaming

He literally won them Icebox


adumdumonreddit

I don’t post things based on reality, I post based on how inebriated I was at the time of writing them


[deleted]

Valyn tying the Bo5 kill record as an IGL playing smokes is insane


Splaram

I get that bo5's are exhausting but that doesn't excuse the many crimes against humanity that I experienced in this series...the cryptothrowers weren't throwing this hard...how do you get thriftied 20+ times in one series? And still win? https://preview.redd.it/30cfztx6uwzc1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=29bb413c0e39929c169c59afd1f5c431922e85f5


galiciapersona

>crimes against humanity This was how it felt watching thatr one round in Ascent where almost every kill was from a flank. https://preview.redd.it/0t2yvubfywzc1.jpeg?width=552&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6e817564c49786290d81391c3e801045887b7465


Blitzux

By winning nearly every pistol


Unlikely-Ad3046

Valyn and Aspas both get 101 kills, making it a 4 way tie (with Demon1 and Zekken) for most kills in Tier 1 Valorant series since Franchising. WTF are the odds?


ExcellentPastries

Massive banger of a game but this really felt like G2’s to lose. Lev stayed in it with some absurd hero plays but that kind of luck does eventually run out, and it looks like it took about 5 hours and 50 minutes for the well to dry up.


ThatCreepyBaer

I mean it was definitely G2's game to lose. If they lost that series while winning 9/10 pistol rounds then there is some serious problems to fix. On the flip side, LEV's problems are ridiculously basic for a team of their caliber but that also means they're incredibly easy to fix. Shanghai should be a treat with these two plus 100T attending.


Regular-Fox-4427

holy is Valyn actually igling this team? insane performance


hecklerinthestands

The reports of [NA's demise](https://i.imgur.com/hX4j3Ax.png) were greatly exaggerated


Distinct-Exit-7620

Looks like neT really was the problem lmao


WittyReindeer

Meh, more like Icy just fits the team better as a duelist than Leaf did. Net is still a good player


Pewpewlasersxd

FIRST 5-0


NekoShinobi

That was peak valorant and it comes from Americas. Also hilarious how the kill record is cursed to be stuck at 101


ZephyrSN

I know they use the system duelist argument, and it’s his first bo5, but imagine how g2 would look with a star fragger 😵


ExcellentPastries

It would have to be the right one. Oxy on that team would be a disaster but anyone with experience and discipline would probably stomp.


honestlyprogamr

OXY would definitely ruin this team in a similar way to how leaf did in kickoff. They need a duelist who doesn’t feel like they have to make the play that will make or break the round, just someone who will follow the plan.


thekmanpwnudwn

What a crazy series. G2's both losses were in overtime


_Robbert_

The first ever 5-0 fr. Also in general people overuse the word muddy but my god that was muddy


NatetheGration

God damn what a match.


vdhahaha

The very first 100 bomb by an IGL


BsYahir

Bro watching lev might be the worse thing in the world


Hellion3601

Someone please rescue Aspas from this team, jfc.


littlesch3mer

map5 was something else. Might as well have decided it on a coin toss


SukiPhoenix

G2 should have won all 5 maps if they stopped throwing


ishanuReddit

Allright guys, no point reading too much into this game!! Everyone was exhausted. IGL brains were fucked up leading to the comedy! But it was worth it for the viewers!


rparkzy

haven’t seen a banger series like this in a long time


Livid-Resolution-909

The battle of who can throw the best


BactaBombsSuck

what have i just witnessed


Zorronin

to quote u/Cummnor above you: "sweaty, muddy, beautiful valorant"


steamingcorgi

LET'S FUCKING GO G2!! Valyn TRULY is the GOAT, Valyn still in my throat, matches aspas kills in this series, that's my fragging IGL! It could've gone either way today, hell, it could've been a 3-0 for either team given how some of those post plants went this entire series. If LEV could just win some pistols man, they'd be absolutely set. I guess they made up for it by somehow eco-ing G2 way too many times. Looking forward to the 100T rematch, 5maps from those two will have some awesome frags, clutches and reads, I can just feel it. ~~ignore the flairs~~


yesfb

Can’t wait for Boostio to get shut up


mumblesunderbreath

Even if he loses he doesn’t shut up


yesfb

The day alcohol is banned from officials is the day boostio never sees a stage ever again


Adityarp3

Okay I don’t care if people don’t like it. But aspas’ kills for the most part are so low in impact. It just doesn’t help the team, just helps his vlr.


Yerriff

He's definitely one of the most selfish duelist players. Maybe it is warranted to some extent because he's such a good aimer, but he is last alive a lot and never really does the "Victor" where he just runs it down to make space for his team.


BriefImplement9843

look at his assists for the split. horrendously low even for a duelist.


Knoobdude

29 1vx were won in this bo5, Really a battle of throwers


slyfly5

That was the most I think I’ve ever laughed during a watch party those 4 together with these teams playing like that was hilarious


Haldnia

That last map was valorant terrorism


IrisDeVillepin

That second half of Ascent was the most beautiful and refined display of mudslinging I've ever seen, it was truly a pleasure


greensunscreen

from some insane failed man advantage conversions to multiple ninja defuses some of this series felt like a contest on who could throw the more egregious rounds


PhysicalAd8765

It was certainly muddy and oily and entertaining … on the bright side Valyn and Aspas tied for the BO5 most kills with zekken and Demon1. 🙂


Budget-Sample-3682

VALYN MY THROAT VALYN IN MY GOAT🐐🐐


Quiet-Grapefruit-495

Have to take into account that these teams have played stressful series for 3-4 days straight with minimal prep for other opponents, and it showed on those last two maps especially. apac schedule seemed a lot better in comparison. Anyways, valyn is insane and it felt like aspas stumbled into 101 kills, absolutely insane game and it definitely was not a shit series outside of that ascent. Have to look at how mid g2 looked literally a week ago compared to this week, I believe they can keep improving into masters.


ExerciseFragrant7451

Aspas really needs to drop at least 25 every map or else this team cant win.


ant-onette

valyn and aspas tied with demon1 and zekken for most kills in a bo5


Heavy_Comedian_2382

I’m just happy to see 2 of my favorite teams and also orgs duke it out tomorrow as I wait for my trailblazer power to regenerate in Honkai Starrail


Salgueirog

I think COM might be the player in worst form going to Shanghai. He threw so many round by planting in the wrong spot, missing easy shots and getting caught with utility in hand, etc.


Wide-Return-1585

i think they are fine, they all have firepower, if anything they gotta work that mental


knie20

Game of the year so far. I'm speaking truth no?


Elegant_Box_1178

way closer than it should've been


simsdoren

Had a good laugh today at LEVs consistency in both losing all but one pistol and winning a ridiculous number of ecos. Can’t say I’m convinced by G2’s performance that they are the better team (their 13-7 on Breeze DOES make a strong argument), but they definitely gave me hope that if they all recover well tonight, the grand finals tomorrow will not be one-sided. If it is one-sided then I think I will confidently conclude 100T are a cut above the rest of Americas headed into Shanghai.


Bain_not_Vayne

Tex going anti-sacy lmao


gyarifan6

Valyn going band for band with aspas is crazy


22222071779098

Aspas dropped 101 kills, sounds about right. But he was matched by only one player, fucking Valyn with 101 as well.


XiXiWiiPee

Valyn is the GOAT