100 Thieves crowned VCT Stage 2 Challengers champions

100 Thieves become VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 2 Challengers champions on April 11 after pulling ahead of XSET in a back-and-forth grand final.

100 Thieves hadn’t won an event since they dominated TSM at the First Strike Grand Finals. Since then, there have been several changes to the VALORANT meta and the 100 Thieves roster. Quan “Dicey” Tran was removed from the squad after inconsistent performances at qualifiers after First Strike, with former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Ethan “Ethan” Arnold replacing him. 100 Thieves have been shifting around team roles since Masters but seem to have finally settled on a team composition that works.

XSET have been viewed as the underdog team in VALORANT despite being considered one of the top five teams in North America by TheSpikeGG. The team made it to Masters last month but has struggled to perform and ultimately exited the tournament early. 100 Thieves had a similar performance at Masters and fell short against Gen.G. However, the two teams that failed to perform at Masters previously made up for those performances to reach the final of the first event of Stage 2.

100 Thieves inch out the win over XSET

XSET started the series off hot on Icebox, which had been picked by 100 Thieves. They took a two-round lead at the half on defense and continued their lead on attack. After securing the first two pistol rounds, 100 Thieves pushed the game into overtime. The first round of overtime went the way of XSET, before 100 Thieves got the last three rounds to earn the win 15-13.

The final round. #100T @JoshNissan with the flank to bring it home. 👏 pic.twitter.com/D074udJuk6

— 100 Thieves Esports (@100T_Esports) April 11, 2021

The Thieves came out the gate strong with a four-round lead at the half on attack. XSET went on a hot streak, ultimately losing 13-11 in that series. Both teams played well on remaining maps but 100 Thieves came out on top.

The final map of the series had XSET with their backs against the wall. Down by two rounds and on the brink of losing, they were only able to push back with four more rounds before 100 Thieves eventually got the upper hand. Josh “Steel” Nissan went on the flank during the last round to secure them the win 13-11.

100 Thieves claimed the $20,000 and the No. 1 seed for the Challengers Finals with the victory.