The UMG closed qualifier for the upcoming Valorant First Strike tournament start this Thursday, November 19. The qualifiers consist of the top 6 teams from the UMG first open qualifier, the top 6 teams from the second open qualifier, and the four losing teams from the NSG portion of the tournament.
From the UMG open qualifiers, the following teams advanced:
- Qualifier #1
- Moon Raccoons
- Equinox Esports
- Immortals
- Andbox
- Spacestation Gaming
- Dignitas
- Qualifier #2
- Gen.G Esports
- Pittsburgh Knights
- FaZe Clan
- Luminosity Gaming
- Team Serenity
- NRG
The four teams from the NSG tournament include Cloud9, Complexity Gaming, T1, and TSM.
Battle lines have been drawn
The UMG group stages are set with one team from the NSG tournament in each group. The rest from the UMG open qualifiers have been divvied up as follows:
All matches in the closed qualifier will be best-of-three, including both the group stages and the playoffs. Unlike the NSG tournament, however, there are no second chances for losers in the playoffs. The top four teams — aka the teams who make the semifinals — will automatically qualify for the First Strike Main Event. How they perform in the semis and in the grand finals will determine their seed placements for the Main Event. For everyone else, better luck next tournament.
The four teams eagerly awaiting the UMG closed qualifier results from the Main Event seats are Team Envy, 100 Thieves, the Renegades, and the Sentinels.
The tournament organizers haven’t announced the start times for the closed qualifiers as of yet. The only matches guaranteed to be streamed are the playoffs (quarterfinals and up). Both the official UMG Twitch channel and the Valorant Esports NA Twitch channel will stream the playoffs.
Sixteen teams will enter the UMG closed qualifier, but only four will move on to the Valorant First Strike Main Event taking place from December 3 to 6. Whom do you think will be victorious? Let us know in the comments, and follow Daily Esports when the tournament commences.
