XSET keep their heads held high amid lower bracket run in Challengers Playoffs

August 12, 2021

by Jessica Scharnagle

The members of XSET have their heads held high going into the lower bracket of the VALORANT Champions Tour Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs.

XSET were one of the top seeds going into the tournament yesterday. After a loss in the second round of the upper bracket, they have dropped down into Round 2 of the lower bracket and will play the winner of TSM vs. Rise.

The match against 100 Thieves started off strong for XSET. They were ahead 9-3 in the first half of the first map, but the tide started turning after halftime, and 100 Thieves ended up catching up to take the first map 13-11.

Although XSET came prepared to fight 100T, one thing threw them off: a KAY/O pick from Joshua “steel” Nissan.

“I think the KAY/O was really a thorn in our sides. Steel played it really well. It's just anything that's new, that you haven't seen before can catch you off guard,” Rory “dephh” Jackson said.

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Although they were prepared for it, Bryce “PureR” Lovell also agreed that the KAY/O play caused an annoyance for the team during the match.

“We just knew they were going to do some KAY/O cheese. So we were definitely prepared for that, but it was definitely super close. I don't think KAY/O is the key to the win. It was definitely annoying, but I don't think it had a huge impact on the game.”

The second map was a fight on both sides, and although XSET made a last-minute push that had fans hopeful, they lost that map 13-11 as well.

But there were no tears or heads hung low on XSET’s roster. Nerd Street had the opportunity to speak to the team after their match on Thursday, and the vibes were nothing but positive.

“I think the last two times we've met [100T], most of the maps have been 13-11. So we definitely push each other to the limit. They have a ton of experience on that team. So it's really exciting to see a bunch of guys from different games and different levels of competitive play,” dephh said. “Super excited to do the lower bracket run. I think we've got it in us and I'm just excited to get back on the server. I love playing with these guys.”

Zachary “zekken” Patron was upset but hopeful at the lower bracket run, and noted that there was even more motivation for the team to do well in the lower bracket.

“I'm just a little bit upset because we lost,” zekken said. “But I'm really motivated now, just because whenever we lose, it's an opportunity for us as a team and for me as an individual player to find weaknesses in our game and improve. So I think it's good that we at least were able to improve ourselves a lot.”

It is true that XSET has consistently improved throughout their tournament runs. They have consistently been in the running for top spots in tournaments, and they did make an appearance in North American Masters, although they had a disappointing finish. In Challengers Stage 2, they made it to the playoffs, but were knocked out early on by NRG and Team Envy.

PureR has confidence that his team will succeed in the lower bracket, and acknowledged that XSET is one of the most improved teams in the league.

“These teams haven't improved as much as we have in the past. And we've taken all these teams either to three maps, or we've beaten them previously. So I don't have a lot of doubt in our mind that we can definitely do the lower bracket and make the run all the way to Berlin. So definitely just full confidence right now, because we've taken all these teams down at one point or another,” PureR said.

With so many good teams in the NA region, it is difficult to secure a spot in the international tournaments where there are only a few spots up for grabs. Although XSET didn’t manage to grab one of the two spots available for Masters: Berlin yesterday, there is still one spot up for grabs.

Because XSET were seeded higher in the upper bracket, they will also start with a one match lead in the lower bracket. They will play whoever wins in the Rise vs. TSM match Thursday.

There is one spot left for NA for Masters: Berlin which means XSET will have to beat the winner of the first lower bracket match, and then one more team after that in order to punch their ticket to Germany.

Lead image credit: XSET