V1 VALORANT had an explosive LAN debut at the Astral Clash playoffs in Las Vegas. With $10,000 in prize money on the line, the team secured a clean first place finish at the tournament after a dominant 2-0 victory against Complexity GX3 in the Grand Finals.
With the Game Changers season fast approaching, Astral Clash was the perfect opportunity for Version1 VALORANT’s star-studded roster to gain valuable offline experience and evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies outside of practice sessions and scrims.
As V1 VALORANT’s in-game leader meL explained on stage during the trophy ceremony, the team’s primary objective at Astral Clash was getting more comfortable in the LAN environment, and “the win was an extra dub on top of that.”
Astral Clash Qualifiers: 1st Place
In January, V1 VALORANT competed in the Last Chance Qualifiers for Astral Clash. Out of the eight teams participating, only the top three would advance to the Astral Clash LAN Finals in Las Vegas. V1 faced off against BABYSHARKZAZAS in a one-sided bloodbath — BABYSHARKZAZAS only won a single round during the entire BO3 series, and V1 advanced to the semifinals. V1 made similarly short work of their next opponents, Sanri-O’s, earning another 2-0 series win and advancing to the Grand Finals.
“I feel like the time I spent on @Cloud9 White was almost like a tutorial for being a professional gamer.” – @melanji
Read the full interview here: https://t.co/NnGzHQUD19
— Version1 (@version1gg) March 2, 2023
V1’s opponents in the Grand Finals, milenut hannie, brought the first match of the series to overtime, but V1 closed it out 14-12 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. With momentum in V1’s favor, the second game was a relatively uncontested affair — the final score was 13-5, and with this 2-0 series win, V1 took first place at the Last Chance Qualifiers, punching their ticket to Las Vegas for the LAN Finals in the process.
V1 VALORANT did not lose a single map during the entire Last Chance Qualifiers.
Astral Clash Finals: 1st Place
Version1 started their run at Astral Clash with a 13-8 win against No Brain No Aim. V1’s young breakout star, florescent, topped the scoreboard for V1, earning 24 kills in the match.
That’s one down! 😤#AstralClash pic.twitter.com/bW4FXjQvs2
— Version1 (@version1gg) March 11, 2023
In their second group stage match against Misfits Black, V1’s Noia led the charge, dropping 22 kills and powering her team towards a 13-8 win.
In the final group stage match against noot noot, V1’s IGL meL delivered a standout performance — with 28 kills to her name, she had the most eliminations of any player on the server. However, V1 faltered in overtime, and noot noot won the match 14-12.
With a 2-1 group stage record, V1 moved on to the playoffs, where they faced Evil Geniuses GC.
4k for @melanji, if you count the turret 😏 pic.twitter.com/G0CBMjoEAF
— Version1 (@version1gg) March 12, 2023
The first match of this semifinal series was another overtime nailbiter, but the final score was 15-13 in V1’s favor. The team loaded into the second map eager to close out the series and advance to the Grand Finals. Perhaps demoralized by the tense overtime loss, Evil Geniuses GC were unable to stop their opponents from taking over the game. V1 claimed a 2-0 series victory after a 13-9 win in the second match, punching their ticket to the Grand Finals in the process.
V1VAL gets it done in the semis! Finals next 😤
📺: https://t.co/fktQrvItb6 pic.twitter.com/eR7A86nyNG
— Version1 (@version1gg) March 12, 2023
V1’s Grand Finals series against Complexity GX3 was a short and brutal affair, and V1 dismantled their opponents with ruthless precision to earn a 13-6 win on the first map.
May we present to you, clutch queen: @melanji pic.twitter.com/QnoXyAdvQy
— Version1 (@version1gg) March 12, 2023
Complexity GX3 was no match for V1’s confident playmaking, and after a blowout 13-3 win on the second map, V1 took first place finish at Astral Clash.
Looking Ahead to Game Changers
As V1 VALORANT continues to prepare for Game Changers, events like Astral Clash are a perfect place for the team to continue refining their strategies and give fans a preview of what they can expect in the upcoming Game Changers season. The victory at Astral Clash is, as V1’s alexis put it, an important win that will “give the team an extra little buff” heading into the Game Changers season.
