All of the teams qualified for the 2023 NA VCT Game Changers Series I main event
The North American (NA) VCT Game Changers Series I open qualifier is almost over, with four teams already qualifying for the main event so far. A total of eight teams will continue to the main double-elimination bracket, which leaves four spots up for grabs during the final stretch of the open qualifier.
These eight teams will battle each other for one of the two spots in this event’s grand final. Getting to this stage will allow the finalists a shot at the first NA VCT Game Changers title of the year, as well as the lion’s share of prize money and circuit points, which will go towards helping them qualify for the VCT Game Changers World Championship later this year.
As the rest of the teams who have qualified for the main event are announced, we will update this list to reflect that information.
All of the teams qualified for the 2023 NA VCT Game Changers Series I main event
Shopify Rebellion
Seasoned NA Game Changers fans will likely not be surprised that Shopify Rebellion were among the first to qualify for the main event, as they have been a dominant presence in the scene basically since its inception, and they placed second in the world at last year’s Championship.
The squad defeated unsigned rosters Teddy Tactics and Ariana Grande Perfume 2-0 to advance.
Moist Moguls RED (formerly CLG Red)
Despite the difficulties this squad has been facing with their organization going under, leaving them as free agents, the CLG Red squad managed to qualify for the main event by defeating unsigned squad Nora’s Kitten Shelter 2-0, then pushing Complexity to three maps, where they were able to snag a 2-1 victory and qualification on Fracture. It’s unclear if they’ll continue competing under this name now that they’re an FA squad.
Evil Geniuses GC
This section of the bracket was interesting, as both Evil Geniuses GC and XSET Purple were seeded into this group. EG won their first game against Jenerators 2-1 and advanced, but surprisingly, XSET lost to unsigned team Akumu 2-1. Thus, EG went up against Akumu in the next round, where the signed team overcame their opponents 2-0 and secured their second win to qualify for the main event.
Version1
Now led by former Cloud9 White veterans Melanie “meL” Campone and Alexis Guarrasi, Version1 are looking like a top squad in this year’s NA Game Changers. Beyond the killer instinct and competitive edge these two bring to the table, they also have the firepower of former Misfits Black player Ava “florescent” Eugene, and the experience of Nicole “Noia” Tierce (formerly of XSET Purple) and Sarah Simpson (formerly of Immortals).
Beyond their stacked roster, Version1 also compete in the North American Challengers circuit, giving them even more competition experience.
Complexity GX3
Despite having former Cloud9 White star Jasmine “Jazzyk1ns” Manankil on their roster, the newly formed Complexity GX3 team have struggled a bit in this first North American Game Changers Series, having dropped into the lower bracket thanks to Moist Moguls RED (formerly CLG Red). Luckily, their progress in the upper bracket gave them a fairly advantageous position in the lower one, ensuring they only had to play one match to qualify. Their opponent was Team Karma, who managed to advance past noot noot 2-1, but weren’t able to withstand CGX3.
XSET Purple
After their surprising first round defeat to unsigned squad Akumu, XSET Purple dropped to the first round of the lower bracket, where they had to secure two wins in a row to ensure their qualification. This team is stacked with North American Game Changers royalty, with former C9 White players Bob “bob” Tran and Katja “katsumi” Pfahnl, alongside Melanie “rise” Tetreault, formerly of CLG Red. That said, they are a very new squad, announced just before the start of the open qualifier, so they likely haven’t had much time to settle in yet. That didn’t stop them from taking down Jenerators 2-1, and then Ariana Grande Perfume 2-0 to advance to the main event.
Misfits Black
Misfits Black were knocked into the second round of the lower bracket thanks to Version1. They took on unsigned squad REVIVAL to qualify, who they defeated 2-0.
FaZe Clan GC
FaZe Clan GC fell in the first round at the hands of Ariana Grande Perfume. This left them with a two-win requirement in the lower bracket. Their first opponents were Velaris, followed by Akumu, both of which they defeated 2-1.
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