ONIC G from Indonesia and Oblivion Force from Hong Kong have booked spots in VCT APAC Stage 1 Challengers after taking down BOOM Esports and LP33 in their respective semi-finals.
ONIC G and Oblivion Force swept their respective opponents in the playoffs. BOOM Esports have now been relegated to the lower bracket to face their last chance to qualify for the APAC tournament, while LP33 have been eliminated.
(Photo courtesy of VALORANT Esports Indonesia)
It was a rematch of SEA Esports Championship finalists between ONIC G and BOOM Esports that ended in a similar style. Bind began disastrously for the ONIC side as they got trashed, falling in a 13-4 defeat to BOOM Esports. Saibani “fl1pzjder” Rahmad was the highest-fragger from the BOOM side with an astounding 440 ACS by the map’s conclusion. ONIC answered back on Haven, posting a solid offensive side and capturing map two 13-11. Icebox saw both teams giving all-out performances. A 7-5 defensive side half gave BOOM some breathing space to bring it to match point, 12-7, but ONIC reversed the tide with a string of rounds that forced OT and eventually snatched the victory from the Hungry Beast side, 14-12, and clinched the second APAC berth.
ONIC G:
- 🇮🇩 Hagai “Lmemore” Tewuh
- 🇮🇩 Cahya “Monyet” Nugraha
- 🇮🇩 Sheldon “NcSlasher” Andersen
- 🇮🇩 Michael “SEVERiNE” Winata
- 🇮🇩 Hildegard “Shiro” Arnaldo
- 🇿🇦 “ExiledEwok” (Coach)
Cahya “Monyet” Nugraha led the way with 247 ACS in the qualifying series, followed by Hagai “Lmemore” Tewuh with 183 ACS. On the other side, Saibani “fl1pzjder” Rahmad amassed a 304 ACS over all three maps to become the highest-rated player on the server.
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(Photo courtesy of VALORANT Esports Taiwan)
The HK/TW area has had a number of significant roster changes in recent years. The core lineup of the now-defunct CBT Gaming has been dispersed across all Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China-based teams. Meanwhile, the region’s other upper-echelon teams used an entirely different composition than they had in their last international outing in the 2021 VCT Southeast Asia Stage 3 Challengers Playoffs.
Oblivion Force will be a new team joining the top of the VCT APAC scene. The Hong Kong team are relatively unknown prospects outside the HK/TW region. However, the recent group stage victories against two of the region’s most renowned teams, Griffin Esports and Five Ace e-Sports, demonstrated Oblivion Force’s capabilities as one of the strongest teams the region can offer.
Oblivion Force:
- 🇭🇰 “Edan Lui“
- 🇭🇰 “NoMan“
- 🇭🇰 “FuriouzMeow“
- 🇭🇰 “CHIMEI“
- 🇭🇰 “Kiuuuu“
- 🇭🇰 “hypathor“
The regional playoffs are still underway, and will see the rest of the teams qualify over the next three days. VCT APAC Stage 1 Challengers will occur between March 11-28 and see 20 APAC’s best teams fight for two coveted spots in VCT Masters 1.
The regional Challengers continues today, with more teams to be determined today.
The team list for VCT APAC Stage 1 Challengers currently looks as follows:
| 🇵🇭 Philippines Challengers #1 | 🇲🇾🇸🇬 MY/SG Challengers #2 |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines Challengers #2 | 🇲🇾🇸🇬 MY/SG Challengers #3 |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines Challengers #3 | 🇭🇰 Oblivion Force |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand Challengers #1 | 🇭🇰🇹🇼 HK/TW Challengers #2 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand Challengers #2 | 🌏 VCC #1 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand Challengers #3 | 🌏 VCC #2 |
| 🇮🇩 ONIC G | 🇻🇳 Vietnam Challengers #1 |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia Challengers #2 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam Challengers #2 |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia Challengers #3 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam Challengers #3 |
| 🇲🇾🇸🇬 MY/SG Challengers #1 | 🇦🇺 Bonkers |
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Cover photo courtesy of VALORANT Esports Indonesia
