5 important questions ahead of VCT Americas Stage 2

The start of VCT Americas Stage 2 — the return to regional play after a break for Masters Toronto and the Esports World Cup — will bring clarity to several ongoing narratives at all levels of the league.

Could G2’s dominance fade?

G2’s back-to-back Americas titles this year have seen them cement themselves as the clear number one team in the continent. They attended both Masters Bangkok and Masters Toronto, finishing runners-up at the former, and would typically be firm favourites to take another Americas trophy this time around.

But a couple of factors could see a dip in form, the most immediate bring the current state of the lineup itself. Ahead of the Esports World Cup, the organisation announced the omission of Nathan “leaf” Orf as a result of health issues, and his absence, at least in part, led to G2’s 0-2 record that saw their run at the event last barely 24 hours.

The team has yet to confirm if leaf is to return for Stage 2, and subsequent social media interactions between IGL valyn and currently inactive Leviatán player Demon1 triggered rumours of a temporary signing.

Even if leaf is playing, the fact that the team has already secured qualification for VALORANT Champions could also be a factor that sees a downturn in form. With qualification secured, and the team having had next to no breaks since the season began, G2 could be forgiven for taking their foot off the gas and coasting for part of this Stage.

Strategically, they could also be less inclined to show innovations, particularly towards the end of the tournament as Champs draw nearer, further increasing the likelihood of a drop off in quality.

Can Sentinels win VCT Americas Stage 2?

If G2 is to slip during Stage 2, then finally Sentinels may be afforded a proper chance at a title. After G2, they’ve clearly been the next-best side in the league throughout the year, shown bets by their back-to-back runners-up finishes in Kickoff and Stage 1. Were it not for G2’s particular dominance in 2025, then Sentinels may well have comfortably added two regional titles to their trophy cabinet.

SEN star zekken praised his team’s EWC run, in which they reached further than the weakened G2, as a potential aid in seeing that overtake come to fruition. The player highlighted the chance to try different styles and have more VODs to learn from as a result of their Riyadh run as factors that could aid in that overtake attempt.

Continued improvement from Sentinels, coupled with a potential drop in G2’s form, may well be enough to see that gap close and have SEN clinch their first Americas title since 2024 Kickoff.

Will MIBR bounce back from Toronto?

Successive third-place finishes for MIBR confirmed them as ‘the best of the rest’ in the Americas. Given that three sides from each region qualified for Masters Toronto, their third-place was enough to see the org reach its first global event since 2023 LOCK//IN — an event which all VCT teams were invited to and, until Toronto, still the only one MIBR had ever attended.

Given that they’ve the explosive GOAT-contender Erick “aspas” Santos on the roster, there was hope that MIBR could be a dark horse at Masters, one with potential to take a few scalps and pull together a deep run.

That was not to be the case, far from it. Back-to-back opening losses to Gen.G and Team Liquid saw the team eliminated at the earliest point possible. Though it was not the mere fact of an 0-2 record that was the most worrying, moreso the fact that MIBR failed to put up any sort of fight in those matches.

Two 2-0 losses saw them eliminated without winning a single map. Those four maps brought only 19 round wins.

Aspas himself was almost non-existent, only picking up a combined 31 kills across the two best-of-three defeats — a figure he exceeded in seven out of eight individual best-of-threes during Americas Stage 1.

It’s not totally clear what triggered aspas and MIBR to perform just so poorly in Toronto, but whatever it was, they must course correct in Stage 2 to avoid another collapse that could see them blow Champs qualification.

Who will take the third and fourth Champs spots?

With G2’s spot at Champs already sorted, Sentinels’ may as well be too, given their large number of Americas Championship Points as well as the high likelihood that they’ll reach the top two in playoffs. That leaves the third and fourth spots up for grabs.

Given the points standings, MIBR should more or less be a shoo-in too, but that Masters Toronto collapse raises doubts. If they can get back on track, then one of those spots is comfortably theirs, given that there is daylight between them and current fourth-place KRÜ in the points tally.

KRÜ Esports are then in line for the next spot, but there’s only a point between them and Evil Geniuses, and one more point down to both 100 Thieves and Cloud9. If any of those sides are to string together a decent playoff run in Stage 2, then reaching the big one in Paris is absolutely doable.

Can NRG keep up their EWC form?

More of an outsider for VALORANT Champions qualification is NRG. The team has gone through turmoil over the last year, but finally looks to be headed in the right direction in recent weeks. After only mustering 7th/8th place finishes in both Kickoff and Stage 1, their run to the Esports World Cup was the first sign in a long time that the team could be a real competitor.

Six series wins in the qualifiers alone — twice the amount they managed in Kickoff and Stage 1 combined — saw them qualify for the lucrative tournament. In Riyadh, that form continued, finding victories against eventual champions Team Heretics and Pacific Stage 1 winners RRQ before they were eventually beaten in the single-elimination playoffs by heavyweights Gen.G.

If NRG can continue their newfound form in Stage 2, then there’s absolutely no reason to think that Champs qualification isn’t on the cards. The Championship Points aren’t there at the moment, but even a top-three finish would see them jump significantly in the standings and could be enough to see them creep in. If they could go one better and pull off a grand final run — a possibility for many sides if G2 is to falter — then their spot in Paris would be a certainty.