In the first match of the NA VCT Challengers One main event, Cloud9 walked away with a 2-0 victory over 100 Thieves.
The first game of the series took place on Split, and C9 dominated 100T in the first half. 100 Thieves won round three but didn’t win another round until round 11. They won the last two rounds of the half to finish with a 3-9 scoreline and performed much better on defense.
The second half was more of a back-and-forth affair as neither team won more than three rounds in a row. Cloud9 brought the game to match point in round 22, although 100 Thieves only needed two round wins to tie. The final round on split came down to a two-vs-two situation as C9 managed to get the bomb down with milliseconds to spare. 100T couldn’t retake the site, and C9 took Split 12-10.
Cloud9 started Breeze by dominating 100 Thieves on B site. C9 went on to win the next three rounds and won their bonus round with ease. 100 Thieves finally stopped the bleeding in round six, but it still came down to a one-vs-one situation between Asuna and mitch.
Round seven ended in disaster as 100T retook the site but didn’t have enough time to defuse the Spike. Three members ultimately died in the explosion, causing 100T to save in the next round and extend C9’s lead to 7-1. But 100 Thieves didn’t let C9 run away with the first half as they did in game one, as they ended the half with a respectable 7-5 scoreline.
C9 began the second half with another dominant pistol round, stopping the 100T push towards A site with ease. They went on to win the next two rounds, including their bonus round, where vanity managed to stay alive and prevent 100T from planting the bomb.
C9 took the game to match point in round 18, but 100T got the Spike down and forced the round into a two-vs-two situation and were able to postpone their defeat. But C9 secured the game and match one round later.
Cloud9 will play Evil Geniuses on Feb. 25 at 3 pm CT. 100 Thieves has a shot at redemption against The Guard on Feb. 26 at 6 pm CT.
