The first NA Challengers team picked up by popular streamer Disguised Toast, aptly named Disguised, has missed the playoffs for Split Two in the VALORANT NA Challengers League after a 2-0 loss to league leaders M80 on May 12.
Disguised still remains winless in Split Two, even after the big free-agent signing of Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker. Not only are they out of playoffs for the second split running, but their spot in Challengers is also in jeopardy. While it has yet to be confirmed, DSG will most likely be fighting for their Challengers’ lives in the Play-In Relegation tournament from June 4 to 6.
Despite entering the league with a lot of promise, the Disguised squad is yet to find the same success they had when they made a surprise run and qualified for the Challengers scene in January. There was a multitude of reasons for the team’s shortcomings this season, from a tough starting group in Split One, to roster changes and close losses like their match against TSM on March 15, where the squad went down despite pushing TSM all the way in regulation.
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Initially, Split Two looked to be an easier split than Disguised’s debut, with only one of the top two teams of M80 and The Guard in their group, as opposed to Split One. Yet, a slow start and an ever-improving opposition have led to a disastrous 0-4 record.
DSG has only managed to win two maps in those four games, with map wins coming against Shopify Rebellion and Turtle Troop. Their performance against Turtle Troop on May 3 turned out to be their best of the split so far, with yay top fragging after a poor first map on Lotus.
Heading into the match against M80, Disguised still had playoff aspirations, albeit a lot needed to go their way. The official DSG Twitter account was specific in outlining the exact conditions the squad would need to qualify for playoffs.
Thanks to G2 Esports’ downfall through Split Two, there was still a scenario whereby DSG could have made playoffs—at least, until their tough 13-7, 13-6 series loss to M80, dropping both maps without either reaching round 21. As much as it was just M80 showing exactly why they are still favorites to qualify for Ascension, this was a must-win game for Disguised and they couldn’t do it.
Disguised still has a final match in the split to avoid a dreaded winless split against TSM on May 16.
