BY BEARLIGHT @BEARLIGHTGAMING / CAROLINAESPORTS.GG
We are now halfway through the Road to Radiant Summer Series regular season as Week 3 came to a close this past Wednesday. Each week becomes more electrifying as top Stay Plugged In Valorant recruits push their teams to the limit in an effort to punch their ticket to the $1000 Summer Series Invitational in early August. A bid to the end of season tournament is a strong talking point for players when seeking scholarship offers from college programs. Teams that find themselves on the cusp of an appearance to the main event must ensure that all players of the team progress in their area of expertise. In doing so, the likelihood of making the playoffs steadily increases in the second half of the season, and a team finding their stride during this timeframe could be more impactful than a lot of people might think. This week we will take a closer look at which teams took a step forward, which team records were negatively impacted as a result, and of course the undefeated showdown between Iron Head Tappers and 1996 Chicago Bulls.
TEAMS ON THE RISE
CHS ESPORTS
Through the first two weeks of play, labeling CHS Esports as a top 5 team could easily be considered a stretch. Entering Week 3 with a [2-4] record doesn't look too promising, but to be fair here, CHS Esports faced standings-topping teams a lot in that run. They played Bald Babies [4-2] twice, and both the '96 Bulls [5-1] and Bad Aimers [5-4] once. That being said, receiving recognition as one of the Series' top teams should at minimum require a win or two over higher caliber competition. CHS Esports was able to check that box in Week 3 with a 13-11 victory over Bad Aimers at Icebox. Sure, the Bad Aimers are tackling their own consistency issues in the low end of the top 5, but consider this a step in the right direction for CHS Esports. In addition, leading into the week their highest KDA Ratios didn't come close to the 1.50 mark. In Week 3 we saw two CHS Esports players reach it; koog (1.590) and Silver (1.500). Their only loss on the night would be to Iron Head Tappers, and we already know the trouble they give any team willing to join their lobby. Look for CHS Esports to get back to work when the Series comes back on July 13th.
VPHS ESPORTS VAL
Like CHS Esports, VPHS Esports VAL also regularly competes in the high school leagues hosted by Stay Plugged In's partner, the United Federation of Esports Athletes (UFEA). Both teams joined the Road to Radiant Summer Series for more exposure to actively recruiting college esports programs, and to improve their skillsets and chemistry among some of the best players in the nation. It may have been the first week of Series play for the VPHS, but like CHS, their performance indicates that their intentions will convert to major accomplishments. VPHS didn't get a chance to ease into the Summer Series, finding Iron Head Tappers first, and catching repeat MVP Smrty at his best to start the Series off with a tough loss. Quick turn-around for Villa Park though as Miyamoto climbed to a 2.161 KDA Ratio on the campaign to help right the ship to a [2-1] finish. Fillup's 6.00 assists per map was a solid compliment as well, and their team play has sparked the conversation regarding VPHS's competitive status here in the Road to Radiant.
TEAMS NEEDING TO REGAIN
BAD AIMERS
My previous comments highlighting Bad Aimers and their struggle to find consistency was raised as a result of Week 3 alone. Weeks 1 and 2 looked pretty routine for the Bad Aimers, stringing together a couple of [2-1] nights to begin the Series. Week 3 started out along the same lines with a win over Dubious 5, but in a game where expectations dictated a large victory, the 13-10 results might have served as a warning sign for the night. They ran into the '96 Bulls in Round 2, a team undefeated before the tilt. The good news for Bad Aimers is that they put up a fight (7-13), the bad news is that they already met their typical quota for losses on the day, and their last opponent, CHS Esports, is listed in the "Teams on the Rise" section. As mentioned above, it was a close one. Unfortunately, "close" does not earn back the extra 30 points that were left on the table against a team they beat in Week 2. It does make for an awesome rivalry between the two though, and I believe that is something we can all get behind.
IHT VS '96 BULLS
After missing out on Week 2 registration, the [3-0] '96 Bulls were buzzing to get back to their winning ways. As in their previously played week, the first two matches weren't much of a challenge for the Bulls. They out paced opponents in round wins 26-13 over that span, and yet IHT were already waiting for them to report the Round 2 score. They had sliced through CHS 13-4 and were counting down the rounds until the match everyone was hoping to see came to fruition.
The '96 Bulls and Iron Head Tappers match was hands down the most entertaining gameplay on Ascent you will ever see. IHT took the first 3 rounds in a row, and that would tie the longest streak of the map with the very next 3 rounds in a row won by the Bulls to tie it up. The teams were tied at 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, and 7-7. When I say this match was back and forth, it was the true definition. The Bulls kept it close by targeting the IHT captain. Smrty sat at an uncharacteristic 7/10/3 KDA after 13 rounds. In round 14 he would get an early kill with his Showstopper, and a couple more kills would begin his return to form. IHT extended the lead to 9-7, but a big defensive hold by conrad and Dream on A-site, followed by big trades by NraT in the next round would tie up the map again at 9.
The Bulls took 3 of the next 5 rounds to move to map point, but there was no player, no fan, no commentator ready to believe that the map would finish there. A full team huddle from IHT in A-main forced hey skyler and Prof to use all their utility in a scramble to not die on site. A lost cause, as the utility advantage for IHT in the eventual push drew overtime. Plex caught hey skylar mid-plant in the first round of OT, handing the advantage to IHT. Then, despite conrad's early pick with the Operator in the following round, the rest of the team fell victim to the IHT push on A-site, and IHT finished the map (14-12), and the night [3-0], on top. Smrty becomes the first repeat MVP winner of the Summer Series, bringing back the aforementioned low KDA to lead the team in the late rounds.
PLAYER AWARDS
TOP FRAGGER
Name: COMPUTER
Team: PVHS ESPORTS
KDA Ratio: 1.702
Notes: Despite the subpar [1-2] results of the team, Computer gave opponents a reason to cower. Leading all players in kill average is not easy to do with limited support from others. Computer's 23.33 average kills per map could not go unrecognized in this instance.
UTILITARIAN
Name: PLEX
Team: IRON HEAD TAPPERS
KDA Ratio: 2.179
Notes: Go back and watch Plex play Fade in the VOD of the final match up of the stream if you haven't already seen it. hey skylar was also excellent as a Fade throughout the night, but what a difference Plex made in rounds won by IHT. Oh, by the way, Plex also finished the night atop the assists per map list at 15.33 in 3 maps played. The next closest didn't even reach double digits.
SURVIVALIST
Name: MIYAMOTO
Team: VPHS Esports VAL
KDA Ratio: 2.161
Notes: Can we give it to the entire VPHS Esports VAL roster? No? Every member of the squad were in the top 12 in least deaths per map. I think it's fair we give it to Miyamoto who peaked the charts in this sense, and whose 2.161 KDA ratio took a lot of other players out of the running for the title.
The Road to Radiant Summer Series will be taking a break for the 4th of July holiday, but will be returning July 13th at it's usual 7 pm ET start time. In the meantime, make sure to catch up with all of the latest stats, standings, and match results here.