Team Secret left no doubt as they dominated the Japanese-based team in what is nothing short of a blowout.
The first elimination match of VALORANT Champions is over and it was over very quickly. Crazy Raccoon were outmatched, but they were certainly grateful to be at VALORANT Champions. Team Secret put up a dominating performance as they took the series 2-0 and now face Full Sense in what will be an explosive quarterfinal. The Crazy Raccoon VALORANT Champions run is over.
Here's how it went down.
Map 1: Split and Omen Supremacy
After a shoutout to their homeland performing the Otso Otso dance during their walkout, the Filipino team kept things interesting with Jim "BORKUM" Timbrez choosing Omen instead of Astra. This proved to be an excellent choice, as by Round 6 a well-placed Paranoia on B took out four members of Crazy Raccoon in a matter of seconds.
Despite a lot of interesting plays, including a Rolling Thunder post plant that seemed to have come a bit too late, Craxy Raccoon simply could not regain any momentum. Two time outs taken seemed to have woken them up slightly, but Team Secret took the map, 13-5.
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Map 2: "F$%* it, we'll do it blind!"
The nightmare continued for Crazy Raccoon as it seems Team Secret only seemed to get more powerful. Haven wasn’t one of Crazy Raccoon’s best maps and Team Secret was not going to let that slide.
Crazy Raccoon's mental game started to really erode after a stunning use of a Gravity Well in Garage. Kevin "Dispenser" Te took three of them out and Round 3 ended with a Flawless.
S-tier communication on the side of Team Secret and the continuation of the Sova diff on the part of esports veteran Jessie "JessieVash" Cristy Cuyco all but sealed Crazy Raccoon’s fate after JessieVash took down two from heaven on point A despite being COMPLETELY BLIND.
And as the old New Found Glory song goes: It was all downhill from here. Crazy Raccoon were completely lost and despite a plea from caster Seth "Achilios" King to "DO SOMETHING!" they were eliminated from Champions with a score of 13-2.
Requiem for Crazy Raccoon
As a result, it seems that Crazy Raccoon has maintained a devoted and increasing fanbase. Speaking to press afterwards, Park "Bazzi" Jun-ki showed his gratitude for them for standing by them and promised a better showing next year.
"I want to apologize to the fans for not being able to repay for their support," he said. "Looking forward for next year, we want to be able to come back stronger and become a team who can really fight for a chance in these global events and be able to overcome opponents from EMEA and NA."