M80 would wonder what they had to do to get to Ascension after their second attempt to make it to VCT. Ascension failed agonizingly. The team looked destined to wipe away the tears of last year’s failure after they put up an inspiring reverse sweep in Saturday’s semi-final to reach the final.
It was approximately a year after they failed to reach the VALORANT Champions Tour Ascension as they looked for redemption against 2Game. However, it was the Brazilian roster, who was actually considered an underdog in the fixture, that earned the VCT2025 Americas slot.
The 2GAME defeated the North Americans in a narrow 3-2 grand final victory at the Ascension tournament at the weekend. M80 started the game well and even going 2-1 in the final, and just needed one solid Haven performance to seal top-flight VALORANT next season.
However, the Brazilian squad took the fourth and fifth map easily, forcing the North American team to remain in the Challenger circuit for another year.
The loss was disheartening for the M80 roster, with many of them uncertain about their future, while NiSMO reiterated its long-term target of exiting the Challengers to play in the Americas League.
“My dream was to make VCT so I can try to prove myself in the last couple of years I have as a player. Months and months of hard work all to finish second again… I didn’t accomplish my goal as a father, and that’s what hurts me the most,” NiSMO said.
M80’s performances all through the final season of Challengers 2024 deserve a better ending as the team dropped just one map as they reached the North American championship and the spot in Ascension.
They also defeated everyone on their path to take a top seed in the playoffs, but they messed up in the opener against 2GAME, forcing them to go through the lower bracket to make it to the VCT, but it didn’t work out.
