ADMU’s LG Terra wins MSI Gaming Arena VALORANT University Championship
It was an eventful weekend for our collegiate VALORANT teams as it saw the conclusion of the MSI Gaming Arena VALORANT University Championship. In case you weren’t there to witness the climax of the tournament, here’s a recap.
The Semifinals opened with a match between the LPE Sparrows from Lyceum of the Philippines University – Manila and De La Salle University – Manila’s Viridis Arcus. Map 1 of this matchup was Icebox. Due to connection issues, a well-known name in xavi8k was subbed out for Acervus. Viridis Arcus proved that it was never the Xavi8k show, but rather the Viridis Arcus show. With Guelson and Realist at the helm, La Salle put up a good fight. Even so, Che and the rest of the Sparrows squad claimed Icebox, 13 – 8.
Sparrows rode this momentum onto Haven, this time fighting a different iteration of the Lasallian team with Guelson out and Xavi8k back in. LPE took a dominant lead in the first half, 9 – 3 as Attackers. Viridis Arcus refused to take this lying down and managed to even the game out at 11 rounds for both sides, but this wasn’t enough. The LPE Sparrows take two more rounds and win Haven at 13 – 11. This sweep came to fans as a surprise, as Viridis Arcus was deemed the strongest team in the tournament. With this win, the Sparrows put themselves on the map and proved that they are a team to keep an eye on in future championships. VA’s early exit also meant that fans didn’t get to witness the classic La Salle vs Ateneo rivalry between VA and LG Terra.
Next up was University of Santo Tomas’ Teletigers Sol going up against LG Terra from Ateneo de Manila University. The first half was a nailbiter, with rounds going as close as can be. The Atenean squad claimed a slight lead at 7 – 5. LG Terra expands their lead in the second half after an impressive Thrifty win on round 19, and converts it onto the map. Ateneo won Split with a final scoreline of 13 – 7.
The second map for the Teletigers vs LG Terra matchup was Ascent, and followed the same pattern as Map 1. First half was 7 – 5 in favor of LG Terra, but the second half was a little bit closer. At one point, the Tigers evened out the scoreline with 11 rounds each, but could no longer hold on as they dropped the next two rounds. Ateneo moved on to the finals with this 13-11 Ascent win.
🐉 The view looks good here from the top.
And only the strongest can savor it! Our top two teams have been decided and we'll be seeing them face off for the final battle.
Will it be LG Terra soaring high for the crown? Or will the underdog, LPE Sparrow swoop in for an upset? pic.twitter.com/uUWqJ5jSN6
— AcadArena (@acadarena) December 3, 2021
The Bronze Match, unfortunately was not streamed, but it was also a clean sweep for Viridis Arcus. They claim 3rd place, while Teletigers Sol lock 4th.
In the Grand Finals were LG Terra and LPE Sparrows, this time in a best of 5 for their cut of the prize pool and most important of all, bragging rights. The two squads first face off in Breeze, which went as close as can be. Ateneo comes out on top though, at 13-11. Next on the menu was Haven, and this was no different than the first map. Another close game from our finalists, but the Sparrows claim this one. The two teams now meet each other in Bind, and LPE Sparrows had their work cut out for them. Bind puts LG Terra on Match Point after a very convincing scoreline of 13 – 4.
To this, LG Terra said “we can do better,” and put the Sparrows in a chokehold on Split. With a dominant performance, the Ateneans win Split at 13 – 2, and ultimately claim the title of MSI Gaming Arena University Champions.
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