By: Paolo R. Trinidad
South Built Esports advanced to the quarterfinals after knocking out Velocity Gaming, 2-0, on the final day of the VALORANT Champions Tour Asia-Pacific Stage 1: Challengers group stage.
After winning the opener, the Filipinos surged to an 8-4 advantage in the Velocity-picked Haven in Game Two.
The Indians cut the lead to two by taking the next two rounds. Unfortunately, Johnty “JA” Arone’s Astra went for the clutch in the 15th round, notching four kills to halt Velocity Gaming’s comeback attempt.
From there, the Philippines Challengers champion ran away with a 4-0 blast to seal the sweep via a 13-6 Game Two outing. JA finished with 23 kills while Philip “flippy” Marique’s Breach added 19 for South Built.
Velocity Gaming, who was already a round away from match point, fumbled its advantage as South Built went on a hot 4-0 rally to reverse the outcome. The Filipinos kick-started the rally with a huge eco round win in the 20th frame, with JA (Astra) following it up with a one-versus-three clutch in the 22nd round that capped off the 13-11 come-from-behind win at Ascent.
South Built Esports will take on Paper Rex, one of the two Southeast Asian representatives in the 2021 VALORANT Champions, in the quarterfinals on March 24 at 8:30 PM. The winner will advance to the semifinals while the loser will go through the lower bracket.
