The VALORANT Champions Tour Last Chance Qualifier for North America has been postponed until further notice following several conflicting COVID-19 test results from teams at the event. Those who attended the event have now responded to the first NA LAN tournament being canceled and moved to online.
Last Chance Qualifier postponed due to COVID-19
FaZe Clan player Andrej “babybay” Francisty first explained the situation that was happening with some of the players currently attending the event on Twitter when the COVID news broke out. As he explained in his tweet, he had tested negative multiple days before the event, tested positive once and then negative again shortly after.
I'm fully Vaccinated. I tested negative multiple days in a row. I tested positive and then negative 10 minutes after. Can't play on stage and have to quarantine? LA covid rules are different bro sheeeeeesh.
— BABYBABY (@KING_BABYBAY) October 13, 2021
“I’m fully Vaccinated,” stated babybay on Twitter. “I tested negative multiple days in a row. I tested positive and then negative 10 minutes after. Can’t play on stage and have to quarantine? LA covid rules are different bro sheeeeeesh.”
FaZe Clan was unable to play their match against Rise Nation on Wednesday due to some of the players testing positive for COVID-19. The players were tested multiple days leading up to the event as well as during the event to keep everyone safe due to the protocols in Los Angeles.
Teams and pros respond
100 Thieves were one of the four teams that got to play on stage during the opening day of the LCQ. They played two games during the first day, one against Gen.G Esports and the other against XSET to earn their spot in the finals. With the rest of the event postponed and moved online, 100 Thieves COO John Robinson took the opportunity to invite their players to a company LAN tournament of their own.
Yo @Hiko @nitr0 @ethanarnold @Asunaa @AaronnFtw you guys coming to our employee LAN party tomorrow? It's double elim, let me know. Pls send rankings so we know which division. pic.twitter.com/3JfrGXHuda
— John Robinson (@RohnJobinson) October 14, 2021
“Yo @Hiko @nitr0 @ethanarnold @Asunaa @AaronnFtw you guys coming to our employee LAN party tomorrow,” said Robinson on Twitter. “It’s double elim, let me know. Pls send rankings so we know which division.”
All teams were flown out to Los Angeles to participate in the LCQ, leaving many teams with an added expense for a tournament that did not happen. Rise Nation, who were confident going into the LCQ, stayed optimistic on Twitter after hearing the event would be brought online. They were one of the remaining four teams that were unable to play on stage due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
As much as we all wanted this to be on LAN, we appreciate the transparency Riot has given us and look forward to making our run no matter the circumstance.
We'll see you soon. 😈 https://t.co/vbpEh2Sg5f
— Rise (@TheRiseNation) October 14, 2021
“As much as we all wanted this to be on LAN, we appreciate the transparency Riot has given us and look forward to making our run no matter the circumstance,” said the official Rise Nation account on Twitter. “We’ll see you soon.”
The NA LCQ will be moved to an online tournament in the future to determine which team will qualify for Champions. However, there has not been a set date announced for when the tournament will commence.
Published: Oct 14, 2021 06:49 pm