TEC Challenger Series 2023 VCT Off-Season: Upper Finals And Lower Round 1 Recap

As we inch closer to the Grand Finals of the TEC Challenger Series 2023 - VCT Off-Season event, the heat of the competition is increasing. After pushing Medal Esports and Aster Army into the lower bracket, True Rippers faced Orangutan in the upper bracket finals, fighting for the first spot in the grand finals. True Rippers managed to secure a clean win against Orangutan, bumping them to the lower bracket where they will meet Medal Esports once again. The latter managed to defeat Aster Army to continue their lower bracket run, eliminating Aster from the tournament.

Also read: BGIS Grand Finals 2023: Schedule, Teams, Where To Watch, And More
 

TEC Challengers Series 2023 VCT Off-Season: Upper Finals And Lower Round 1 Summary

After the intense matches, we are now down to our top three teams. With Aster Army eliminated the Valorant tournament is ramping up to a Grand Finale with only two more matches remaining to determine the champion. The matches that took place in the upper bracket finals and lower round 1 were:

• Orangutan vs. True Rippers
• Medal Esports vs. Aster Army

The first match of the day between Medal Esports and Aster Army was a do-or-die situation for both squads as they were fighting in the lower bracket of the tournament. The map veto for the match ended up with Haven, Lotus, and Bind as the battlegrounds. Haven saw close fights between both teams as the first half went 7-5 in Medal's favor. The second half started with Medal winning three rounds in a row, leading 10-5. They eventually closed out their map pick at 13-8 with 1TaPGoD snatching the MVP title with 313 ACS on Jett. 

Lotus was a strong start for Medal as they closed out the first half at 9-3 and dropped only one round in the second half, winning 13-4 on their opponent's map pick. Wrapping the series up at 2-0, Medal continues their run in the lower bracket while Aster Army is out of the tournament.

The upper bracket finals saw True Rippers and Orangutan go head-to-head. The map veto ended up with Breeze, Ascent, and Haven as the chosen few. Breeze was a complete roller coaster with long round streaks going in each team's favor. While True Rippers won the pistol and anti-eco rounds, Orangutan went on to win 6 rounds in a row, leading 6-2 in the early game. True Rippers then won 3 rounds in a row and Orangutan closed out the first half at 7-5. 

True Rippers unleashed themselves in the second half, winning 5 rounds in a row and ending up with a 10-7 lead. They kept their composure and closed out the game at 13-9 on their own map pick. Ascent was quite a close map at first with Orangutan narrowly leading the first half at 7-5. True Rippers bounced back and only dropped three rounds in the second half, winning the map 13-10 and snatching the first slot of the Grand Finals. Orangutan has now been sent to the lower bracket. 

With this, Aster Army is out of the tournament and True Rippers are the first finalists. The next match will take place on 11 October 2023 at 4 PM with Orangutan and Medal Esports back at it to determine which team will meet True Rippers in the grand finals on 12 October 2023. All Valorant matches will be streamed live on the official YouTube channel of The Esports Club.