The ESPN Esports VALORANT Invitational kicked off Monday with some surprises (Team Heroes making it to the semifinal round), some predictable outcomes (Team Mirage completely stomping their Group A opponents) and an interesting look at the state of competitive VALORANT in its infancy.
More: How to watch the ESPN Esports VALORANT Invitational | What we learned on Day 1 of the ESPN Esports VALORANT Invitational | An early look at the VALORANT meta
Here is a sentence for every round in Day 1 of the online-only ESPN Esports VALORANT Invitational:
Team Mirage 13, Team Six 6
Map: Bind
Round 1, Team Mirage offense: This comes down to a 1v1 between Hiko and Rampy, with Hiko using the teleporter to plant on A site and Rampy winning the gunfight and defusing.
Round 2, Team Mirage offense: Rampy again gets the final kill, this time on n0thing for a Team Six 2-0 lead.
Round 3, Team Mirage offense: AZK gets the opening frag to open up and plant on B site, giving Mirage their first round win.
Round 4, Team Mirage offense: Team Six go for a buy but are wiped by Mirage.
Round 5, Team Mirage offense: Hiko opens up with a 4K, and it's a quick round for Mirage, who take the lead 3-2.
WELP.@Hiko definitely isn't messing around anymore with a quick 4K to give Team Mirage the lead!
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 20, 2020
📺: https://t.co/tkRMYxyL6s pic.twitter.com/RmhrRxxNBY
Round 6, Team Mirage offense: Smart repositioning sets up Team Mirage for an A plant and it ends with a 4K for skadoodle.
Round 7, Team Mirage offense: Ska opens up for a B push and another wipe for Mirage.
Round 8, Team Mirage offense: Rampy holds on to his guns, but it's another dominant Team Mirage performance.
Round 9, Team Mirage offense: Team Six win their first round since a 2-0 start off of an opening kill from nvK's Raze.
Round 10, Team Mirage offense: Another strong round for Six as Canadian gets a 2K.
Round 11, Team Mirage offense: nvK gets two with a Raze Showstopper, but AZK comes up clutch on Sage for another Mirage win.
Round 12, Team Mirage offense: A flawless round closes out the half for a Team Mirage 8-4 lead.
Round 13, Team Six offense: Team Mirage open up with a strong pistol round and a defuse.
Round 14, Team Six offense: Six plants on B site but Mirage again get the defuse.
Team Mirage starts off with a commanding 13-6 win over Team Six.
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 20, 2020
Up next at 5:30 p.m. ET is Team Rift vs. Team Heroes!
📺: https://t.co/tkRMYxQlY0 pic.twitter.com/SWPfYljvWp
Round 15, Team Six offense: B site is again the choice for Six as nvK racks up a few more kills.
Round 16, Team Six offense: Mirage stack on B site leading to a quick rotation and A site plant for Six, and both teams decide to save in the end.
Round 17, Team Six offense: Opening frags for Mirage leave the spike down in A short, and Mirage are easily able to camp it for another round win.
Round 18, Team Six offense: Hiko's Breach sets up AZK to mow down Team Six for match point.
Round 19, Team Six offense: Mirage take the match 13-6.
Team Heroes 13, Team Rift 1
Map: Bind
Round 1, Team Heroes offense: Team Rift are a bit aggressive on defense, and it ends in a team wipe for Heroes.
Round 2, Team Heroes offense: Heroes plant on A site, and Dyrus, the lone remaining member of Rift, saves for this round.
Round 3, Team Heroes offense: Heroes go for a B push through hookah, and while the gunfights go back and forth, Heroes come out on top.
Clutch up! @Boostio_OW takes down both Dyrus and Xmithie and continues the domination from Team Heroes.https://t.co/tkRMYxQlY0 pic.twitter.com/Mcz9I4H7dm
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 20, 2020
Round 4, Team Heroes offense: It's a Bucky round for Rift that ends in Heroes' Boostio clutching for another successful A site plant.
Round 5, Team Heroes offense: A rotation through the teleporter to B site for Heroes ends in a 1v1 that Kephrii's Jett wins.
Round 6, Team Heroes offense: Heroes push onto A site for another win, 6-0.
Round 7, Team Heroes offense: Dyrus is the last man standing for Rift again and manages to take out Kephrii before he dies.
Round 8, Team Heroes offense: Rift finally gets on the board thanks to another Dyrus effort.
Round 9, Team Heroes offense: Heroes have no problem buying despite the loss and come back from an initial kill on to Gale for an 8-1 advantage.
Round 10, Team Heroes offense: A flawless round for Team Heroes in their push onto B site.
Round 11, Team Heroes offense: This is a slaughter.
Well at least they got 1?! Team Heroes makes quick work of Team Rift and goes up 1-0 in our standings.
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 20, 2020
Next up is Team Mirage vs. Team Heroes!https://t.co/tkRMYxQlY0 pic.twitter.com/5y3azzBCkb
Round 12, Team Heroes offense: Xmithie goes for the hero defuse but is unable to pull it off.
Round 13, Team Rift offense: Rift stack B site on their first offensive round but Heroes get the defuse.
Round 14, Team Rift offense: Kephrii comes up clutch to hold Team Rift to only one round won and a 13-1 finish.
Team Mirage 13, Team Heroes 2
Map: Haven
Round 1, Team Heroes offense: Mirage play so patiently compared to Team Rift and Team Heroes in the last match.
Round 2, Team Heroes offense: AZK gets a 4K as Heroes are wiped by Team Mirage in a flawless round.
Round 3, Team Heroes offense: Mirage again takes this patiently and goes up 3-0.
Round 4, Team Heroes offense: Mirage catch out Heroes on a mid-map rotation.
WE ARE BACK, and Team Mirage isn't taking Team Heroes lightly as @AZKcs_ takes down 4.
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 20, 2020
📺: https://t.co/tkRMYxQlY0 pic.twitter.com/QhvbVr24dE
Round 5, Team Heroes offense: Heroes are flanked on B site by Team Mirage, and it's another round for the CS:GO pros.
Round 6, Team Heroes offense: Brax grabs the opening frag in this round and once again Heroes are routed near B site.
Round 7, Team Heroes offense: Ska gets the frag on Kephrii through the smoke and ends the round with a 3K.
Round 8, Team Heroes offense: Mirage win, rinse, repeat.
Round 9, Team Heroes offense: Heroes manage to plant on A, but Ska and Brax break onto the site and get the defuse.
Round 10, Team Heroes offense: Heroes try for a C push but are stopped by AZK, who gets another 4K.
Round 11, Team Heroes offense: Even if AZK is taken out, another member of Mirage steps up.
Round 12, Team Heroes offense: Yikes. This is looking like a sweep.
Round 13, Team Mirage offense: Boostio saves his team from being shut out.
Round 14, Team Mirage offense: Mirage plant on B but Heroes manage to get the defuse.
Round 15, Team Mirage offense: At least Heroes managed to do one better against Mirage than Rift did against Heroes.
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Team Mirage 13, Team Rift 0
Map: Haven
Round 1, Team Rift offense: This is not going to be close, is it?
Round 2, Team Rift offense: No, it is not.
Round 3, Team Rift offense: Emergency substitute Rivington makes it close, but Mirage go up 3-0.
Round 4, Team Rift offense: n0thing mows down three in a row to end the round.
Lets count it 1, 2, 3 as @n0thing just demolishes Team Rift with a quick 3k and Team Mirage goes up 4-0.
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 20, 2020
📺: https://t.co/tkRMYxQlY0 pic.twitter.com/i3YYAKYZlM
Round 5, Team Rift offense: This comes down to a 1v1 between AZK and imaqtpie, which AZK wins.
Round 6, Team Rift offense: Remind me why Team Rift don't have a Sage again?
Round 7, Team Rift offense: Brax opens up with two, and Dyrus responds, but it's another round loss for Rift.
Round 8, Team Rift offense: The last man standing, Dyrus, saves this round by hiding in C cubby.
Round 9, Team Rift offense: Team Rift have only 20 total kills as a team, while Brax has 13 alone after this round.
Round 10, Team Rift offense: Will Rift be able to take a single round?
Round 11, Team Rift offense: AZK opens with a 2K before Xmithie takes him out with a Sova ultimate, and this ultimately ends in a n0thing 3K and another round for Mirage.
Round 12, Team Rift offense: Brax and AZK have been insane in this match.
Round 13, Team Mirage offense: Mirage plant on C site and eliminate Rift completely.
Team Six WIN, Team Rift FORFEIT
Team Mirage make quick work of Team Rift with a 13-0 and move to 3-0 for the day.
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 21, 2020
Team Rift have forfeited their last game, so our final match will be a semifinal decider between Team Six vs. Team Heroes on https://t.co/tkRMYxQlY0. pic.twitter.com/ncCZbuf7tj
As much as I'd like to dunk on Team Rift for forfeiting this, you know what, they've been beaten up enough today.
Team Heroes 13, Team Six 9
Map: Bind
Round 1, Team Heroes offense: Gale almost pulls it out for Team Heroes on an opening A site push, but Team Six take it.
Round 2, Team Heroes offense: Rampy opens up with a 3K on a Bulldog, and Heroes are quickly stopped on another A push in a Six flawless round.
Round 3, Team Heroes offense: Heroes rush onto B and win their first round.
Round 4, Team Heroes offense: Heroes push onto A and plant, while Canadian, the lone Six survivor, backs off and saves.
Team Six and @BroCanadian with the lurk as he takes down three and puts his team up 6-2.
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 21, 2020
📺: https://t.co/tkRMYxQlY0 pic.twitter.com/iVBFh7QUr2
Round 5, Team Heroes offense: Team Six pull off a win in an eco round to take the lead.
Round 6, Team Heroes offense: Heroes go for an A plant but are stopped by Six and nvK's Brimstone.
Round 7, Team Heroes offense: After looking at a B plant, Heroes rotate to A instead through the mid teleporter, where they're flanked by Team Six.
Round 8, Team Heroes offense: Kephrii gets the entry frag on A site, but Heroes are flanked by Canadian and quickly wiped.
Round 9, Team Heroes offense: Team Heroes go for another A site push and end up with a successful plant.
It seems like @Rampy has cracked the code and is just going to town on Team Heroes.
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 21, 2020
Will Team Six be able to close this out? Find out on https://t.co/tkRMYxQlY0. pic.twitter.com/xvVbzYXoUf
Round 10, Team Heroes offense: Is this where Team Six ends up pulling away with this match?
Round 11, Team Heroes offense: These are definitely the two most evenly matched teams we've seen in this group.
Round 12, Team Heroes offense: Rampy gets a 4K and Six go up 9-3.
Round 13, Team Six offense: I want to give a shoutout to Gale for being somewhat of a standout on Team Heroes.
Round 14, Team Six offense: Kills are traded back and forth on B site and Heroes come out ahead.
Round 15, Team Six offense: It's the third straight round for Heroes as they wait for Six to come to them.
Round 16, Team Six offense: Team Six scout and then rotate to rush A site, where they're quickly mowed down by Heroes.
THEY DID IT! Team Heroes complete the comeback after going down 3-9 and are going to our semifinals with Team Mirage! pic.twitter.com/lXlZdb92y0
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) April 21, 2020
Round 17, Team Six offense: Boostio gets a 4K and Heroes stop Six again.
Round 18, Team Six offense: Boostio gets another multikill, a 3K this time, and Team Heroes are looking to be in a stronger position than previously thought.
Round 19, Team Six offense: Team Heroes take the lead, and are three points away from taking this away due to their stronger defense.
Round 20, Team Six offense: Another round to Team Heroes, who get the defuse on A.
Round 21, Team Six offense: Thinkingnade nearly wins a 1v2 to take a round for Six, but Heroes end up at match point.
Round 22, Team Six offense: Heroes make the comeback with a last-minute defuse and take it.