Acend made its mark in Valorant history by winning the first official world championship at Valorant Champions 2021. However, the triumph was short-lived: despite their success, Acend failed to secure a slot in the VCT franchised league, and over the past two years, more than $700,000 was spent on the roster, as revealed by the organization's CEO. Here’s a breakdown of their journey and what happened to Acend Valorant.
The First and Most Successful Year
Acend entered the Valorant scene in 2021, signing their first roster. Their debut at the VALORANT Champions Tour 2021: Europe Stage 1 Masters ended in victory. The team dominated the European scene throughout the season, earning a well-deserved ticket to Valorant Champions 2021. The roster looked like this:
At the world championship, Acend made it to the grand final undefeated, dominating both the group stage and playoffs. In the final, they faced the then-undefeated Gambit Esports and managed to win 3-2, becoming the first-ever Valorant world champions.
The Turning Point
2022 was a challenging year for Acend Valorant. After their championship win, they failed to win any major tournaments and did not qualify for Valorant Champions 2022. Roster changes began, and by the end of the year, only two players from the championship team remained: Mehmet "cNed" İpek and Patryk "starxo" Kopczyński.
| Date | Place | Tournament | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-10-22 | 2nd | Superdome 2022 | $8,000 |
| 2022-08-09 | 7th - 8th | VCT 2022: EMEA Last Chance Qualifier | $4,101.93 |
| 2022-06-19 | 5th - 6th | VCT 2022: EMEA Stage 2 Challengers | $15,884.61 |
| 2022-03-13 | 9th - 10th | VCT 2022: EMEA Stage 1 Challengers | $10,983.10 |
The pre-2023 period was crucial for the team, as the VCT franchised league was about to launch. Acend was one of 20 teams competing for a spot in the league but couldn't outshine stronger organizations like NAVI, Team Liquid, Fnatic, and Team Vitality.
After winning champs in 2021, we were invited to apply for the VCT Franchise. It felt like everything was coming together. We even secured a final 20 spot and flew to Berlin to pitch our plans in front of the decision-makers. But we didn’t make the cut. Surprisingly, we weren’t too upset. Why? Well, the competing orgs had a lot more experience, a bigger fanbase, and significantly larger budgets.Benjamin "Bencb" Rolle, Acend CEO
The VCT Journey
After failing to secure a franchised slot, Valorant Acend decided to chart their own course and aimed to qualify for the VCT through other means. Their 2023 roster appeared promising:
The 2023 season started well: the new roster looked strong, delivering victories that justified the investments made. The team comfortably advanced to the final stage of VCT Ascension EMEA 2023, where they competed against nine other top Tier 2 teams for a single spot that could change their future.
Despite their efforts and regional dominance, Acend failed to secure the coveted VCT slot, finishing in 3rd place after losing to Gentle Mates, who claimed the franchise spot for 2023.
| Place | € EUR | Qualifies To | Participant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | €30,000 | 2024 EMEA League, 2025 EMEA League | Gentle Mates |
| 2nd | €20,000 | - | Apeks |
| 3rd | €15,000 | - | Acend |
| 4th | €10,000 | - | SAW |
| 5th-6th | €6,000 | - | Digital Athletics, FOKUS |
| 7th-8th | €4,500 | - | CGN Esports, Team Falcons |
| 9th-10th | €2,000 | - | DSYRE, Case Esports |
The Final Season for Acend in Valorant
The 2024 season was Acend’s last in Valorant. The team underperformed compared to the previous year, finishing 4th in the overall standings of VALORANT Challengers 2024 East: Surge. This result prevented them from advancing to Ascension.
| Place | Team | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GoNext Esports | 440 |
| 2 | Diamant Esports | 310 |
| 3 | Chipi Chapa's | 235 |
| 4 | Acend | 225 |
| 5 | trashcan | 115 |
| 6 | Zero Tenacity | 100 |
| 7 | B8 Esports | 55 |
| 8 | ESC Gaming | 50 |
| 9 | NOM Esports | 0 |
| 9 | Incognito | 0 |
| 9 | Enterprise Esports | 0 |
Following these results, Acend's management made the difficult decision to leave the Valorant scene for good, citing Riot Games’ updates and new vision for the competitive ecosystem as barriers to the team's further development.
Failure, Disappointment, and $700,000 Lost
Thank you to all of our players past and present. Thank you to all of our fans past and present. pic.twitter.com/yz7yol8Bdh
— ACEND CLUB (@AcendClub) September 16, 2024
In their official statement announcing their exit from Valorant, Acend's CEO summarized the financial losses. According to him, the organization had spent over $700,000 on the roster in an attempt to secure a VCT franchise slot. These expenses far exceeded the average costs for Tier 2 organizations in Europe.
Further investments, according to the CEO, were deemed unjustifiable, as the Tier 2 scene lagged behind Tier 1 in terms of organization and growth potential. Prize payouts were often delayed or not paid at all, and tournament management was found to be incompetent in handling basic issues.
The final blow to Challengers league clubs came with the reduction of VCT qualification from two years to one, making it even more challenging for Tier 2 teams to invest in competitive efforts, as the already fierce competition for a franchise slot was further compressed.
As for us? Competitive Valorant is a closed chapter for now. The mismanagement of tournaments, broadcasts that don't appeal to the majority, low viewership, prize money delays (even casters waiting for their 2023 payments!), a lack of communication, and the cancellation of Split 3 tournaments. It all got worse.
If we ever return, it’ll either be in a massively profitable situation (finding a low-budget team with a lot of potential) or in a more sustainable ecosystem.Benjamin "Bencb" Rolle, Acend CEO
Acend’s Greatest Achievements in Valorant
Acend spent over three years in the Valorant discipline, participating in many tournaments. Their most prestigious victory was undoubtedly winning Valorant Champions 2021, which brought them global recognition and financial rewards. However, this wasn’t their only achievement:
| Date | Place | Tournament | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-12 | 1st | VALORANT Champions 2021 | $350,000 |
| 2021-03-21 | 1st | VCT 2021: Europe Stage 1 Masters | $60,000 |
| 2021-09-17 | 5th - 8th | VCT 2021: Stage 3 Masters - Berlin | $25,000 |
| 2021-07-11 | 1st | VCT 2021: Europe Stage 3 Challengers 1 | $17,815.51 |
| 2023-07-15 | 3rd | VCT Ascension EMEA 2023 | $16,840.78 |
| 2023-12-19 | 1st | Mandatory Cup #3 | $16,382.16 |
| 2022-06-19 | 5th - 6th | VCT 2022: EMEA Stage 2 Challengers | $15,848.61 |
According to the team’s CEO, Acend’s return to Valorant remains uncertain and would depend on extremely favorable conditions. There is a chance that this list of achievements will never be extended.
Conclusion
Acend’s journey in Valorant is a testament to how even the strongest teams can face unforeseen challenges despite their success. Their failure to secure a VCT franchise slot was the first major setback, yet they continued to invest heavily in their roster, with costs exceeding $700,000 over two years.
Despite the management's and players' best efforts, the struggles of the Tier 2 scene, prize money delays, the reduction of VCT qualification from two years to one, and fierce competition made further investments untenable. Ultimately, Acend had to make the tough decision to leave the scene indefinitely, or at least until more favorable conditions arise for their return.
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