ENVY Headed to VCT Americas 2026 after Ascension Win over TSM
ENVY, after a relatively dominant Grand Finals, have emerged as the 2025 Ascension winner for the Americas region. Their victory in São Paulo may come as a surprise to some people who have not been following their journey closely. But for many, it is the return of a legacy North American esports brand to one of VALORANT’s biggest stages for 2026.
Nearly Flawless Run
Coming into Ascension, ENVY was no doubt the most talked-about name of the teams assembled. Their story and found success in the North American Tier 2 scene in 2025 had cemented their status as a strong contender within the competitive circuit. Starting off strong with a clean win against 9Z, ENVY quickly matched against North American rivals TSM. One of the strongest Tier 2 teams currently in the circuit, ENVY had just lost to them in the Grand Finals of Stage 3 a month ago.
TSM repeated their success with a win in the Swiss Stage, reverse sweeping ENVY to qualify for Playoffs. This would also mark the final time ENVY lost at this event. Matching next against Stellae Gaming, one of the Brazilian representatives, ENVY managed to close them out despite a surprisingly contested Map 1, going into 6 overtimes before Stellae found purchase and closed out Abyss. The story would be over for them however, as they would only find a total of 3 rounds for the next 2 maps.
In Playoffs, ENVY matched against a strong Brazilian side of Team Solid. Despite struggling on Lotus with quiet performances from the usual suspects on ENVY, the team roared to life in Maps 2 and 3, dominating Team Solid to advance into the semifinals for a rematch against TSM.
There, ENVY finally managed to overcome TSM, taking Maps 2 and 3 after TSM claimed their own map pick. After defeating Team Solid, TSM rematched into ENVY for the third time at Ascension. Despite a closely contested start to the series, with both Abyss and Sunset going 24 rounds, ENVY eventually found their footing and put away TSM to claim the Ascension title and their place in the VCT Americas next year.
From Ranked to Tier 1: The VALORANT Esports Dream
At the tail end of 2024, one team’s name began to be whispered throughout the Tier 2 North American Circuit: RANKERS.
Comprised of several mid to high-profile VALORANT ranked players at the helm, their name was an apt description of their origin, but not their skills. Quickly dominating every series in the VCL Open Qualifier, the team made a generational run into Stage 3 of the VCL NA 2024, remaining undefeated all the way to the Grand Finals, where they took down YFP.
The streak would stretch from November 2024 all the way to February of 2025, demonstrating their immense potential – something Tier 2 organizations were taking note of. In February of 2025, the team signed with ENVY, the organization’s first signs of life in VALORANT since their departure from the scene in early 2022.
Back then, ENVY had fielded a highly successful roster, and powerhouse within the Tier 1 North American circuit. After the brand was acquired by OpTic Gaming, the roster transferred hands over as well, retiring ENVY from VALORANT for the time being.
In 2025, Mike “Hastr0” Rufail re-acquired the ENVY brand, and shortly after, pursued the RANKERS lineup to headline their return to VALORANT.
The new ENVY lineup has continued to find strong success in the scene. Shortly after their acquisition, they fell to Cubert Academy in the Playoffs of VCL Stage 1. But they returned with a victory in Stage 2, taking down Ambrosia to lift their first VCL title about 6 months after the team was formed. And while they fell to TSM in September, it was in the Grand Finals of Stage 3 Playoffs.
RANKERS and ENVY’s story isn’t one of countless trophies, but it is one of remarkable consistency and immense success. For their first proper year of competitive, they went from playing in VALORANT ranked to not only lifting one VCL trophy but also earning a spot competing in the Tier 1 circuit of VALORANT for the 2026 year.
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Featured Image Credit: ENVY
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