Image: Riot Games
After a tumultuous season so far, Leviatán seems to be peaking at just the right time.
Stage 2 of the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) has concluded with 
Leviatán claiming the VCT Americas Stage 2 Playoff championship after defeating 
G2 Esports, 3-1, in the best-of-five grand finals on Monday (July 22).
This victory marks the highest point so far for a rollercoaster 2024 season for Leviatán. The team started the year with a middling 7th-9th place finish at the VCT Americas Kickoff in February, followed by a 3rd place outing in the Americas Stage 1 Playoffs in May, and then by a disappointing 9th-10th place exit in Masters Shanghai later that same month.
As one of the four representatives for the Americas league in this year's VALORANT Champions, Leviatán may have peaked at just the right time to help the region bag a second-straight world title after Evil Geniuses' (EG) run to the world championship last year. Leviatán also having former EG player Corbin “C0M” Lee and 2022 world champion with LOUD Erick “aspas” Santos further boosts their case.
Leviatán and G2 entered the Stage 2 Playoffs with a direct bye to the upper bracket semifinals after claiming the Top 2 spots in the league's overall standings, with Leviatán taking first place with a 9-1 record while G2 finished second with a 7-3 standing.
The two teams both swept their respective opening Playoff matches, with Leviatán taking down 
KRÜ Esports while G2 trounced 
100 Thieves, to meet in the upper bracket finals.
G2 then swept Leviatán to become the first team in the grand finals. Leviatán had to overcome KRÜ in a hard-fought 3-2 slugfest in the lower bracket finals for another shot at G2 with the Americas Stage 2 championship at stake.
The finals kicked off with an overtime bloodbath at Lotus, where the first half ended with both teams in a 6-6 deadlock. While G2 won the first three rounds of the second half on the attacker side to go up 9-6, Leviatán managed to keep things close at 11-10 after round 21. A round 22 win for G2 could have handed them the first map of the series, but Leviatán scored the next two maps to send things to overtime.
G2 then won the first overtime round to put Leviatán on the ropes, but the latter responded by winning three-straight rounds to claim the 15-13 win at Lotus.
Game two at Haven was another overtime slugfest, this time going to two extra periods. Leviatán finished the first half up 7-5 on the defender side, but G2 followed up by winning the first two rounds after the side switch to tie up the score at 7-7. While Leviatán regained the lead by winning three-straight rounds to be up 10-7 after round 17, a 5-1 run by G2 in the succeeding rounds got them to within map point at 12-11 in round 23.
Not one to back down, Leviatán won round 24 to force the second-straight overtime map of the series. G2 once again scored first blood in the first overtime round, though Leviatán rallied to win the next two rounds to go up 14-13 after round 27. G2 looked to extend the contest further by winning round 28, but Leviatán shut them down in the next two rounds to claim the 16-14 victory in Haven and a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Leviatán had G2 on the ropes in game three at Bind, opening the map with five-straight round wins on the defender side to end the first half up 8-4. However, G2 stormed back into contention with a five-round streak of their own to take the lead at 9-8 after round 17. And while Leviatán managed to snatch away round 18, G2 could not be denied as they won the next four rounds to extend the series.
G2 looked to force a deciding fifth game in Ascent by winning the first two rounds as the defender side, but Leviatán went on a furious 8-2 run to close out the half with a four-round lead. With the championship well within reach, Leviatán surgically claimed five-straight rounds after the side switch to secure the Stage 2 Americas title.
Leviatán now look ahead to carrying the Americas' hopes for a second-straight world championship at VALORANT Champions 2024 in South Korea this August. Joining them in representing the Americas in this year's VALORANT world championship tournament will be G2 Esports, KRÜ Esports, and 
Sentinels.
