After a tumultuous two weeks, we saw GS Cerberus crowned the champions of the first Spring Qualifiers. The next two weekends are critical for the top performing teams to secure a spot as the Live Championships in June. We’ll take a quick look at all the teams with a brief overview, then looking at their performance, notable accolades, and individual hero picks from Spring Q1 before showing what’s in store for Spring Q2!

SKAARF BRACKET

GANKSTARS CERBERUS (1)

Gankstars Cerberus had a phenomenal inaugural season and successfully stormed their way into the finals of the first qualifier. They were faced with a stark reality check as viewers were treated to a thrilling five game series against G2 Kinguin. Cerberus came out on top to cement themselves as THE team to beat going into Spring Q2. All of these players have deep hero pools making it very difficult for opponents to target ban. L3on is the only player in the world to have reached Vainglorious Gold in 3 different seasons and all eyes were on this highly decorated player to see how he would perform with the full support of Gankstars’ team of analysts. For a new team they have been remarkably cohesive and leave very few openings for their opponents to capitalise on.

Qualifier 1: Winners (3-2 against G2 Kinguin in the finals)

Team Overview:

6th for kills/min

4th for assists/min

3rd for cs/min

Player overview:

TetnoJJ (Lane): Ringo (x2), Kestrel (x2), Vox (x3), Blackfeather (x3), Saw (x2), Glaive

L3on (Jungle): Reim (x3), Blackfeather, Vox, Krul (x4), Skye (x3), Adagio

Emirking (Roam): Fortress (x3), Phinn (x6), Ardan (x4)

Round of 32 match: Gankstars Cerberus (1) vs Phos (A)

Current standing: 90 points (1st place)

One to watch: L3on

ANGRY PANDAS BLACK (2)

Angry Pandas Black have been around for a while seem to be back on form, making it all the way to the quarterfinals. Their innate understanding of game mechanics is strong and they can easily win against weaker opponents, however when they do come up against challenging teams they tend to struggle due to lack of pre-planned strategies. Unpredictable performances are becoming a defining characteristic of the Pandas, but could the new addition in lane in the form of Sc4rFac3 be the final piece of the puzzle? They’ve moved LeyaLeya from the lane position to roam, where he plays a more conservative game compared to XuanXuan’s hyper-aggressive style which favored the Pandas in the pastThey need to focus on consistency and increasing their hero pools in order to avoid target banning if they want to see those more elusive later rounds again.

Qualifier 1: Lost to Mousesports in the quarterfinals (2-0)

Team Overview:

3rd for kills/min

3rd for assists/min

5th for cs/min

1st for gold/min

Player overview:

legendARIEs (Jungle): Skaarf, Glaive (x2), Skye, Adagio (x2)

LeyaLeya (Roam): Ardan (x3), Fortress (x2)

Sc4rFac3 (Lane): Vox (x3), Ringo

TonyLuo (Jungle/Roam): Ardan, Blackfeather (x2)

XuanXuan (Roam): n/a

Round of 32 match: Angry Pandas Black (2) vs I4JusticeI (7)

Current standing: 20 points (=5th place)

One to watch: Sc4rFac3

KRUL BRACKET

TEAM SECRET (1)

Team Secret had a typically strong performance in the 1st qualifiers, finishing a modest 3rd. Whilst having a very consistent performance in tournaments this team excels in live settings where they seem to feed off the pressure and bring their best performances. Palmatoro has announced that he’ll be taking time out in this qualifier so we should expect to see majestiC starting for them in the jungle position. This could upset the strong synergy that defines Team Secret but majestiC is sure to bring a different set of skills to the table as the second Vainglorious Gold player this season.

Qualifier 1: Lost to G2 Kinguin in the semifinals (2-1)

Team Overview

10th for kills/min

9th for assists/min

4th for cs/min

2nd for gold/min

Player Overview:

KValafar (Lane): Vox, Skaarf, Adagio (x2), Skye, Kestrel, Glaive

REDemption (Lane): Adagio (x2), Skye, Skaarf

Palmatoro (Jungle): Glaive (x5), Ardan, Rona, Vox, Adagio, Krul, Ringo

majestiC (Jungle): n/a

Mowglie (Roam): Fortress (x4), Ardan (x5), Phinn (x2)

Current standing: 60 points (3rd place)

Round of 32 match: Team Secret (1) vs In the Dark One (A)

One to watch: majestiC

SNOW TSUNAMI (2)

SNOW Tsunami had a fairly lukewarm performance in the first qualifiers and struggled in their drafts, an area in which they usually excel. Looking to learn from the mistakes made in the first qualifier and presumably aiming for a top 4 finish, SNOW need to bring more flair to their game and rediscover their unstoppable drive that powered them to the upper echelons of the European competitive scene. Recent changes implemented in 1.17 could favour this team as lookatme is known for his impressive Petal, Krul and Rona play from previous patches, all of whom could now become decisive pocket picks.

Qualifier 1: Lost to GS Cerberus in the quarterfinals (2-0)

Team Overview

1st for cs/min

4th for gold/min

Player Overview:

PTLam (Lane): Skye (x3), Saw

Nol1fe (Lane/Jungle): Adagio (x2), Skye, Krul (x2), Rona

lookatme (Jungle/Lane): Krul, Rona

Sosiska (Roam): Fortress, Ardan (x3), Phinn (x2)

HFGuy (Lane): n/a

alexmagic (n/a): n/a

Current standing: 20 points (=5th place)

Round of 32 match: SNOW Tsunami vs Draconic Crom (7)

One to watch: lookatme

PHINN BRACKET

G2 KINGUIN (1)

G2 narrowly missed out on first place in the first qualifiers, losing 2-3 to GS Cerberus. This is a similar story to their 2nd Winter Qualifier finals against SK Prometheus where they fell short with another 2-3 loss. They have already done enough to guarantee a spot at the next Live Championships but they’ll no doubt be looking to finally claim that coveted first position which will guarantee them first seed. This is a team that has gone from strength to strength over the seasons (except that time they split their roster and went to VIPL, but let’s not mention that). They do rely very heavily on late-scaling compositions which is problematic for them when coming up against hyper-aggressive teams but they are one of the best teams at reading the game and now boast a formidably experienced and successful roster.

Qualifier 1: Lost to GS Cerberus in the finals (2-3)

Team Overview:

9th for kills/min

6th for assists/min

8th for cs/min

7th for gold/min

Player Overview:

Reddix (Lane): Adagio (x7), Taka, Skaarf (x3), Vox (x4)

DarkPotato (Jungle): Glaive (x8), Ardan (x2), Blackfeather (x4), Krul

D1ngo (Roam): Fortress (x10), Phinn (x2), Ardan(x2)

Loere (Roam): Fortress

Current standing: 80 points (2nd place)

Round of 32 match: G2 Kinguin vs The Wanted Alpha (A)

One to watch: DarkPotato

LEMON & LIME (2)

Lemon & Lime came out of nowhere making a very heavy impact on EU’s competitive scene. They were able to knock out frontrunners SK Prometheus in the round of 16, a huge upset that not many anticipated. Their innovative use of Alpha, the new hero of 1.16, caught everyone by surprise and it’ll be exciting to see if they’ve developed new strategies for the upcoming qualifier. 1.17 has delivered us a fresh set of balancing changes that could play right into the hands of L&L, particularly buffs to Alpha and Celeste.

Qualifier 1: Lost to G2 Kinguin in the quarterfinals (1-2)

Team Overview:

1st for kills/min

2nd for assists/min

10th for cs/min

6th for gold/min

Player Overview:

ArkLostInSpace (Lane/Jungle): Kestrel (x2), Celeste (x3), Blackfeather, Taka

Apfel (Jungle/Lane): Alpha (x3), Ringo (x4)

llAresll (Roam): Ardan (x6), Catherine

Moalze (Roam): n/a

Current standing: 20 points (=5th place)

Round of 32 match: Lemon & Lime vs 4Solution (7)

One to watch: Apfel

SKYE BRACKET

MOUSESPORTS (1)

These young stars are always regular contenders in top tier European tournaments, however are yet to take home a podium finish after their acquisition. They are very emotional players which is evident in their gameplay which has cost them crucial games in the past. This mousesports team have built a strong fan base post-acquisition with regular streaming and plenty of media attention. Going forward, these guys will need to work on their trust together when facing uphill battles.

Qualifier 1: Lost to Team Secret (again) in the third place match (2-0)

Team Overview:

10th for gold/min

Player Overview:

MrKcool (Jungle/Lane): Ringo, Adagio (x2), Skye (x2), Rona, Glaive

UpFyr (Lane): Glaive, Vox

GreatkhALI (Lane/Jungle): Skye (x4), Reim, Ringo, Glaive (x2), Vox

nettetoilette (Roam): Ardan (x4), Phinn, Fortress (x4)

Current standing: 40 points (4th place)

Round of 32 match: Mousesports vs The Salty Lagoon (8)

One to watch: MrKcool

SK GAMING (2)

SK Gaming have been struggling this season after losing key players and as a result have opted to field a single team for qualifier 2. They’ve combined the rosters of Chimaera and Prometheus which needs to be a winning formula for them or they risk falling into a downward spiral. They do benefit from a history of roster experimentation which puts them in a favourable position as they boast over a year’s worth of developed synergy together.

Qualifier 1: Chimaera lost to Team Secret in the quarterfinals (2-0), Prometheus lost to Lemon & Lime in the Ro16.

Team Overview:

7th for cs/min

9th for gold/min

Player overview:

Redwolf (Lane): Vox (x4), Blackfeather

Raph (Jungle/Lane): Ringo, Skaarf, Skye, Blackfeather, Krul

MEDIC (Jungle/Lane): Koshka, Vox (x4), Blackfeather, Skye

lloH4uK (Jungle): Krul, Adagio

Jetpacks (Jungle/Roam): Glaive (x2), Catherine (x2)

Cr3am (Roam): Ardan (x3), Catherine (x3), Fortress

Current standing: 20 points (=5th place)

Round of 32 match: SK gaming vs HalcyonQuake (7)

One to watch: Raph

The second qualifier of the VGL spring season begins this Saturday and Sunday. Matches will begin at 6:00pm CEST on both days and will be streamed on the VaingloryLeague Twitch channel.