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nah, there's a lot of t2 that can play in t1 and a lot of t1 that should be in t2. t2 is where you need to prove yourself to show that you can play in t1.
vcls, 4 in americas, 7 in emea and 8 in apac (idk how it works in china) then the best performing teams of the vcls compete in ascension to get to tier 1
to get to a vcl you need to compete in a open qualifier/do well enough in previous' year vcl so that you keep your spot in it
vcl = valorant challengers league
Yeah tier 2 are all VCL's basically you're correct
Also you can technically enter some VCL's through tier 3 circuits and Premier