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The 2022 edition of Valorant Champions is right around the corner as 16 teams from various regions around the world head to Istanbul to duke it out for the title of the best in the world.
The EMEA region has consistently been the best in the Valorant esports scene in terms of results. The most recent international title belongs to EMEA in the form of the Copenhagen Masters, which FunPlus Phoenix won in a close 3-2 victory over Paper Rex.
EMEA is undoubtedly one of the best regions for producing fantastic talent in the Valorant esports scene. Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin, Bogdan "Sheydos" Naumov, Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonnen, Leo "Leo" Jannesson, and Aleksander "zeek" Zygmunt are some names in the vast heap of exceptional players from this stacked region.
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EMEA looking to cement status as best region at Valorant Champions 2022
With three out of the five international events being won by EMEA teams, the region is poised to prove it is the undisputed best region. To the effect, here are the best players whose performances can make or break the three EMEA teams, FunPlus Phoenix, Fnatic, and Team Liquid, at the Champions 2022.
1) Team Liquid - ScreaM
Nobody exemplifies Team Liquid quite like the headshot machine Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom. He has been one of the most recognizable names in esports for his impeccable aim and cool personality.
ScreaM is one of the two original members of the first Team Liquid roster, along with Dom "soulcas" Sulcas. He has consistently been one of the best players on the international stage, and it is undeniable that ScreaM is the heart and soul of Team Liquid.
This was evident in Team Liquid's showdown versus M3 Champions during the Last Chance Qualifier for the EMEA region. ScreaM was on an absolute mission and amassed 91 kills across four maps in their 3-1 victory.
The Belgian ended the series with a +30 KD and even brought on Phoenix, who is gaining popularity, on Ascent.
With Scream now IGLing for Liquid, who have fantastic firepower and reliability in the form of the new addition Dmitriy "dimasick" Matvienko, the side will look to be one of the dark horses in Istanbul.
2) FunPlus Phoenix - Shao
It was a tough decision to pinpoint one player in the star-studded lineup of FPX. In the end, Andrey "Shao" Kiprsky narrowly took the spot as the player who will be the difference maker for FPX at the 2022 Champions.
Another obvious candidate was his Russian teammate Dmitry "SUYGETSU" Ilyushin. Still, Shao took the spot purely due to the number of unwinnable rounds he clutched for FPX throughout the Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen.
Shao wowed the audience with his fantastic Fade gameplay and his ice-cold clutches. It can be argued that FPX wouldn't have won the championship without Shao playing at peak form.
Coming into the Champions 2022, Shao is one of the most hyped players for all the right reasons. FPX is regarded as a heavy favorite across most of the Valorant community, and he will be the driving factor if they want to replicate their success in Copenhagen.
3) Fnatic - Alfajer
Fnatic has been one of the most frequent presences at international events. Despite several variations across tournaments, the side has always proven to be in the upper echelon of Valorant esports. Their latest roster might just be the best iteration the team has ever had.
The team had an underwhelming performance at the Valorant Masters Copenhagen relative to expectations. They were expected to be one of the heavy favorites to win after dominating EMEA in the Valorant Stage 2 Challengers but ended up finishing 4th in Copenhagen.
One player many doubted heading into Copenhagen Masters was Emir Ali "Alfajer" Beder. In his debut season in Tier 1 Valorant, the Turk absolutely tore apart his competition along with Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev during the second stage of EMEA Challengers.
The duo was fearsome and was expected to wreak havoc in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, Derke underperformed relative to expectations, while Alfajer had a solid international debut. He was on the top 10 list of the highest ACS in the tournament.
Alfajer's flexibility to play various Agents, such as Viper, Killjoy, and Raze, gave him the edge over Derke as the most crucial player for Fnatic heading into Istanbul. With his home crowd ready to cheer him on, Alfajer will be more motivated than ever to propel Fnatic to its first-ever international title.
The Valorant Champions 2022 is shaping up to be an exciting and fiercely competitive tournament. EMEA has often proven to be the real deal regarding high-pressure moments at the main stage.
Can they pull it off yet again and secure back-to-back Champions victories? Only time will tell as Team Liquid will kick off EMEA's campaign in Istanbul against Latin America's number one seed, Leviatan, on August 31.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinion.
