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VCT Masters Tokyo is the first and only Masters event for the 2023 season. Twelve teams from all over the world will compete against each other on LAN to be crowned champion. The participating teams include four from EMEA, three each from the Americas and Pacific, and two from China. EMEA received an extra slot owing to Fnatic's win at VCT LOCK//IN 2023.
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The inaugural edition of the franchised VCT leagues acted as a direct way for the franchised teams to qualify for Masters Tokyo. After a long Regular Season and tense Playoffs stage, the following teams emerged as the best within their region: Team Liquid from EMEA League, Paper Rex from Pacific League, and LOUD from the Americas League.
Many fan-favorite teams and players did their best but couldn't make it to Tokyo. Below is a list of five players fans will miss at the upcoming international LAN event, VCT Masters Tokyo.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
TenZ and four more players that fans won't be seeing at VCT Masters Tokyo
1) TenZ
Tyson "TenZ" Ngo is a Canadian esports player who plays for Sentinels. He mainly fulfills the role of a primary Duelist and Operator player but has played Agents like KAY/O, Sage, and Chamber when needed.
Tenz and Sentinels had a tough year in 2022, where they could not qualify for any international event. This led to them completely changing their roster for VCT 2023, leaving TenZ as the only player left from the previous season.
TenZ and his new team had a lot of ups and down in the Americas League. This could be due to the many staff and roster changes they faced in the Regular Season. Towards the end, Sentinels fell short of qualifying for Playoffs but ended their season with a 2-1 victory over FURIA. TenZ was incredible in his last few matches and finished the season with a total ACS (Average Combat Score) of 200.8.
2) ScreaM
Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom is an esports player from Belgium who currently plays for Karmine Corp. He mainly plays as the team's primary Duelist and is mostly seen on Raze and Jett, but he also plays Initiators like KAY/O or Skye when needed.
ScreaM had a very successful time in Team Liquid till 2022. After Riot formed the international VCT Leagues, ScreaM and his brother, Nivera, decided to join Karmine Corp and start a whole new chapter. Unfortunately, that didn't end up being the case.
Karmine Corp struggled throughout the 2023 VCT EMEA League. The team made many mistakes, with errors in some fundamentals. These led to some very sloppy matches from them in the Regular Season. On top of that, the team had to play with their assistant coach at one point. ScreaM ended the season with a total ACS of 214.5.
3) SkRossi
Ganesh "SkRossi" Gangadhar is an esports player from India who represents Global Esports in the VCT Pacific League. SkRossi is primarily seen as the Duelist and is widely regarded for his plays on Jett. He has also played Sentinel and Initiator roles for his team whenever required.
SkRossi has had a long journey in Valorant esports. He started playing for Global Esports in the Indian scene and quickly became one of the best players in South Asia. After franchising, SkRossi and his teammate Lightningfast were chosen to play for Global Esports in the VCT Pacific League.
Global Esports was considered among the best teams during the Regular Season but unfortunately fell short of qualifying for the Playoffs stage. SkRossi ended the season with a total ACS of 225.5 and was amongst the top Jett players in the Pacific League.
4) leaf
Nathan "leaf" Orf is an esports player from the United States who plays for Cloud9. Although commonly seen as a Duelist, leaf is a versatile talent who can play any role. He is often seen playing Agents like Jett, Skye, Neon, Killjoy, and Viper.
Leaf joined Cloud9 in January 2021. The team found great success that season and grew to the ranks of the top teams in NA. When Riot entered franchising in 2023, leaf decided to continue with Cloud9. The roster saw some big changes as they replaced star players yay and vanity with new talents runi and jakee.
Despite the many doubts, leaf and his team gained massive success with this roster. They earned the second seed for the Playoffs and dominated most of the teams they faced. However, Cloud9 fell just short of qualifying for Tokyo as they lost a decisive lower bracket series against NRG Esports by 0-2. leaf was stellar throughout the League and ended the season with a total ACS of 239.8, earning a spot in the top three players of the event.
5) JessieVash
Jessie "JessieVash" Cuyco is an esports player from the Philippines who plays for Team Secret. He is the team's first-choice Initiator and is often seen on Sova, Fade, and Skye while occasionally playing Cypher.
JessieVash has been in Team Secret since September 2021. The squad was considered one of the best teams in the Pacific region, even making waves by qualifying in several international events.
When the VCT Leagues started in 2023, JessieVash decided to stick with Team Secret. The team delivered one of the biggest upsets in VCT LOCK//IN against Team Liquid, winning the BO3 series by 2-0. However, Secret failed to qualify for VCT Masters Tokyo after losing to Gen.G in the Pacific Playoffs. JessieVash was amazing in the League and had multiple clutches to pull his team out of intense situations. He had a total ACS of 171.6 with six different Agents.
The players mentioned above can still make it to the last VCT event of the year, Valorant Champions, by winning their region's LCQ. All three regions, Pacific, Americas, and EMEA, will have a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) event where teams that didn't qualify for Masters Tokyo will compete for the region's last Champions slot.
