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One of the most anticipated events in the Valorant competitive scene, the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Masters 2022 Stage 2 will begin on July 10. The event will be hosted at the Forum Arena in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The tournament will host 12 of the top teams from across the regions for a LAN-based event system where they will duke it out in front of a live audience for the chance to be crowned the undisputed Masters 2022 Stage 2 Copenhagen winners.
However, not only will they obtain a coveted title and a hefty sum of prize money, but they will also receive VCT Circuit points, which increases their chances of making it to the conclusion of the 2022 Valorant competitive calendar, Valorant Champions.
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Power ranking: All teams at VCT Masters 2022 Copenhagen
The regional Challengers for the Masters Copenhagen concluded a while back. With it, we got our first look at all the teams qualified for the event.
The 12 teams that will be present at the LAN are:
- EMEA Challengers: Fnatic, FunPlus Pheonix, Guild Esports
- Korea Challengers: DRX
- NA Challengers: XSET, OpTic Gaming
- APAC Challengers: Paper Rex, XERXIA
- Japan Challengers: Northeption
- LATAM Challengers: Leviatan
- Brazil Challengers: LOUD
- LATAM vs BR Playoffs: KRU Esports
With all the teams having shown impressive performances to book their spots in the event, some are more inclined to be favorites than others.
Here is the list of all the participating teams ranked according to their overall potential.
12) KRU Esports
KRU Esports is a Latin American team based in Argentina and Chile. They are one of the most well-known teams within the LATAM Valorant competitive scene, with multiple showings at major international tournaments and LAN events.
However, KRU has not been as consistent in their performance at the events they have participated in, finishing in 11th-12th place at the previous Masters. With a 2nd place finish in the Challengers, they had to compete against Brazilian side NiP to secure a spot in Copenhagen.
11) Guild Esports
Guild Esports is a European-based team with a global roster. They finished 3rd in the Challengers but secured a spot at the Masters Copenhagen due to the three qualification slots awarded to the EMEA region.
A top team in their own right, Guild suffers when facing other highly rated teams, failing to take a single map away from the top two teams qualified from the same region. Paired with the lack of experience in the main stage for most of the roster, they will have an uphill battle when the event begins.
10) Leviatan
The winner of the latest LATAM Challengers, Leviatan is an Argentinian-based team with a Chilean roster that has shaken up the structure of the region by upsetting favorites KRU to finish 1st in the tournament.
Leviatan is one of the top seeds for the event and thus will avoid the group stages altogether. However, this is not always positive. The relatively inexperienced roster attending their first main stage event will be paired up against some of the best teams who have already adjusted to the flow of things.
9) FunPlus Pheonix
The European-based team, FunPlus Pheonix (FPX), has been around the Valorant competitive scene since its inception. They booked their ticket to Copenhagen by finishing 2nd in the recent qualifiers after a lackluster performance versus Fnatic.
However, their potential has been crippled due to the recent saga regarding substitutions for at least two players who will most likely not be able to attend the event. As one of the premium teams at the event, they will be hopeful of providing a good run.
8) Northeption
Based in Japan, Northeption significantly changed their Valorant roster earlier this year. They triumphed over the previous Masters Reykjavik 3rd placed team, Zeta Division, to win the Japanese VCT Challengers and a spot at Copenhagen.
The team, however, has minimal experience on the big stage as this will be their debut VCT Masters event. The roster will have much to prove as they head into the tournament as the sole representative from their region.
7) Xerxia
Xerxia is a team based in Thailand whose entire roster is from the same country. They finished 2nd in the APAC VCT Challengers behind fan favorites PRX.
The roster consists of former X10 players who have been to not only a previous Masters event but even the VCT Champions event last year. It gives them a fair amount of experience at big events; this time around, they'll be looking to finish near the top.
6) DRX
The North Korean team, DRX (DragonX), is one of the most well-known sides in this region. They acquired the infamous Vision Strikers roster earlier in the year and placed in the 5th-6th bracket during the VCT Masters 2022 Stage 1.
The team has recently been the most dominant in their region, qualifying through the Challengers without losing a single map. Their well-researched pre-game strategies and methodical in-game applications make them one of the teams to look out for.
5) XSET
The North-American Challengers winners, XSET, will make their 1st appearance at a VCT main stage event. They upset the reigning champions of the previous Masters iteration, OpTic Gaming, and have garnered large-scale attention.
The XSET roster consists of up-and-coming superstars like Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban, who has been turning heads recently with his outstanding performances. With a fairly inexperienced roster, XSET is still one of the most anticipated teams to place near the top.
4) PaperRex
PaperRex is a Southeast Asian team consistently showing up in recent tournaments, especially in the APAC region, as they won the just-concluded Challengers.
Booking themselves into the top-seeded teams that will skip the group stages, Paper Rex is no stranger to top-tier matches as they finished 4th in the VCT Masters 2022 Stage 1. With promising talent and representing an underrated region, they will no doubt be hungry for the top spot this time.
3) LOUD
The Brazillian team, LOUD, has quickly garnered quite the reputation after a fantastic showing in the previous Masters event, which saw them finish as runners-up.
The team has crushed their regional counterparts with a 100% win record on all maps during the Challengers. They have also proven themselves on the big stage as the only loss they suffered during the VCT Masters Reykjavik run was to the champions, OpTic Gaming.
This time around, they will be coming for the top spot and proving once in for all that they are not a fluke and certainly not to be taken lightly.
2) Fnatic
Fnatic is one of the most well-known organizations in esports history. The European giants have had a rocky start to the year as they suffered with an uncertain roster.
However, they won the EMEA Challengers convincingly with a 3-0 over FPX, and with new additions to the roster, they seem to have found their way, not losing a single match in the qualifiers. With an experienced IGL, Jake "Boaster" Howlett, they will show up to the event in full force and will vie for the winner's title.
1) OpTic Gaming
At the top of the list is none other than the defending VCT Masters 2022 Champions, OpTic Gaming. Although they narrowly lost to XSET in the NA Challengers, they are certainly not to be underestimated.
OpTic has proven to be one of the most consistent teams in the Valorant competitive scene after acquiring the former Masters 2021 runners-up roster of Team Envy. They have immense experience at VCT LAN events and are undoubtedly the favorites to hold on to their crown at the event this time.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's views.
