VCT Masters Tokyo: The Top Valorant Teams

This year, the twelve best teams in the international Valorant Leagues will compete in VCT Masters Tokyo

Not only will this event boost their popularity on the international stage but also give them a chance to win the trophy, cash prizes, and an additional spot for their league or region at Valorant Champions.

The VCT Masters Tokyo event, which will have an unprecedented prize fund of $1 million, had a lengthy lead-up as squads from the three worldwide leagues and China competed for seats in the competition.

As the tournament in Tokyo approaches, fans are wondering who to look out for, so we made a ranking of all the teams in the competition based on their performance in games, record, and roster.

#12: Attacking Soul Esports

As China's top seed in the competition, Attacking Soul Esports will introduce several fresh talents to the international scene. Dong 'Life' Hao Qu is the lone member of the team with international experience (he represented Edward Gaming in a single series at Valorant Champions 2022), but despite this huge boost, the team isn't expected to surprise anyone.

The team is at the bottom of the power rankings due to their lack of international stage experience and recent performance in Act 2 of the FGC Invitational 2023. Attacking Soul fell to Bilibili Gaming twice and was destroyed by EDG 3-0 in Act 2's lower final, in contrast to their qualifying run in Act 1, where they defeated Edward Gaming 3-2 in the finals.

#11: EDward Gaming

Since the team hasn't made much of an impact outside of their home region, EDward Gaming is a difficult team to pin down. EDG only lost two maps in seven series during their most recent competition, the FGC Valorant Invitational 2023: Act 2 tournament, both in a 0-2 loss to Attacking Soul Esports.

Most Valorant supporters last saw EDward Gaming at VCT LOCK//IN, when they fell to 100 Thieves, a team that didn't even advance to the VCT Americas playoffs, 2-1. Prior to that, EDG had competed in Valorant Champions 2022, where they exited the group stage after suffering two consecutive defeats.

While EDward Gaming has appeared to be a dominant team at home, it is impossible to dismiss their consistent loss streaks on international stages.

#10: T1

T1 enters Masters as the No. 3 seed from VCT Pacific and has a respectable record and playoff performance. The South Korean team finished the regular season with a record of 6-3, with its only defeats coming at the hands of playoff-caliber opponents and the remaining two VCT Pacific members at the Masters Tournament.

Although T1 appears to be a formidable team going into VCT Masters Tokyo, its lineup lacks the international experience necessary to stand out from the competition. Son 'xeta' Seon-ho, Ha 'Sayaplayer' Jung-woo, Byeon 'Munchkin' Sang-beom, and others had previously competed at significant LAN events, but the trio's best result was a top-eight performance at Valorant Champions 2021 (xeta with Cloud9).

#9: Evil Geniuses

To enter this Masters competition, Evil Geniuses had to make a couple of miracles happen. Thanks to VCT LOCK//IN, the team has some international experience, and its victories over NRG Esports and Cloud9 in the VCT Americas playoffs proved that they can compete against top teams.

Max 'Demon1' Mazanov, who made his international debut during the VCT Americas series and was a breakout hit, will be the primary factor in their success. Demon1, who is among the most entertaining players to watch in Valorant competitive play, will have the opportunity to demonstrate his ability to perform at his best on the greatest platforms.

Despite having a low ranking, Evil Geniuses should be kept an eye on because they have a good chance of advancing past the group stage.

#8: Paper Rex

After some early setbacks, Paper Rex enters VCT Masters Tokyo as league champions. The team appeared reenergized after adding Ilya "something" Petrov to their squad, but the Russian superstar may not be able to travel to Tokyo due to visa complications. With only a handful of official games this year, Patiphan "CigaretteS" Posri may have to boost Paper Rex's squad instead.

Paper Rex has fallen a few positions in the standings due to the risk of losing their best player. It is important to note, though, that the team has succeeded in making significant international runs without any star players to boost their team, and they have the capacity to do it once again.

#7: FUT Esports

With a 5-4 record, FUT Esports hardly appeared during the VCT EMEA regular season. However, when it defeated NAVI 2-0 and defeated Fnatic in the upper bracket semifinal, it looked like a completely different squad.

FUT appears to be the Turkish dream team that Valorant fans have been promised for years, led by their star Duelist Konuralp 'qw1' Ahin and IGL Furkan 'MrFaliN' Yeen. To boost their profile and add a new chapter to their fantastic story, they simply need to secure a few significant international victories.

#6: Navi

NAVI has long been one of the biggest household names in competitive gaming. During the VCT EMEA regular season, they only lost a couple of matches. However, they struggled in the playoff round, losing just after earning a spot in Masters. Nevertheless, this team is given a break because the majority of the lineup qualified for every international competition in 2022.

The team needs a win this year, and the players really want to add one more international trophy to their résumés in Tokyo, so NAVI will be giving it their all.

#5: NRG Esports

Similar to NAVI, NRG gets a pass when it comes to international rankings because many of its players have taken home championships abroad and have a ton of experience competing at the highest level. However, this NRG team appeared unsteady in the run-up to Masters.

NRG had a rough start to the VCT Americas regular season and fell to Evil Geniuses in their opening playoff match. However, as the playoffs progressed, the team got better. They beat FURIA, Cloud9, and EG in elimination games before falling to LOUD 3-0 in the championship match.

NRG may be among the top teams in their group, but they still appear to be on a lower level than some of the other squads that made it to VCT Masters Tokyo.

#4: DRX

Another squad that has regularly excelled at the top level is DRX, which finished in the top three in Valorant Champions 2022 and the top four at VCT LOCK//IN. The Korean team has only lost three games overall in the regular season and playoffs of the VCT Pacific before the Masters.

DRX has a new player in Jung 'Foxy9' Jae-sung, who has been added to the starting rotation as a Duelist to be feared and is regarded as a major boost when comparing the current lineup to their VCT LOCK//IN roster. With Attacking Soul Esports, FUT Esports, and Evil Geniuses in their group, it's difficult to see a scenario in which DRX does not emerge as the top seed for the playoffs of the competition.

Regarded as the best Valorant competitive squad in their region, DRX might be the dark horse of this competition.

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#3: Team Liquid

After a mediocre start to the season, Team Liquid, the top seed out of VCT EMEA, dominated the playoff stage. The VCT LOCK//IN winners' winning streak came to an end when Team Liquid defeated Fnatic 3-1 in the championship game after ending the regular season in a disappointing third place with a 6-3 record.

This team has a wealth of international experience, and if they can stay in shape for the duration of the Masters competitions, they could have a strong showing. Liquid's roster invested in boosting their practice sessions after a first-round loss in São Paulo, and once the playoff stage begins, they ought to be a team to fear.

#2: LOUD

Like Fnatic, LOUD has appeared to be virtually unstoppable this year. The VCT LOCK//IN runners-up look far superior to some of the other Valorant teams in Tokyo after having only suffered two losses in 2023 (against Fnatic and NRG).

Even after adding fresh young players to the mix to boost their squad, LOUD have continued to play in a superb manner, as they did during the entirety of 2022. The team is even experimenting with giving Felipe "Less" Basso, who served as the IGL in the VCT Americas championship series, extra responsibility. At the VCT Masters in Tokyo, the Brazilian team is one of the favorites to sweep the floor with the competition.

#1: Fnatic

With IGL Jake 'Boaster' Howlett and head coach Jacob'mini' Harris at the helm, Fnatic appear to be an unbeatable force of raw skill and strategy after winning the VCT LOCK//IN trophy and going unbeaten in the VCT EMEA regular season.

Their sole blemish before VCT Masters was a 3-1 defeat against Team Liquid in the VCT EMEA playoff championship game. Was it only a blip on the radar or a warning that the squad has a serious dent in their armor?

Regardless of the single loss they suffered, Fnatic are the clear favorites to win the VCT Masters Tokyo, with only LOUD creeping in the background. If they can defeat the Brazilian squad, it's unlikely anyone else will be able to stop them.

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