We are just over a week out from VCT’s second international event of the year, Masters 2: Copenhagen. Twelve of the world’s best will take to the stage in Denmark in a bid to become the best team in the world. Yesterday, Valorant Champions Tour released the schedule for the upcoming international event and with it comes some exciting matchups.
Group A sees potential OpTic and LOUD rematch
Image courtesy of Valorant Champions Tour
Masters 1: Reykjavik was a historic event for a magnitude of reasons. We saw the emergence of many regions taking to the forefront of international competition. OpTic Gaming restored North America’s international reputation by claiming the Masters 1 trophy, continuing NA’s run as the champions of stage 1 after Sentinels took home the trophy in 2021.
The group draw for VCT Copenhagen has set up a potential rematch between the stage 1 finalists, OpTic Gaming and LOUD. As mentioned, the pair met in the Reykjavik finals with OpTic taking home the championship following a 3-0 victory. The finalists will have to battle their way through GUILD and KRU Esports respectively if they are to have their rematch.
Acend Bench 2021 VCT Champions Zeek ahead of LCQ
Acend announced that 2021 VCT Champions MVP Aleksander “Zeek” Zygmunt will be benched ahead of LCQ, marking an end to the core that earned the UK based organization the highest honor in VALORANT.
KRU Esports is becoming synonymous with international competition. The LATAM side has qualified for their fifth international tournament in a row which is very impressive. KRU did not have the best showing in Reykjavik, finishing last in their group with a 0-2 finish.
It has been a long time coming, but GUILD Esports has finally qualified for an international event. GUILD was able to punch their ticket to VCT Copenhagen after finishing third in the EMEA Challengers playoffs. While they may not pose the same threat as their fellow EMEA sides, they should be able to do some damage in this tournament.
There is everything to play for in Group B
Image courtesy of Valorant Champions Tour
While Group A is headlined by the two Masters 1 finalists, everything is to play for in this group. Group B sees EMEA’s second seed FunPlus Phoenix take on XERXIA, while DRX takes on Northeption. This group is there for the taking with no clear winner being outlined.
FunPlus Phoenix to suffer the same fate as Fnatic?
Although FPX has been one of the best teams in the world this season, they are facing the possibility of playing with multiple substitutes this tournament. While this is not a guaranteed hindrance, Fnatic suffered at Stage 1 Masters with the same problems.
Which team could take advantage of FPX’s situation?
This opens the door for the rest of the teams to take a footing in this group. Little is known of the strength of Northeption. This is the first time the Japanese side will be taking to the stage at an international event. To get here, they had to take down ZETA Division, the side that finished third place in Reykjavik.
The final two teams competing in Group B are XERXIA and Korean powerhouse DRX. Starting with XERXIA, the APAC side will be looking to one-up their Masters 1 result where they finished third in their group. DRX will be looking to bounce back after what was a disappointing end for them in Masters 1. The Korean side topped their group but was ultimately eliminated when they were upset by ZETA Division.
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