'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In less than a week's time, twelve of the world's best Valorant teams will convene in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the VCT 2022 Stage 2 Masters. Two weeks filled with exciting matchups will determine the best team in Stage 2 of Riot Games' annual Valorant Champions Tour circuit.
The upcoming Masters: Copenhagen will be the first instance of a VCT event being held in front of a live crowd. The tournament, which is scheduled to be held between July 10 and July 25, will have its final three days open to a live audience.
The twelve teams who will compete in the Stage 2 Masters have locked up their spots for the tournament and are currently preparing to take on some of the best sides from various parts of the world.
Top 5 underdog teams in VCT 2022 Stage 2 Masters: Copenhagen
5) Guild Esports
Despite being one of Europe's top contenders at previous VCT events, Guild Esports was always pushed outside the qualifying brackets of EMEA Challengers. After qualifying for the Masters: Copenhagen as EMEA's #3 seed, Guild finally earned the opportunity to play their first ever Valorant LAN tournament.
Guild Esports has a stellar roster, with young talents like Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko, Leo "Leo" Jannesson and Saif "Sayf" Jibraeel contributing to the team's firepower. While Russel "Russ" Mendes takes on the role of the team's flex player, veteran IGL Jose Luis "koldamenta" Aranguren Herrero assumes the mantle of the team's in-game leader.
While Guild Esports did prove their potential against some of EMEA's finest contenders, they are yet to prove themselves on a global stage. With the VCT Masters: Copenhagen being their first ever major LAN, and due to a lack of experience in the squad, Guild will enter the tournament as one of the underdogs.
Guild Esports will compete in the double-elimination Group Stage alongside teams such as OpTic Gaming, LOUD and KRU Esports, with the Masters 1 Champions OpTic being their first opponents.
4) XSET
XSET qualified for the VCT Masters: Copenhagen as North America's #1 seed after defeating the Masters: Reykjavik winners, OpTic Gaming, at the Stage 2 NA Challengers. After a series of top 4 finishes in previous Challengers events, XSET managed to qualify for the VCT Masters for the first time ever with their Stage 2 performance.
Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban and Zachary "zekken" Patrone are the team's highlights on the attacking front. Being their most experienced player, Rory "dephh" Jackson handles the IGL role. Jordan "AYRIN" He is another capable IGL figure within the team, whereas Brendan "BcJ" Jensen is an experienced Sova player with an expandable Agent pool.
Despite their success at the recent NA Challengers, XSET is a predominantly young roster with no prior experience of competing in an international LAN tournament. Similar to The Guard at the Masters: Reykjavik, XSET will be subjected to more pressure at the upcoming VCT Masters and could be considered one of the tournament's underdog teams.
Being the winners of the Stage 2 NA Challengers, XSET has directly qualified for the tournament's playoffs. However, they will kick off their first ever international LAN against some of the best teams in the world in a double-elimination bracket with higher odds than the Group Stage.
3) KRÜ Esports
KRÜ Esports is the most celebrated Latin American team in VCT history, being the only side in the world to make an appearance in every single VCT LAN event so far. After defeating Ninjas in Pyjamas at the South American LCQs, KRÜ claimed the final slot at the upcoming VCT Masters: Copenhagen.
Since the addition of their star Duelist, Angelo "keznit" Mori, KRÜ Esports has been on the right track to success. Keznit, alongside Juan Pablo "NagZ" Lopez, make up the team's firepower. Nicolas "Klaus" Ferrari, their IGL, and Roberto "Mazino" Rivas have also made a name for themselves during the team's impressive run at Valorant Champions 2021.
Although KRÜ Esports has maintained the same player roster for over a year, they have replaced their head-coach twice in the last seven months, leading to an instability in performance.
KRÜ was eliminated from the Masters: Reykjavik after consecutive defeats, and as a result, finished in 11th-12th place. After being placed in a group with OpTic Gaming, Guild Esports and LOUD, KRÜ Esports may encounter a similar situation at the Masters: Copenhagen as well.
2) Leviatán
Leviatán is an Argentinian Valorant organization that entered the Valorant scene towards the end of 2021. They lost their VCT Masters slot in Stage 1 after losing in the South American LCQs. However, after toppling LATAM's most reputed KRÜ Esports in the Challengers, Leviatán earned a much-awaited spot at the VCT Masters: Copenhagen.
Leviatán has a duo of formidable fraggers, Francisco "kiNgg" Aravena and Vicente "Tacolilla" Compagnon leading their attack. With Fabian "Shyy" Usnayo to boost the team's firepower and Benjamín "adverso" Poblete calling the strats, Leviatán has a stable squad heading into the VCT Stage 2 Masters.
While Leviatán does have a strong presence on paper, they are a relatively new roster competing in their first ever international LAN tournament. While their head coach Onur does have previous VCT experience, the remainder of the roster has young, inexperienced members who may succumb to pressure while playing at high stakes.
Since LATAM succeeded over Brazil as South America's strongest region, Leviatán has been placed directly in the tournament’s playoffs, alongside XSET, Fnatic and Paper Rex. They will compete in the double elimination playoffs bracket in an attempt to claim the title of Stage 2 Masters Champions.
1) NORTHEPTION
After being considered a minor region for a long time, Japanese Valorant rose to fame when Zeta Division saw success at the VCT Masters: Reykjavik. This time around, however, the region will have new representatives - NORTHEPTION - who are competing in their first ever VCT Masters tournament.
NORTHEPTION put on an incredible performance to defeat Zeta Division in the Japanese Challengers finals. Kim "Meteor" Tae-O and xnfri are two of the most contributing elements in the team's attack, while Byung-yeon "JoXJo" Cho has a wide Agent pool to support the team.
Although Japan was considered a minor region during the Stage 1 Masters, Zeta Division pulled off a surprise and climbed all the way to a third place finish. While NORTHEPTION did beat Zeta to reach the Masters: Copenhagen, it is unclear if they have what it takes to replicate Zeta's success due to their lack of exposure.
NORTHEPTION has been placed alongside FunPlus Phoenix, XERXIA and DRX in the Group Stage. In their entire Valorant history, they haven't competed against a single team from outside the APAC region. That, combined with the pressure of competing in their first ever international LAN, makes them one of the underdogs at the Masters: Copenhagen.
