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The VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters is currently underway in Reykjavik, Iceland, as the twelve top-tier contenders fight toe-to-toe for a shot at the coveted Masters title. The ongoing tournament, unlike previous VCT events, has a surprisingly large presence of newly formed rosters.
While teams like DRX and OpTic Gaming rebranded, XERXIA adopted a different banner with minor changes to the original squad. However, 3 teams among the rest stood out as they made their international LAN debuts at the Masters: Reykjavik. One of the newly formed rosters of 2022 is Ninjas in Pyjamas, a prominent European esports organization that currently fields a Brazilian roster.
NIP's Brazilian roster was formed in January 2022, after which they competed in the Brazilian Challengers and South American playoffs to earn a last-minute ticket to the Masters: Reykjavik. As NIP entered the tournament, their first hurdle was to overthrow Fnatic, a major esports powerhouse.
The best-of-three engagement between the two sides resulted in a dominant victory for Ninjas in Pyjamas, sending them higher up the winner's bracket. Despite the ongoing issues related to Fnatic's roster, NIP had an incredible performance that earned them a victory on the international stage.
NIP Jonn comments on LOUD, a fellow Brazilian roster, at VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters: Reykjavik
After the match, Ninjas in Pyjamas' Walney "Jonn" Reis took the time to share his thoughts with the media. In response to a question from Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, Jonn commented on the ongoing VCT 2022 Masters: Reykjavik.
Q: NIP are off to a great start with a victory against an EMEA giant like Fnatic. LOUD, another one of Brazil's representatives, is yet to play in the tournament. Judging by your performance against a top European side, what do you think about LOUD's chances of winning the Masters: Reykjavik?
Jonn: There is a really good chance. LOUD is a really good team. They've been improving since the beginning of VCT from Challengers until now. I would love to see a Brazilian finals (for Masters: Reykjavik).
Similar to Ninjas in Pyjamas, LOUD is a recently formed Brazilian roster that climbed the ranks of VCT 2022 to qualify for the Masters: Reykjavik as Brazil's #1 seed. Their unbeaten run in the Brazilian challengers strengthens the hopes that the Brazilian Valorant community has for their representatives at the Masters.
NIP had a monumental defeat to LOUD in the Grand Finals of the Brazilian Challengers. Judging by the performance of both sides within the region, LOUD is expected to have a bigger impact on Valorant's global competition than Ninjas in Pyjamas, and is eagerly awaited by the game's audience.
LOUD are set to play their first match of the VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters: Reykjavik against Team Liquid on April 15, 2022 at 01.30 am IST.
