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The first international VCT tournament of the year is almost here, as VCT Masters Tokyo begins on 11 June 2023. The event will feature 12 teams across the three VCT regions of Americas, EMEA, and Pacific. The best teams from these regions have qualified for this event, and the tournament will surely display Valorant gameplay at its peak.
The tournament also features new names that the global audience may not be familiar with. These underdog teams, however, have real potential to shake things up and make the tournament an exciting occasion.
This article will list the top five underdog teams fans need to keep an eye out for at VCT Masters Tokyo 2023.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion
FUT Esports, Evil Geniuses, T1 and two other teams are big underdogs at VCT Masters Tokyo 2023
5) Attacking Soul Esports
Attacking Soul Esports is one of the two Chinese teams at Masters Tokyo. The team is relatively unknown to the global audience, and it is hard to gauge their potential at this event against international competition.
Regardless of their inexperience at an international level, Attacking Soul Esports has been one of the most dominant teams regionally. They defeated rivals EDward Gaming in the FGC Invitational 2023: Act 1 grand finals to become the number one seed heading into Masters Tokyo. The team's star players include former EDG Duelist Qu "Life" Donghao and soon-to-be fan-favorite Zhang "hfmi0dzjc9z7" Jungcheng.
Attacking Soul Esports is an unknown quantity and has the potential to cause major upsets. The Chinese region is already renowned for its incredible mechanical prowess, and this team has the opportunity to prove that Chinese Valorant is here to play in the VCT circuit.
4) Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses have been the biggest surprise from the VCT Americas region. Their meteoric rise towards the latter half of the season, followed by a miraculous bracket stage run, earned them a spot at Masters Tokyo.
The team was spearheaded by Duelist Max "Demon1" Mazanov, who performed exceptionally well. The team also looked cohesive and had good fundamentals along with great set plays to secure rounds.
Demon1 and the rest of Evil Geniuses have showcased their talent regionally and are looking to prove they are the ultimate underdog and a legitimate threat at Masters Tokyo. Their opening match against another underdog, FUT Esports, should set the tone for their performance at the international event
3) EDward Gaming
EDward Gaming is a familiar face for VCT fans who follow the scene closely. The Chinese team made their international debut at Valorant Champions 2022, where they were already considered dark horses due to their sheer mechanical talent and aim.
The team has continued this trajectory since then and has had a dominant start to their 2023 VCT season. Apart from the grand finals defeat to Attacking Soul Esports, the team has been the strongest in China. The core of Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang, Guo "Haodong" Haodong, and Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao have been excellent and are key players to watch out for.
The squad comes into Masters Tokyo as huge underdogs with the potential to cause major upsets. Despite the difficult group they see themselves in, EDward Gaming has a fantastic chance at showcasing its capabilities to the global audience and getting more experience under its belt.
2) FUT Esports
FUT Esports are the definition of hard work and dedication paying off in the long run. The Turkish team's core came from the tier-two scene of EMEA Valorant and remained with the roster even after franchising. Many people expected FUT Esports to be a bottom-tier team, but they proved everyone wrong during the VCT 2023 EMEA season.
The team showed exceptional individual skill, with each player winning critical aim duels. FUT Esports also dispelled the criticism of Turkish teams being too reliant on aim as they showed a clear understanding of various maps along with beautiful strategies and team play. The star players from this roster are Ata "ATA KAPTAN" Tan, Konur "qw1" Alp Şahin, and Doğukan "qRaxs" Balaban.
FUT Esports is a dark horse at Masters Tokyo. The team has showcased they can compete with the best of the best and give the top-tier teams a run for their money. They have the opportunity to bring the Turkish Valorant scene back into the spotlight at Masters Tokyo.
1) T1
T1 had a rocky start to their VCT season but made huge improvements rapidly throughout the VCT Pacific regular season and playoffs to earn their spot at Masters Tokyo.
The team's addition of former Overwatch pro player Lee "Carpe" Jae-Hyeok has clearly paid off, with Carpe rapidly improving over the course of the season. The team's star players Ha "Sayaplayer" Jung-woo and Son "Xeta" Seon-Ho, have been crucial factors in the success of T1. Zeta's shotcalling and performance as an in-game leader has been widely praised. The team often adopts an aggressive playstyle and is never afraid to back down from a fight.
T1 is in a difficult group, and many viewers do not expect them to make it out. The team, however, has the talent and teamwork capable of defeating world-class teams, as evidenced by their close games against regional rivals Paper Rex and DRX. T1 has great potential to make a good run at Masters Tokyo and should not be underestimated.
