The VALORANT Champions Tour Stage Two Masters Two Reykjavik tournament gave fans their first taste of international competition. The best teams from each region competed for the title of the top VALORANT squad in the world, which Sentinels secured after an impressive undefeated run.
While each region sent a talented team to represent them in Iceland, there are still several squads that we think can compete on the international stage. Here are six teams we want to see in Masters Three Berlin that didn’t make it to Iceland.
Vision Strikers
Vision Strikers dominated the Korean region in VALORANT for the better part of a year and achieved a baffling 102-game win streak. The team won Korea First Strike, Masters One, and several other smaller events and tournaments during their unstoppable reign.
But they were eventually defeated by F4Q in the Korea Stage Two Challengers event and eliminated by NUTURN in the playoffs. These two losses ended Vision Strikers’ incredible undefeated run and prevented them from appearing in the first international LAN.
Vision Strikers has made significant changes to its roster in preparation for Masters Three Berlin, however. Kim “glow” Min-soo, the longtime captain of Vision Strikers, announced his retirement two weeks after the team failed to qualify for Masters Two Reykjavik. The team added BuZz and babo to replace glow and will move forward with a six-man roster.
Vision Strikers are still one of the best teams in the world and would’ve appeared in Iceland if there was another spot for Korea. Fortunately for them, Masters Three Berlin will have two Korean spots, so fans could get to see the incredible team go head to head with the best in the world at the event.
Envy
Envy are easily one of the best VALORANT teams in North America but have struggled to win a significant tournament despite consistently qualifying for these events. They made it into the First Strike semifinals but were eliminated by TSM, finishing in the top-four slot alongside Sentinels.
They also made it into the NA Masters One tournament and started strong with a win against Gen.G but were sent to the lower bracket by FaZe Clan and eventually eliminated by Gen.G. Envy’s story was similar in the VCT NA Challenges Two finals, where they made it to round three of the lower bracket before being eliminated by Version1.
Envy have consistently proven that they’re a top team in North America and have finished in at least the top four in the last three significant tournaments. They have an all-star roster of previous CS:GO players led by Pujan “FNS” Mehta and have had one of the most consistent rosters in NA VALORANT. If they can slightly adjust their performance, they could secure one of the three North American spots in Masters Three Berlin.
Cloud9 Blue
Cloud9 Blue struggled to perform in the early days of VALORANT despite having one of the best players in the world, Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, on its starting roster. TenZ eventually left the team to focus on content creation but returned to competitive play with Sentinels.
The team had trouble without TenZ in VCT Stage One but managed to qualify for the Challengers Finals in Stage Two. There, they swept Envy and NRG Esports in the upper bracket before facing TenZ and Sentinels. The series went to map three and included an impressive 13-1 Cloud9 win on Split, usually one of Sentinels’ best maps. But Sentinels eventually sent C9 to the lower bracket to face Version1 in the lower finals.
V1 beat C9, but they once again took the series to a third map and were just one win away from qualifying for Masters Two Reykjavik. C9 Blue have come a long way since the early days of VALORANT and they’re capable of breaking into the top echelon of North America. If C9 Blue can maintain the same performance they had in the Challengers Finals, they’ll continue to climb the ranks and be a contender for a spot in Berlin.
FunPlus Phoenix
FunPlus Phoenix didn’t qualify for Masters Two Reykjavik, but they’re still among the best VALORANT teams in Europe. They have a similar track record to Envy since both teams consistently qualify for significant events and tournaments but can never finish the job.
FPX finished in third place in the First Strike: Europe tournament after losing in the semifinals against SUMN FC. They went on to make it into EU Masters One but once again finished in the top-four spot after losing to Ascend.
FPX most recently lost against Team Liquid and Gambit Esports in the EMA Challengers Playoffs group play, which prevented them from making it to Iceland. Despite this setback, FPX are still ranked as the third-best team in Europe, according to VLR.gg, and are one of the best squads in the region.
The team is led by CS:GO veteran Kirill “ANGE1” Karasiow and has the potential to make it to Masters Three Berlin if they can slightly improve their performance in Stage Three.
Acend
Acend dominated in VCT Stage One and finished as the Masters One champions. But the team couldn’t replicate their performance in Stage Two and failed to qualify for the EMEA Challengers Playoffs.
This was a disappointing finish for a team considered to be one of the best in Europe, but there’s still hope for redemption. Acend recently parted ways with koldamenta, who was a vital part of the team’s early success. Aleksander “zeek” Zygmunt, a former player for G2, joined the team after koldamenta’s departure and is an excellent addition. Acend still has its core roster, which includes cNed, one of the world’s best Jett players.
Acend should be able to make their way back into the top of the European professional standings and could make it to Berlin.
Absolute JUPITER
Absolute JUPITER are another team that should’ve made it to Masters Two Reykjavik but were limited by the one slot allocated for Japan. The team is undoubtedly one of the best in Japan alongside Crazy Raccoon and they were the squad to beat before the VALORANT Champions Tour.
First Strike: Japan was a cakewalk for Absolute JUPITER, who won the event without dropping a map. They had a similarly successful run in Masters Two, where they made it to the grand finals with little trouble. Crazy Raccoon stopped the rampage with a 3-0 victory, however.
Once again, the team made it into the next significant event, the Japan VCT Stage Two Challengers Finals, and made it through the first two series without losing a map. But Crazy Raccoon continued to be the thorn in Absolute JUPITER’s side and sent them to the lower bracket.
Absolute JUPITER made it back into the grand finals but were eliminated by Crazy Raccoon for the second time in a major tournament. The good news is Masters Three Berlin has two spots allocated for Japan, which should be easy for Absolute JUPITER to secure. Crazy Raccoon failed to win a series at Masters Two Reykjavik, but Absolute JUPITER might be able to make it further than their regional rival in Berlin.
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Source: https://dotesports.com/valorant/news/6-valorant-teams-that-failed-to-qualify-for-masters-2-reykjavik-but-could-turn-heads-in-berlin
