These teams are looking to go all-out in the last big international tournament before Champions.
Twelve of the best Valorant teams in the world have converged in China to see who will claim Masters Shanghai. It’s the teams’ last chance to secure themselves an easy way into Champions Seoul so they’ll be holding nothing back. The fighting’s going to be fierce but we’ve got our eyes on five deadly teams this tournament.
FunPlus Phoenix
While EDward Gaming has been the face of Chinese Valorant for a while now, FPX has never been far behind. The organization was so eager to join the Valorant scene that they sponsored a team all the way in Europe before the Chinese came into effect. Suffice to say, they’re not lacking in motivation to compete among the best.
While FPX has struggled to find their footing internationally, they’ve always been in contention among the top Chinese teams. This year they’ve solidified themselves as China’s second best team, but with a Masters event being held on home turf we won’t be surprised if they make the push to become China’s number one.
100 Thieves
100 Thieves have had quite the resurgence in the last couple of months. After completely bombing out of the VCT Americas Kickoff tournament earlier this year they managed to completely turn it around and become America’s first seed.
That kind of 180 does wonders for one’s confidence, especially if you have a wildcard like Kelden “Boostio” Pupello on your team. The smack-talking team captain of 100 Thieves has been talking up a storm ever since they won Americas Stage 1. You can be sure that he’ll be showing off that boundless confidence to the other teams at Masters Shanghai.
Paper Rex
The most loveable team in Valorant is back on the international stage and looking better than ever. The start of the year may have been a little bumpy for them but they’re back to their winning ways as they enter Shanghai as the Pacific’s first seed.
Some may say that the team still looks shaky and haven’t recovered their form. Well, we’re here to say that Paper Rex has always been this way, always playing at the edge of success and total disaster. It’s what makes them so fun to watch and such a deadly team to face.
Fnatic
All eyes are on Fnatic as they’re coming in as the only team to win a previous Masters event. With the squad staying together for over a year now, they’re entering Masters Shanghai with something other teams might not have, a deep trust and synergy with one another.
Despite this, it’s hard to call Fnatic hard favorites as they’ve looked fallible at multiple points of the year. Still, if there’s one thing Fnatic is known for, it’s being clutch when it matters most. We’ll see if that’ll lead to them winning another Masters trophy.
Gen.G Esports
It’s taken them a while, but it seems that Gen.G has finally found their stride. After missing multiple international events last year, they now share top two in the Pacific with Paper Rex and are possibly the best South Korean team in the world.
Gen.G has come within touching distance of winning a major tournament multiple times now. They got a taste when they won the Pacific Kickoff tournament and were so close back in Masters Madrid. Now it looks like they’ve refocused and are ready to take it all the way in Shanghai.
Banner photo by Stefan Wisnoski/Riot Games.
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