Valorant Masters

The first Valorant Masters of 2022 will take place once again in Reykjavik. The event will attract teams from all around the world, with participants placing amongst the top in their respective VCT Challenger events. Masters in Reykjavik is highly significant given it will be the first time the top teams from each respective region will get the chance to prove themselves on the global stage.

Image Credits | Riot Games

Format

The format for the VCT 2022 Masters 1 Reykjavik will be different compared to previous events, as for the first time, it will be hosting 12 teams.

Format 1

The 12 teams will be split into two groups of 6. After a best of 1 round robin, the top 4 teams of each group will advance to the playoffs while the bottom two teams of each group would be eliminated.

Format 2

Double elimination bracket. Based on seeding, the top teams in EMEA, NA, APAC & Brazil/LATAM will enter into the upper bracket of the quarterfinals. The other eight teams will battle it out, with the top 4 teams advancing into the upper bracket of the quarterfinals, while the bottom 4 four drop to the losers bracket.

Participating regions

Teams across all VCT regions will have representation at the 2022 Valorant Masters Reykjavik. However, the top performing regions in 2021 have additional representation in Masters 1.

• EMEA – 3 teams : With Acend winning the 2021 Valorant Champions, and three of the top four teams being from EMEA, it is no surprise the region will send its top 3 teams from the EMEA VCT to Masters.

• NA – 2 teams : North America teams were EMEAs largest competition. Sentinels had completely dominated the second 2021 Masters event, with NA also being the dominant region in Valorant’s early days.

• APAC – 2 teams : While APAC had started off slowly, being such a big region, it was only time until a team from APAC had been able to prove themselves on the global stage. The region had two teams advance into the quarterfinals of the 2021 Valorant Champions, earning the region two slots in Masters Reykjavik.

• Korea – 1 team
• Brazil – 1 team
• LATAM – 1 team
• Japan – 1 team
• LATAM vs. Brazil playoffs – 1 team : LATAM and Brazil while as a whole region are still developing, Gambit Esports and KRU Esports had been so dominant Riot could not overlook the potential coming from either region. As a result, the second team from the LATAM and Brazil VCT 1 will face off against each other, with the victor advancing to Masters Reykjavik.

Image Credits | Riot Games

When does Valorant Masters start?

Masters Reyjavik will begin on the 10th of April. The event will last two weeks until the 24th of April.

Where to watch Valorant Masters

The 2022 Valorant Masters in Reykjavik will be streamed live on the official YouTube and Twitch channel.

Who won previous the Valorant Masters events

2021 VCT Masters 1

The first Valorant Masters in 2021 was a regional event. This could be compared to being more like a 2022 VCT Challengers event in the playoffs stage.

• North America: Sentinels
• Europe: Acend
• CIS: Gambit Esports
• Turkey: Futbolist
• Korea: Vision Strikers
• Japan: Crazy Racoon
• SEA: X10 Esports
• Brazil: Team Vikings
• LATAM North: LDM Esports
• LATAM South: Australs

Image Credits | Sentinels

2021 VCT Masters 2

Very similar to this year, the 2021 VCT Masters 2 was the first global Valorant competition of the year. Additionally, Masters 2 in 2021 had also been hosted in Reykjavik. The location had been chosen due to its accessibility for Valorant players, read more about why Reykjavik may be the Valorant capital of the world.

Sentinels were the undisputed champions of the 2021 VCT Masters 2. Sentinels showed great promise even before star player Tenz joined the lineup. However, nobody expected the sheer domination Sentinels would achieve, going undefeated in the event.

Unfortunately, the Sentinels of 2022 have been disappointing. The team had fell to The Guard in the quarterfinals 0-2, before being kicked out by Version 1 right after in the lower bracket.

2021 VCT Masters 3

The final Masters of 2021 demonstrated that with the Valorant esports scene still developing, hidden talent remains everywhere. A perfect example was Gambit Esports, a team that had not competed in Masters 2, but had dominated their region throughout the year. The team were able to carry their strong domestic performance through, and did what many thought impossible, taking down G2 Esports 13-0. The team eventually went undefeated in both the semifinals and grand finals of the 2021 VCT Masters 3 in Berlin.