5 Valorant teams that ruled VCT 2022

With the introduction of the franchise league, the old Valorant era may have come to an end, but several teams in 2022 made a lasting impression with their outstanding play that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

The year 2022 has been crucial for Valorant since it saw the return of spectators to the most significant sporting events and the continuous global expansion of esports after the Covid-19 pandemic. The game’s esports landscape has changed significantly and it has achieved a new peak of popularity in 2022. DRX finally broke their top-4 curse, FunPlus Phoenix rose to prominence in Europe, and LOUD’s winning streak at Champions were just a few of the interesting storylines that made the headline in 2022.

These teams emerged from difficult scenarios to deliver remarkable performances that solidified their place in Valorant history and catapulted themselves to the top of the team rankings. Here are the top teams from 2022 VCT, taking into account their consistency, results in national and international competitions, and impact on the esports scene.

5. DRX Gaming

The renowned South Korean squad DRX came out swinging in 2022, dominating the regional VCT Korea 2022 and showcasing decent performances on the international stage. Following their fifth to sixth-place finishes at Masters: Reykjavik and Masters: Copenhagen earlier in 2022, DRX successfully broke their curse to finish in the top four at VALORANT Champions. As a result of the team’s impressive performance in 2022, the organization will return in the 2023 season with the same lineup.

4. Fnatic

Fnatic, widely regarded as one of the finest teams in the world, placed third at Masters: Reykjavk 2021, the inaugural international VCT event. They failed to advance to a final at an international event again despite qualifying for five of six global competitions in the last two years. The team secured third place in the 2022 EMEA Stage 1 Challenger before they dominated the entire European scene to capture the top place at the Stage 2 Challenger.

Fnatic had a lot riding on them going into the world championship as the top seed in Europe. The star-studded roster appeared promising in the initial matches and took down other international teams with ease. The team, however, crumbled during the playoffs, falling to the North American team XSET in the upper bracket before DRX put the icing on the cake in the lower bracket. Their performance did not result in top-four positioning, but they were able to generate some of the most memorable moments during the event.

3. Fun Plus Pheonix

The European powerhouse Fun Plus Pheonix conquered one of the most competitive regions and qualified for every international event in 2022. The team won the VCT Masters Copenhagen before finishing in the top four at Valorant Champions. All five members of the squad put up strong performances, but the team’s youngest player, Dmitry “SUYGETSU” Ilyushin, consistently caused a stir throughout the year with his dominating fragging ability. Thanks to his judicious utility usage, SUYGETSU—one of the top fraggers with technical prowess and map awareness—became a fan global Valorant sensation.

2. Optic Gaming

OpTic Gaming, which finished in the top three at all three international VCT competitions and won Masters 1, was by far the finest Valorant team of 2022. OpTic Gaming was the team that spoiled ZETA DIVISION’s cinderella run at the VCT 2022: Stage 1 Masters Reykjavk and became the champion. Additionally, the team made it to the Masters Copenhagen, where they finished third after dropping a knockout match to FunPlus Pheonix.

OpTic came dangerously close to winning the Champions trophy for North America but ultimately lost the grand finals to LOUD, the eventual champion and final team on the list. Despite having some of the top players from North America on the roster, it’s difficult to ignore Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker’s significance to the team’s success. According to VLR, yeah placed in the top three throughout all three of the major 2022 VCT tournaments in terms of average combat score, average damage per round, and average kills per round.

1. LOUD

LOUD, the undisputed elites of the Brazilian region, were crowned the Valorant world champions after they defeated OpTic Gaming 3-1 in the championship match. Entering the Valorant scene in 2022, LOUD didn’t lose even one series during their flawless run in the VCT Brazil Stage 1 and 2 Challengers. After LOUD took home the world championship, there were speculations that the team will attempt to win a second straight global title using the same lineup.

However, all expectations of seeing the title squad back together were dashed when LOUD revealed that Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi, Bryan “pANcada” Luna, and head coach Matheus “bzkA” Tarasconi would all be joining different teams for the upcoming season. LOUD’s hopes of defending their championship are undoubtedly jeopardized by the trio’s departure, However, LOUD still has three members of the roster from the champion team and they would put up the effort necessary to maintain their position at the top of the 2023 VCT. Brazil’s most cherished team, LOUD, knows how to overcome new challenges no matter what the odds may look like.

Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff via Riot Games