The next international Valorant in Shanghai is just around the corner. If you’ve been out of the loop, here are the power rankings coming into the event!
#1 Paper Rex
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #1 (Asia Pacific)
Paper Rex finished third in Madrid, but a massive change was made in the roster. The team’s star player, Jinggg, surprisingly returned to the scene. Since the roster had not played together for several months, Jinggg and Paper Rex had a slow start to Stage 1. Though they maintained an extremely high win rate, the victories weren’t as clean as expected.
However, the experienced players on the roster woke up for the Playoffs, taking down Gen.G and T1 to eventually make it to the Grand Final. Jinggg was starting to play out of his mind, and the rest of the team did not lag behind, contributing equally to the team’s wins.
In the Grand Final, Paper Rex could get their revenge on Gen.G to win the entire Stage 1 tournament, securing the number one seed in the Pacific region. Paper Rex needs time to readjust to the roster, as they followed a different game plan while fielding Monyet.
With weeks of intermission between Stage 1 and Shanghai, we should expect Paper Rex to return to world domination.
#2 100 Thieves
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #1 (Americas)
It’s hard to believe that we’d be putting them this high on the list, but 100 Thieves has been seriously impressive. This team did not even qualify for Masters Madrid, but there’s something about the Boostio effect.
The 100 Thieves squad barely scraped past the Group Stage with a 3-2 record, one loss away from an early exit. Despite qualifying for the Playoffs, most had them written off as tougher competition awaited. However, they just suddenly popped off.
Boostio led the charge to defeat LOUD and Leviatan quickly to secure a spot in Shanghai, and everyone thought that would be where their run at Stage 1 ended. Again, fans were wrong, as 100 Thieves took down G2 Esports in the Upper Bracket Final and won the rematch in the Grand Final, too.
After years of missing out on LAN tournaments, all 100 Thieves needed was a capable in-game leader, which Boostio was. We can really see the impact of the captain that led Evil Geniuses to become world champions.
#3 Fnatic
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #1 (EMEA)
The former kings of Valorant are slowly coming back to claim their throne. Fnatic had a horrendous start to 2024 despite putting on a show the entire year before. Boaster and company missed out on Madrid after losing to Karmine Corp.
Things didn’t look good for Fnatic immediately. They finished the Group Stage with a 3-3 record and only made it through because of map differences. In the Knockout Round, the boys in orange had a close series against Team Liquid, almost resulting in elimination.
Fortunately, Fnatic got revenge on Karmine Corp in the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals to book tickets to China. They lost the next series to Team Heretics, getting completely outclassed on Breeze, 4-13.
Still, the Fnatic boys remained hungry, defeating FUT 3-1 in the Lower Bracket to set up a rematch against Team Heretics. Despite being down 0-2 in the Best of 5, the team displayed resilience and pulled off a reverse sweep to win 3-2.
There were still signs of shakiness from the Fnatic roster, but it might have been attributed to exhaustion, as highlighted by Chronicle on Twitter.
#4 Gen.G Esports
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #2 (Asia Pacific)
Gen.G placed second in Madrid, losing a close series to the Sentinels in the Grand Final. We won’t see the defending champions in Shanghai, so Gen.G will carry the torch. However, they have been dethroned by Paper Rex in the Pacific region.
The South Korean roster had not been performing as well as they did in the Kickoff tournament, only finishing the Group Stage with a 3-3 record. They dropped the ball against T1 in the Upper Bracket Semi-Finals, which is a significantly weaker team than them. Additionally, t3xture and the team almost surrendered their Shanghai slot to DRX but made an insane comeback to dodge a bullet.
Gen.G has looked very shaky in the Pacific Stage 1 tournament, so we can’t rate them too highly in the power rankings against international teams. Still, we can’t count them out as the players on the roster have a very high skill ceiling.
Meteor, in particular, must step up in Shanghai, as he was the team’s lowest-rated player in Stage 1.
#5 Leviatan
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #3 (Americas)
The Leviatan roster was crafted to win titles, but the team has not reached that stage yet. All five players had to go through a significant change, as the roster mixed in players from different countries, cultures, and playstyles.
Frankly, the only reason Leviatan qualified for Shanghai was because aspas and C0M were playing out of their minds in Stage 1. In games where aspas isn’t averaging a +30 K/D, Leviatan begins to struggle, which is a massive concern.
The Brazilian superstar was the highest-rated player in the entire Americas Stage 1 tournament, averaging a 1.25 rating and 1.51 KDR. We can easily say that aspas has returned to his world-champion form, but the same cannot be said for the remaining members.
The entire roster is built with star-studded players, but not all of them have stepped up to the task. Still, if all players find their form in Shanghai, we should expect Leviatan to be a contender for the trophy.
#6 FUT Esports
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #3 (EMEA)
FUT Esports, featuring world champion cNed, was a favorite to win the entire EMEA Stage 1 tournament. The Turks were performing very well in the early stages of the event, securing first in their group with a 4-1 record. However, they began falling off in the Playoffs.
The match between Team Heretics did not go as planned, as FUT received a 0-2 loss to fall to the Lower Bracket, where they faced Karmine Corp in a Shanghai qualification match. The team’s in-game leader, MrFaliN, led by example in the crucial series, dropping a 1.49 rating to sweep the series 2-0.
However, FUT could not stand up against Fnatic in the Lower Bracket Final, losing the series 1-3 after multiple close maps, ending the run at 3rd place.
The team’s star, cNed, finished Stage 1 with the highest Average Combat Score: 238.6 over 448 rounds. It is refreshing to see cNed back in a LAN tournament, as he missed Madrid.
#7 Team Heretics
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #2 (EMEA)
Team Heretics displayed that their first qualification to Madrid was not a fluke. They were easily the most impressive team in the EMEA region, even though they lost the Grand Final series against Fnatic.
However, their ranking has been downgraded as their young Duelist, MiniBoo, will sit out the tournament. The 18-year-old was burnt out after juggling professional Valorant with school and decided to take a short break. As a result, the team’s former player, paTiTek, will be the temporary replacement for Shanghai.
Though MiniBoo played a crucial role in the team’s success, it was Team Heretics’ Sentinel and Initiator who performed the best. Wo0t and benjyfishy were among the top ten highest-rated players in the tournament, averaging a 1.09 and 1.11 rating, respectively.
Still, the absence of one of their core players will undoubtedly shake up the team’s dynamics and toles. W0ot and paTiTek share the same role, so it will be interesting to see which will step up to play Duelist for the team.
#8 EDward Gaming
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #1 (China)
EDward Gaming finished the Stage 1 tournament in first place, solidifying themselves as the best team in China. They will play in VCT Masters Shanghai in front of their home crowd.
Though EDG got the job done and took the first seed, their performance was not convincing. Smoggy and the crew lost their Group Stage series against FunPlus Phoenix 1-2. Though FPX is a notable opponent, EDG should not be struggling against them, let alone dropping the series.
The Playoffs didn’t improve much, as FPX defeated EDG again in the Upper Bracket Final, this time with a clean 2-0. Despite ZmjjKK posting an ACS of 248, the rest of the team, notably nobody and Haodong, went completely missing.
Still, EDG climbed their way back from the Lower Bracket, taking on Dragon Ranger Gaming for a spot in the Grand Finals. The favorites got the job done but still dropped a map, 2-13 on Ascent, which was not a good sign.
Fortunately, EDG returned to form in the Grand Final, taking down FPX 3-1 to reclaim their throne. Still, if EDG remains in this form, we could easily see an early exit for the Chinese squad.
#9 G2 Esports
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #3 (Americas)
G2 Esports made a significant roster change before Stage 1, dropping their long-time teammate neT for young talent icy. Fans were outraged with this change, but the team proved it was the right move.
Despite lacking experience, icy was immediately promoted to the Duelist role, while leaf made way and began playing Sentinel agents. Leaf was performing exceptionally well in his new role, despite straying away from playing flashy Duelist characters he’s always been throughout his career.
However, the person to really step up in G2 Esports is the in-game leader, valyn. The captain was the 8th highest-rated player in the event despite playing the Controller role and shouldering the responsibilities of calling rounds, averaging a 1.13 rating.
Still, most of G2’s wins in Stage 1 weren’t too clean, and the team still had many issues. They barely qualified for the Playoffs and only made it past Sentinels through round differences. It is hard to expect this roster to deal heavy damage on the international stage, but they certainly have the potential to.
#10 FunPlus Phoenix
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #2 (China)
Since the start of the year, FunPlus Phoenix gradually improved and put up a great fight against their big brothers, EDward Gaming. The squad defeated EDG twice but fell short in the Grand Final, which might show a little inexperience in Best of 5 matches.
FunPlus Phoenix is a bold team that was first to pick Clove, the newest agent in the game, and winning. The team’s star player, Life, is playing explosive Valorant. He has played five different agents throughout Stage 1 and averaged 246.3 Average Combat Score, which is the third-highest in the league.
They have a very explosive and chaotic playstyle, and it’s hard to tell what’s going on in a round when they’re playing. This style creates highly entertaining matches and could make it harder for competitors to study them.
Still, we will probably see FunPlus Phoenix face an early exit in the tournament. To defy expectations, Life must put on a show, and he definitely has the capability to do so.
#11 Dragon Ranger Gaming
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #3 (China)
Dragon Ranger Gaming made it out of China’s Ascension league to join the big dogs. However, the team had too many imported players and had to make roster changes after their successful qualification. Fortunately, they could maintain vo0kashu, who is undoubtedly the team’s best player.
The Russian player strictly plays Killjoy and Cypher, and has become an extremely reliable anchor on defense, and an impactful player on offense thanks to his razor-sharp aim. We dare say he is the main reason why Dragon Ranger Gaming qualified to Shanghai in the first place.
The roster did show promising results in Stage 1, defeating a strong Tace Esports and leaving a dent in EDward Gaming by taking one map.
Still, Masters Shanghai would be the first international event for all players in the roster, and it’s imminent that their inexperience will show. Realistically, DRG should call their run a success if they win a single series, and probably will not make it out of the Group Stage.
#12 T1 Esports
Regional seeding at Stage 1: #3 (Asia Pacific)
Though we’re big fans of xccurate, it is with heavy heart that T1 will be ranked the weakest team in VCT Masters Shanghai.
The South Korean-based roster had an awful start to Stage 1, losing three matches in a row. T1 found scraps and managed to improve their Group Stage standing to 2-4, which, all things considered, is a terrible standing. Thanks to the “scuffed” format, T1 somehow made it through to the Playoffs with a 33% win rate.
T1 survived the Knockout Stage against Team Secret after a massive comeback on Sunset after a 3-9 first half. The stars aligned as Carpe led the team to defeat Gen.G in the qualification match to become the first Pacific team to book flights to Shanghai. After the massive win against Gen.G, T1 got what they came for, qualifying for Masters, but got blown out in their remaining matches, 0-2 to Paper Rex and 0-3 in the rematch against Gen.G.
Apart from one good series against Gen.G, there’s nothing much to praise about the T1 team. Still, it is very exciting to see xccurate playing in China. He broke through in Counter-Strike playing for TyLoo in Shanghai and will make his first international Valorant debut in the same city.
Header: Riot Games
