Valorant Champions 2022: Preview, favorites and storylines

Every year in the Valorant Champions Tour culminates with Valorant Champions. The event in which 16 of the top teams across the globe fight for recognition as the best Valorant team in the World.

Kicking off on the last day of August and concluding with the Grand Finals on September 18, Valorant Champions will take place in Istanbul Turkey. Teams will be fighting through a double elimination bracket, with the group and knockout stages being best-of-three competitions while the lower and Grand Finals will be best-of-five series. 

Valorant Champions favorites

Paper Rex 

The APAC champions have taken a step forward in every international tournament in 2022 and Valorant Champions might just be their time to shine. It took a god-like performance from Dmitry “Suygetsu” Ilyushin to stop them in the grand finals of the Stage 2 Masters in Copenhagen, but they should come back even stronger. The explosive gameplay has made the Singaporean team a fan favorite across the globe, and after beating OpTic in Copenhagen, they are a legit threat to win every event.

FunPlus Phoenix

While the rest of the world has had trouble handling NA’s best team, the EMEA has been doing that since the launch of the game. FPX beat the best teams from every region including DRX, FNATIC, OpTic, and Paper Rex, en route to winning their first LAN event in Valorant. Following an absolute masterclass display of FPS fundamentals, every team is aware of FPX’s caliber. With no travel issues to worry about, and beating the mental hurdle that FNATIC posed during their four-game winning streak, FPX is deservedly the team to beat in Valorant Champions.

OpTic Gaming

With their Copenhagen performance, OpTic proved why they weren’t worried about XSET’s rise in North America, but they are not invulnerable anymore. Cracks have started to show in the armor of the Masters Reykjavik champions, especially when Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker is not matching his extremely lofty standards.

100 Thieves have looked like a well-oiled machine in the NA LCQ, the EMEA continues to trouble North America, and LOUD are looking for revenge now that Paper Rex made OpTic look mortal. Despite all this, their championship experience is nothing to scoff at, given how they raised their performance with every match holding higher stakes.

LOUD

Following a heartbreaking loss in the Masters Rejkjavik Grand Finals and a disappointing exit at the Copenhagen Major, LOUD are looking to bounce back. Despite looking shaky at times against international competition, their level of dominance displayed within their region warrants them a spot among the favorites for Champions Istanbul. With the Chamber meta subsiding and other South American teams raising the level of play, Brazil’s pride just might come through and conquer the competition to become Valorant Champions.

Valorant Champions storylines

Somewhat expectedly, XSET fizzled out in Copenhagen but with international experience and a European Bootcamp under their belt, they are poised for a comeback. 100 Thieves crushed their opponents in the NA LCQ behind Derrek “Derrek” Ha’s insane clutch performances, but they need to step it up if they wish to leave a mark. FNATIC have all of the chips they need to start winning internationally, but they continue fumbling it near the finish line. Maybe Champions Istanbul is where it all comes together. 

Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom was performing like prime Michael Jordan during the EMEA LCQ but is that enough for an international tournament win? DRX probably need to drop the Phantoms and get with the Vandal meta, while all eyes will be on EDG to see the level that Chinese Valorant has reached.

Header: Riot Games