Valorant Champions Tour is well underway, with teams across the world battling for dominance and recognition. We have finally reached the midpoint of the Challengers, and the second round of the event is slowly unfolding. This will be a potential turning point for some of the teams who have missed Challengers 1, and a chance for them to catch up and perhaps even secure a spot at the upcoming Masters event.
This time we’ll be covering the European region, focusing on team power rankings and individual player performance. With a large variety of teams, the region offers some great Valorant betting opportunities.
The European Scene
Compared to NA, the European region had a slightly slower start, but right now the scene is absolutely thriving. G2 Esports, who is widely considered as one of the best teams in the world, have finally found their groove and qualified for the second round of Challengers. We also saw esports giants such as Fnatic and OG join the fray, after realizing the massive potential in Valorant right now. Overall, the region is in a very stable shape, and things are looking great.
1. G2 Esports
Currently ranking as the top-grossing team in the world, and with an impressive record behind them, the G2 squad is looking incredible. The surprising defeat, they experienced in the first round of Challengers only made them determined, and as a result, they’re now more confident than ever.
This is evident in their most recent performance, where they powered through the second round of open qualifiers with a 100% win rate, taking down each opponent with ease. With mixwell’s leadership, as well as his aggressive Jett playstyle, the crew finds quick openings and coordinates swift attacks. Zeek, being the newest addition to the team, is an absolute clutch master, capable of carrying rounds even when all seems lost. If they keep up the pace, they’ll have no issues going forward.
2. Team Heretics
The First Strike Champions are in good spirits, as the team is now playing in the Challengers 2 event after powering through the qualifiers. With a roster of six, they have proven to be very flexible, which was displayed during the final match of the qualifiers when they faced Chakalaka without lowel. Lowel, who was the MVP of First Strike Europe, couldn’t play due to a finger infection, but the crew still managed to push through. Once lowel fully recovers, they’ll be playing at their full capacity once again.
3. Fnatic
Despite jumping into Valorant at the beginning of the month, the boys from Fnatic have already been steamrolling the competition. The ex-SUMN FC crew are on a roll, easily overpowering everyone in both rounds of qualifiers, and qualifying each time.
Whether he’s playing Raze or Jett, Doma is always in his element, and is a constant threat on every map. Boaster is usually on his Breach, initiating fights, but he’s fully capable of swapping to a wide array of agents depending on what the team needs. Tsack is there to provide vision and map coverage for the rest of the guys, and is an invaluable asset. With such a well-balanced team setup, the squad is bound to cause trouble for anyone they end up facing down the road.
4. Ninjas in Pyjamas
I guess we can now safely say that this team is G2’s biggest nightmare, seeing how they single-handedly ditched them from both Challenger rounds. The first time they faced each other, NiP won with a close third match, which could have caused some fans to call it a fluke or just bad luck on G2’s part. However, NiP was determined to shut down all possible excuses when they demolished G2 again, only this time with a clear 2:0 victory.
The guys from NiP have secured themselves the spot at the Masters, and can now enjoy a well-deserved rest. This squad is incredibly underrated, and they deserve all the spotlight they’ll be getting from this point onward.
5. Team Liquid
Team Liquid is currently placed in the middle of the EU top 10, with incredible potential, but just a bit short on the performance side.
ScreaM is undoubtedly the hard carry in this lineup, especially considering his CS:GO past, where he had one of the best headshot ratios in the history of the game. This is also evident through the second round of Challenger 2 qualifiers, where he scored an average headshot ratio of 30%, which is pretty high considering that most score around low 20%.
One issue the team runs into is their abysmal performance on attack sides, where they can’t seem to figure out what to do, and in certain situations even run out of time. Whether it’s bad rotation, or perhaps lack of proper leadership and communication, it’s certain that something is off. They need to figure out a way to fix this huge weak spot because other teams will exploit this to their advantage.
6. FunPlus Phoenix
FunPlus crew are sitting in a really good spot, currently competing in Challengers 2, but with an added advantage of qualifying directly from Challengers 1. The team is very well-organised in terms of their positioning and decision-making, using their entire toolkit to take objectives and reach key spots that will allow them an advantageous position.
The most interesting thing about FunPlus is how well they use their ultimates. On a lot of maps, they’ll use ultimates to stall the opponent and prevent them from pushing in, meanwhile on others, they’ll do the opposite flip and create openings for the team. This effective ultimate usage they’ve developed is somewhat of a signature style for the team, and just like having a good weapon economy, this is also a crucial aspect that allows the team to perform as well as they do.
7. Alliance
Alliance is one of the teams that have already qualified for the Masters event. Who would have guessed that they’d come this far in less than a month after finalizing their roster. Despite being a long-standing esports organisation, Valorant is a completely new frontier for them, and yet here they are.
Alongside Ninjas in Pyjamas, this team might be one of the biggest surprises in the European scene. Up until recently, they weren’t on anyone’s radar. Even now, after beating Wave Esports in Challengers 2, many are left scratching their head. The boys from Alliance are on the tracks leading straight to success, and we’ll definitely see more of them in the upcoming Masters event.
8. Wave Esports
This young European underdog team has a promising future ahead. Countless hours of practice have led to them developing a unique style of rushes and aggressive play, that can catch teams off guard.
The squad is betting everything on this strategy, utilizing Carcass and murii as a deadly duo to break the opponent’s defense and continue with the onslaught. They are confident they can take on anyone, but the EU scene is strong, and it’s going to be a challenge.
9. OG
Everyone knows OG – the crowned kings of Dota 2, and back-to-back International champions. They’ve conquered one esports title, and now they have their eyes set on another.
After signing Monkey Business, OG effectively became a part of the Valorant Champions Tour race. It was an opportunity the organisation couldn’t resist.
Monkey Business already paved the way to Challengers 2, which was an incredible feat for a team without the backing of an organisation. Under the OG banner, the team is expected to perform on an even higher level. They have great team synergy and are playing very smart, but what truly stands out is the performance from Elllements. When he’s playing Reyna, he’s truly a beast you don’t wanna cross paths with.
10. Guild Esports
Guild Esports seem to be a team that performs well during the qualifiers, but when it’s crucial for them to win in order to go further and stay in the game, they completely fall apart under pressure.
While they did qualify for Challengers 1, they immediately got eliminated by Monkey Business. After that, during the second round of qualifiers, they went all the way to the end, but choked against Fnatic and lost in the overtime in the third map.
We could chalk it up to bad luck, but it’s best if the guys sit down and analyze what went wrong in those matchups, and focus on implementing a new strategy that will prevent such situations from occurring in the future.
Hereticsa person who holds religious beliefs in conflict with the dogma of the Roman Catholic ChurchMore (Definitions, Synonyms, Translation)