The Challengers 2 Playoffs for each region have concluded. Twelve teams championing their regions will fight it out to be crowned Masters 2 Copenhagen champions. Placement in this tournament will also decide points heading into the LCQ and Champions Istanbul. Here are the VALORANT Masters 2 Copenhagen teams.
[Related: Guild Esports and Fnatic lock Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen spots]
North America
North America sends two teams to Masters 2 Copenhagen: XSET and OpTic Gaming. Previous Masters 1 first seed The Guard failed to qualify for regional playoffs, going 1-4 in the groups stage.
XSET breaks their fourth place curse and qualify for Masters 2 as North America’s first seed. Previously, the roster had failed to qualify for 2021’s Masters Berlin, the LCQ, and 2022’s Masters 1 Reykjavík. XSET’s most recent playoffs run had them enter 4-1 in the Groups Stage as first seed, then only losing to OpTic Gaming in the Upper Bracket Final 1-3. Defeating FaZe Clan 3-1 for the Copenhagen spot then led to a rematch against OpTic, with another 3-1 win to secure the first seed in North America.
OpTic Gaming, previous Masters 1 Reykjavík Champions, enter Copenhagen once again as the second seed. OpTic Gaming has continued to show their dominance after returning to North America, only ever dropping two series in their Challengers 2 run. Their success can be heavily contributed to Victor “Victor” Wong and Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker. These two players show up with outstanding agent mastery on Neon, KAY/O and Chamber, with utility focused on team executes, leading to consistent bomb plants and site retakes. Although they lost the domestic Grand Finals 1-3, OpTic’s fame for match preparation and practice still sees them as the favorites for a repeat victory.
EMEA
Fnatic previously came to Masters 1 injured, coming in with two substitutes and falling short in the groups stage at 12th place. Since then, Fnatic has officially signed Enzo “Enzo” Mestari and scouted Emir Ali “Alfajer” Beder. These roster changes have immediately turned Fnatic into the dominant EMEA force, going completely undefeated in Challengers 2. Only dropping five maps in total, Fnatic steamrolled their groups and playoffs to secure first seed.
FunPlus Phoenix come into Copenhagen as the second seed of EMEA, having previously been unable to attend Masters 1 due to travel restrictions. Now prepared with additional substitutes should the same situation come again, FPX is looking to make a splash in their first 2022 international showing. In Challengers 2, FPX went 3-2 in the groups stage, only losing to Fnatic and Acend. Their playoffs run would find them defeating Acend in a Lower Bracket Rematch, before coming in second place, being defeated by Fnatic both times.
Guild Esports enters in their first ever international appearance as EMEA’s third seed. In Challengers 1, they went 3-2 before falling to M3 Champions and Team Liquid consecutively in the playoffs. Ever since their fall, Guild has trained and improved, now topping their group 4-1 in Challengers 2. Defeating M3 Champions in a playoffs rematch earned their spot to Copenhagen, before falling to Fnatic and FPX. The agent mastery from Nikita “trexx” Cherednichenko on Raze and Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel on Chamber are Guild’s greatest strengths, and what they will lean on going into Copenhagen.
Korea
DRX continues their streak as Korea’s representatives to international events, handily beating Maru Gaming 3-0 in the Challengers 2 Grand Finals. Their last appearance in Masters 1 saw a fifth place finish from close losses against OpTic Gaming and ZETA DIVISION. Since coming back to Korea, DRX has taken no breaks, finishing a perfect 7-0 Groups Stage and Playoffs run. With no maps dropped in the Playoffs at all, DRX continues to grow with each Challengers and Masters they attend. Going into Copenhagen, DRX is looking to claim a Korean victory for the first time.
Japan
Challengers 2 saw the increase in the skill level of Japanese teams, and a new representative of the region. Northeption took down previous title holders ZETA DIVISION 3-1 to claim the Japanese slot at Masters 2 Copenhagen. The newest acquisition of Daichi “Derialy” Doi proved to be the improvement Northeption needed to step up to ZETA’s dominance. The ability of each member of Northeption to flex onto any agent paves the way for their success, with a total of fifteen different agents used altogether.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS！！！！
vs ZETA DIVISION (@zetadivision)
3-1 WIN–@JoXJo_by
–@Meteorvlrt
–@derialy
–@blackwiz_csgo
–@xnfri_
–@bailvlrt (coach)本当にたくさんの応援ありがとうございました😭😭😭
コペンハーゲン行くぞ！！
引き続き応援よろしくお願いします！！#VCTJP #NthWIN pic.twitter.com/Smi5JtS0SU— NORTHEPTION (@northeption) June 26, 2022
APAC
Two familiar faces rise once again from APAC: Paper Rex and XERXIA. Paper Rex steamrolled through the Malaysia & Singapore Challengers and APAC Groups and Playoffs stages, not dropping a single series. Paper Rex continues to be a tier above the rest of APAC, 2-0 Team Secret and 3-0ing XERXIA, not letting either team get double digit rounds on any maps.
XERXIA enters again as the second seed, beating Team Secret 2-1 in a rematch series to clinch the playoffs spot. Thanachart “Surf” Rungapajaratkul is the duelist to watch, with his Jett consistently saving rounds and maps in the lower bracket playoffs run. With no changes from either roster in the past stage, APAC is looking to repeat their past success to disrupt the status quo.
Brazil and LATAM
The Brazilian powerhouse LOUD continued their regional dominance from where they left off, perfecting the Groups Stage 7-0 before clean sweeping the Playoffs. All of this was done without dropping a single map in the entirety of Challengers 2. A 3-0 victory against Ninjas in Pyjamas earned LOUD a return ticket to Masters 2, with high expectations on their heads.
Latin America sees a new first seed entering Copenhagen in Leviatán, who beat previous representatives KRÜ Esports 3-0 to qualify as LATAM’s first seed. Fabianv “Shy” Usnayo joined the team on June 12 to rousing success as their new Initiator. Shy plays multiple agents proficiently and is a consistent force on the team, averaging above 200 ACS in the playoffs. Leviatán’s scrappy playstyle and mid round adjustments will be their biggest strength going into Masters 2.
Brazil vs LATAM Last Chance Qualifier
Ninjas in Pyjamas and KRÜ Esports competed in the Brazil vs LATAM LCQ on June 30. KRÜ Esports took the series 3-0 and claimed the last Masters 2 Copenhagen spot. This match decided seeding for the two regions going into the event, with Leviatán proceeding straight to the playoffs stage while LOUD are in the groups stage. Leviatán now is considered the First Seed for LATAM, with KRÜ Esports as the second seed. LOUD will attend Copenhagen as the sole representative of Brazil.
Masters 2 Copenhagen will start on July 10 and go through July 24. Of the twelve VALORANT Masters 2 Teams attending, all will earn VCT Circuit Points, but only one will be crowned champion. The matches onwards have major implications for the Last Chance Qualifier, with teams potentially locking their spot for Champions later this year.
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