It’s unanimously agreed – nothing is more excited than an esports fan during the post-season. Accordingly, a year of competition all boils down to one final competition. Indeed, the VALORANT Champions 2022 event looks to be insane and we have to discuss it. Read on for our very own predictions in this featured article!
Before we progress, do note that this is an opinionated ranking based on team’s past and our predictions.
VALORANT Champions 2022 – Top Seeded Teams
- OpTic Gaming
- FunPlus Phoenix
- Fnatic
- Paper Rex
Firstly, we have our favourites. These are teams which many have their eyes on and have consistently shown to be the best in the world.
Naturally, these are also our top 4 teams from VCT Copenhagen earlier this year.
Starting with OpTic Gaming, they are naturally a favourite after winning VCT Reykjavik and bringing glory to the North American region. However, one team in particular couldn’t attend this event and they were the eventual winners of VCT Copenhagen (Stage 2).
Indeed, the question stands – would FunPlus Phoenix have won VCT Reykjavik if they managed to attend it?
Obviously, these are questions we can’t answer. All we know is that FunPlus Phoenix and OpTic are the reigning champions from this past season of season events.
In addition, from the last event, Fnatic and Paper Rex looked simply phenomenal. With Fnatic complementing the dominance of Europe, they’re risen thanks to their roster changes earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, Paper Rex took the opportunity to finally show off the incredibly fun APAC playstyle after multiple consistent finishes.
Middle of the Pack Teams – Contenders
- XSET
- DRX
- XERXIA
- ZETA Division
- LOUD
- Leviatan
Moving on, we have teams who sit high in our list, but definitely not at the very top.
From this list of teams, we’d like to point out that DRX and Leviatan may be considered better than the rest following their performances at VCT Copenhagen. With both managing to place 5-6th, DRX in particular were expected to place in the top 4 but failed to do so.
Meanwhile, Leviatan has proved to the world that they are another contender from South America, clearly contending with LOUD. Although LOUD have been respected as a dominant team, their 11-12th finish at VCT Copenhagen was incredibly disappointing.
Furthermore, the likes of XSET, XERXIA and ZETA Division are all looking to surprise the top dogs. While they all have international experience, they have the opportunity to pull of some upsets on the largest stage in the world perhaps early on in the tournament.
Last Chance Qualifiers 2022 – Dark Horses
- 100 Thieves
- Team Liquid
- KRU Esports
- FURIA Esports
- EDward Gaming
- BOOM Esports
Definitely the most difficult teams to rank are the Last Chance Qualifier teams. Across the world, a total of six regional leagues produced the toughest teams out there wanting to compete.
For those who recall last year, KRU Esports was a team that shocked the world. Finishing 3-4th at VALORANT Champions 2021, they haven’t managed to replicate this performance internationally – maybe they’ll succeed once again this year?
Also finishing 3-4th last year is Team Liquid from Europe. Naturally, as an EMEA team they will likely outperform teams from other regions for this sole reason. With regards to the remaining international experience, 100 Thieves has demonstrated potential while FURIA has always struggled.
Meanwhile, both EDward Gaming and BOOM Esports look to make their international debut – we can’t wait to see them compete.
VALORANT Champions 2022 – The Next Level
So, in conclusion there are a tonne of storylines heading into the final event of the year – as it should be. Backed by an exciting live crowd, the viewership numbers look to also be incredible.
With regards to competition, this is always the time of year where surprises happen and teams turn it up a notch. We can’t wait to see it all kick off!
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