VCT Masters Tokyo is set to kick off on June 11 with the top teams from the three international Valorant leagues and China fighting for the trophy in Japan. Out of the 12 teams qualified for the event, here are five players that fans should keep their eyes on throughout VCT Masters Tokyo for individual plays.
VCT Masters Tokyo is the second international tournament of the partnered league era for Valorant esports. At VCT LOCK//IN, fans got a taste of what every team in the VCT leagues has to offer. Now, only the best of the best will compete for the trophy, prize money, and an additional regional slot at Valorant Champions 2023.
Here are five players from those 12 teams that fans should keep an eye on during the competition. This selection includes rookies looking to showcase their skills on the international stage for the first time, returning veterans with something to prove, and in-form players ready to tear up the tournament.
DRX Foxy9
DRX has been utilizing Jung ‘Foxy9’ Jae-sung a lot since VCT LOCK//IN, and his presence has added some much-needed firepower to the roster. While he is technically the team’s substitute player, Foxy9 appeared in every regular season match and almost every playoff stage series. The 18-year-old player has played only Jett and Raze for DRX and has cemented himself as one of the more exciting Duelists to watch in the VCT Pacific league.
While he hasn’t set the league on fire (he is only joint-sixth for kills per round and has a 1.02 VLR rating), Foxy9 has shaken up the old DRX dynamic for the better. He can replace any player in the squad, according to the team’s coach, forcing everyone to be at their absolute best at all times.
Fans should keep an eye on how Foxy9 performs at his first international tournament and see if he can maintain his solid run of form.
LOUD Less
LOUD continues its streak of international event appearances as VCT Masters Tokyo is the fourth consecutive tournament the Brazilian squad has qualified for. The team’s Sentinel player, Felipe ‘Less’ Basso, was a big part of their first-place finish in the VCT Americas league.
Less has been one of LOUD’s most consistent performers this season and put up impressive numbers in a role that isn’t expected to frag out. Less was in the top five in VCT Americas for average combat score, kill/death ratio, average damage per round and kills per round across the regular season and the playoffs.
Players who appear alongside him in those statistics include his teammate Erick ‘aspas’ Santos, Zachary ‘zekken’ Patrone and Nathan ‘leaf’ Orf, all of whom play more aggressive and kill-oriented roles. Less has also taken on some in-game leading responsibilities for LOUD, making these numbers that much more impressive.
NAVI cNed
Viewers of international Valorant competitions missed Mehmet ‘cNed’ İpek during the 2022 season. After winning Valorant Champions 2021 with Acend, the Turkish Jett and the rest of the squad fell off a cliff and did not make any international tournament appearances in 2022.
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cNed is back in form this year as part of NAVI. The Ukrainian organization signed four players from the FunPlus Phoenix roster that won VCT Masters Copenhagen and paired them with cNed to create an EMEA super team. After finishing behind Fnatic in the regular season, however, the squad suffered a dip in form and earned only the last EMEA seed in Tokyo.
While he hasn’t lit up the European region like in years past, cNed will have the opportunity to showcase his talent on the international stage as he did in 2021 and remind the Valorant community why he was once feared for his Jett play.
T1 Sayaplayer
Ha ‘Sayaplayer’ Jung-woo is unique among the horde of players coming to Masters Tokyo as the South Korean Duelist was previously seen on The Guard, the North American team that attended VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters Reykjavík. Back then, he looked out of his depth as the team went out in 7th-8th place without a series win to their name.
Sayaplayer is now looking to set the record straight after a successful VCT Pacific split with T1. As the team’s main Duelist, he managed to finish in the league’s top five for K/D ratio, average damage per round and first kills per round.
The entry fragger looks unleashed in the Korean-speaking squad and might be able to erase his previous poor international showing with T1 in Japan.
Evil Geniuses Demon1
Previously thought to be missing this tournament, Max ‘Demon1′ Mazanov will make his international debut for Evil Geniuses at VCT Masters Tokyo. The now shaved-head competitor has turned heads since he debuted for EG in the second week of the VCT Americas’ regular season.
Demon1 was a big reason his team was able to qualify for Tokyo. After leading the way in the playoff match against NRG with 73 frags, he posted a 1.44 VLR rating against Cloud9 to help his team secure a spot at the Masters event.
While primarily a Jett player, Demon1 has also played Brimstone and Killjoy for the team. Even on those two supportive Agents, he has managed to rack up kills and put his team in advantageous positions.
Fans should keep an eye on the EG player to see how he measures up against international competition and whether he will remain the team’s X-factor against new types of opponents, with different playing styles.
