The American esports organisation, OpTiC Gaming, won the first Valorant Champions Tour Masters event in Reykjavík. They defeated LOUD in the Grand Final and established themselves as the number one team in the world right now.
OpTiC claimed the biggest chunk of the $675,000 prize pool, taking home $200,000 and earning 750 VCT 2022 Circuit Points, which immediately bumped them up the first spot. The second spot went to LOUD, followed by ZETA DIVISION and then Paper Rex.
OpTiC’s Stage 1 Masters Run
OpTiC’s run in VCT Masters Reykjavík was relatively smooth. They finished second in group B and immediately began their climb in the playoffs bracket. The first match they played was against their fellow countrymen, The Guard. They were the ones who defeated OpTiC in the VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers at the very end and left the tournament as the top seeded team.
The rematch didn’t disappoint. Both teams gave it their all, but ultimately, it was OpTiC who were left standing. A quick 2 – 1 win and the quarterfinals were over.
Next came DRX, the Korean powerhouse that dominated group A, but just like The Guard, they quickly fell and OpTiC secured yet another 2 – 1 win and moved into the upper bracket final. However, this is where they encountered their first setback in the playoffs.
LOUD proved to be more of a challenge than OpTiC initially anticipated. Their fast-paced playstyle caught them off guard and OpTiC ended up losing and dropping into the lower bracket final to fight ZETA DIVISION who climbed the lower bracket. While many wished to see a LOUD vs. ZETA grand final, OpTiC Gaming wouldn’t have it. They demolished ZETA in a quick 3 – 0 sweep and proceeded into the grand final for a rematch with LOUD.
The grand final went to OpTic, where they defeated LOUD with 3 – 0. Despite what the score might suggest, LOUD put up a great fight and made OpTiC really sweat for their victory. In the end, after all the ups and downs, OpTic were victorious.
What’s Next?
Now that the VCT Masters in Reykjavík is behind us, it’s time to see what comes next. You’ll be happy to know that we won’t have to wait long before the next set of Stage 2 Challengers are here. The NA and EMEA Stage 2 Challengers both begin on May 13th and will last until June 26.
Don’t worry, you won’t be left without any Valorant action as each Stage 2 Challengers will have two separate sets of Open Qualifiers, with the first starting in just a few days. So for those of you itching for some Valorant betting, you’ll still be able to place some bets here.
All in all, the first Masters event was quite interesting. The EMEA region fell off slightly, and so did the NA, while the other regions of the world improved drastically compared to last year. OpTiC Gaming won this time, but we’ll see whether they can replicate their success in VCT Stage 2.
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