VCT Champions Match Day 1 Viewers Guide

The Valorant community is only a few hours from witnessing the opening match of the much-anticipated Champions event, the concluding tournament of VCT. Although we have analyzed each groups composition in an earlier writeup, this article will take a detailed look at each of the matches scheduled for the first day of VCT 2021 - VALORANT Champions 2021.

Match 1: Vision Strikers vs Full Sense at 3:00PM CET / 6:00 AM PT

This matchup features all the excitement one would expect from the first match of the Champions event. First and foremost, both Vision Strikers and Full Sense have won four of their past five games demonstrating their dominant form. Vision Strikers have been long hailed as the best team in the Korean scene, but they also managed to prove themselves on the world stage at Masters Berlin by moving to the bracket rounds and taking a map from Gambit, who would go on to win the tournament. Their competitors are a top-tier Thai Team, who qualified for the tournament after a fascinating run in the APAC Last Chance Qualifiers.

Head-to-head:

Given that both teams have their origins rooted in Asia, they have had the chance to go head-to-head at Epulze's Royal SEA Cup, where Vision Strikers won the series 2-0 and then the tournament too. However, this outcome should be taken with a grain of salt since Full Sense has undergone a complete roster revamp ever since.

Players to watch:

• Vision Striker - Yu "BuZz" Byung-chul with a rating of 1.10, and a ACS of 238.
• Full Sense - Kititkawin "PTC" Rattanasukol maintaining a consistent 1.32 rating and 258 ACS.

Map Picks:

We are likely to see Haven and Ascent as the comfort picks for Vision Strikers and FULL SENSE respectively, and the decider map seems to be up in the air.

Agents:

Vision Strikers

Kim "stax" Gu-taek – Brimstone, Skye, Sage Lee "k1Ng" Seung-won – Cypher, Killjoy, Viper Goo "Rb" Sang-Min – Jett, Raze, Sova Myeongkwan "MaKo" Kim – Jett, Astra, Viper Yu "BuZz" Byung-chul – Jett, Omen, Raze Kim "Lakia" Jong-min – Sova, Raze, Skye

FULL SENSE

Chanitpak "ChAlalalala" Suwanaprateep – Cypher, Killjoy, Sage Chanawin "JohnOlsen" Nakchain – Jett, Reyna, Sage Elamrahim "LAMMYSNAX" Khanpathan – Sova, Skye Kititkawin "PTC" Rattanasukol – Jett, Brimstone, Omen Nattawat "SuperBusS" Yoosawat – Astra, Reyna, Viper

Match 2: Team Vikings vs Crazy Raccoon at 6:00 PM CET / 9:00 AM PT:

Both the Vikings and Crazy Racoon have won the Stage 1 Masters in their respective regions and also qualified for Masters Reykjavik, with Team Racoons finishing two rounds ahead of the Racoons in 5-6th position, compared to 9-10th place for the Racoons. Crazy Raccoon has had a poor international record even after its roster revamp. Nonetheless, there have been subtle improvements over time as suggested by their victory over Havan Liberty in Masters Berlin. On the other hand, Team Vikings has been recently experiencing struggles finding momentum even within their own region with a 4th place finish in the Stage 3 Playoffs below teams like Vivo Keyd, Havan Liberty, and FURIA. While the matchup won’t be a walk in the park for Crazy Raccoon, fans, especially from Japan, have high hopes for their success.

Head-to-head:

Even though both teams participated in Masters Reykjavik, they haven’t had the opportunity to compete against each other. However, Crazy Raccoon managed to secure a victory against Havan Liberty, a Brazilian team, in Masters Berlin so the JP-BR rivalry has made the upcoming matchup and its outcome more intriguing for respective communities.

Players to watch:

Team Vikings: Gustavo "Sacy" Rossi has showcased exceptional performances since his introduction to the roster. He also has a 1.29 rating and an impressive KD ratio of 1.39, and he managed to end the VCT Stage 3: Brazil - Challengers Playoffs with 260.3 ACS in 160 rounds.

Crazy Raccoon: In statistics as well, the IGL of Crazy Raccoon is leading the way with ACS of 229 and 1.2 KD ratio.

Map Picks:

After a glance through their past matches, it seems as if Team Vikings will either opt for Bind or Haven. In contrast, Crazy Raccoon prefers Icebox or Split as their primary pick. The decider

Agents:

Team Vikings

Gustavo "gtn" Moura - Raze, Sage, Omen Gustavo "Sacy" Rossi – Sova, Jett, Reyna Leandro "frz" Gomes – Sova, Phoneix, Jett Gabriel "sutecas" Dias – Omen, Astra, Viper Gustavo "gtn" Moura – Cypher, Killjoy, Viper

Crazy Racoon

An "Medusa" Min-cheol – Sova, Cypher, Brimstone Yusuke "neth" Matsuda – Raze, Killjoy, Jett Byeon "Munchkin" Sang-beom – Cypher, Raze, Omen Park "Bazzi" Jun-ki – Jett, Brimstone, Sova Teppei "ade" Kuno – Omen, Viper, Brimstone Hideki "Fisker" Sasaki – Jett, Reyna, Phoenix Daiki "Minty" Kato – Jett, Killjoy, Sage

Match 3: Fnatic vs Cloud9 Blue at 9:00 PM CET / 12:00 AM PT:

After a brief hiatus with the Team Vikings vs Crazy Raccoon match, we are back to Group D. This match will be the first match in the EU vs NA rivalry the community craves to witness. Representing the EMEA region is Fnatic, but despite a compelling performance at VCT 2021 - Stage 2 - Masters Reykjavík, they’ve had encountered several obstacles in retaining their form. While the enthusiasm from IGL Jake "Boaster" Howlett at today’s press conference seemed reassuring of their confidence, their opponents have a significantly better form and are favorites in the matchup.

Cloud9 Blue have had a sudden recovery after relatively underwhelming performances earlier this year. By securing a spot in the Champions from VCT 2021 - North America Last Chance Qualifier, they have the last chance at redemption in VCT 2021.

Head-to-head:

Having no previous head-to-head matches, this will be the first time these teams will face off, and while there is no doubt of an action-packed and enthralling match, Cloud9 Blue's recent victories might give them the upper hand in this matchup.

Players to watch:

• Fnatic: Martin "MAGNUM" Penkov boasts a 1.15 rating and 229 ACS, while maintaining a 1.24 KD ratio.
• Cloud9 Blue: Erick "Xeppaa" Bach is leading the Cloud9 Blue scoreboard with a 1.26 rating and ACS of 237.

Map Picks:

Since both teams have fairly flexible map pools, the veto is likely to be based on what the teams feel confident about at the moment.

Agents:

Fnatic

Jake "Boaster" Howlett – Brimstone, Sova, Astra James "Mistic" Orfila – Viper, Omen, Astra Domagoj "Doma" Fancev – Raze, Sage, Skye Martin "MAGNUM" Penkov – Killjoy, Cypher, Sova Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev – Jett, Raze, Sova

Cloud9 Blue

Mitch "mitch" Semago – Killjoy, Sage, Cypher Nathan "leaf" Orf – Raze, Omen, Jett Son "xeta" Seon-ho – Sova, Brimstone, Jett Erick "Xeppaa" Bach – Kay/O, Skye, Reyna Anthony "vanity" Malaspina – Omen, Astra, Viper

You can watch all games live over on the official VALORANT stream.