Masters newcomers: All players attending their first Masters event at Masters Bangkok

While VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Bangkok 2025 is set to be the first international tournament of the 2025 VCT Season, it will also be the first time that several of the competing players get the chance to attend a VALORANT Masters event.

From veteran leaders getting their break at last, to young guns with stars in their eyes, let's take a look at the complete list of Masters newcomers attending Masters Bangkok.

Masters Newcomers: EMEA

TL Keiko

After changing roles for Team Liquid, Georgio "Keiko" Sanassy came into the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - EMEA Kickoff and shocked the competition on his way to becoming the highest rated player at the tournament. Now, Keiko's sharp skills and adaptability begin to pay off as he attends his first ever Masters in what is only his second year in the VCT.

With the team coming up just one map short from the trophy at Kickoff, can Keiko and Team Liquid shock the competition yet again at Masters Bangkok?

TL kamyk

After warming the bench for Fnatic in 2023, Maks "kamyk" Rychlewski's first real shot at the VCT came in 2025 with Team Liquid. The Polish initiator wasted no time in making his chance count, qualifying for Masters Bangkok after his very first tournament with the team.

In the end, kamyk's proficiency on Tejo, his most played agent at Kickoff, may prove invaluable for Team Liquid at Bangkok as the team looks to make up for their lack of international experience with creativity and firepower.

TL kamo

Kamil "kamo" Frąckowiak joins Keiko as yet another member of Team Liquid to make their first Masters event for the first time in just their second year in the VCT. After a fruitless year with KOI in 2024, kamo made the jump to TL for the starts of the 2025 Season in a decision that changed the course of the young Polish player's career.

Ultimately, TL moving Keiko to the controller role to make space for kamo to take over as the team's new designated duelist is turning out to be one of the best calls made by an organization in recent memory.

VIT Kicks

Sometimes, perseverance really does pay off. After joining Team Vitality in 2023 just a week after turning 18, Kicks has stuck it out with the team even through the roughest of patches. As if to honor his commitment to the team, Vitality made a splash during the latest OFF//SEASON by lining up two bona fide stars next to Kicks for the start of the 2025 VCT Season in Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev and Felipe "Less" Basso.

Thanks in no small part to Kicks, Vitality has put up one of the youngest teams at Masters Bangkok, though expectations are at an all-time high.

Masters Newcomers: The Pacific

T1 Sylvan

Prior to the start of the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Pacific Kickoff, Ko "Sylvan" Young-sub's only bit of VCT experience came during the VCT 2023 - Pacific League with Gen.G Esports. Ironically, Sylvan was eliminated from the tournament then by none other than the team with which he's attending Masters Bangkok now: T1.

Though Sylvan's string of performances with T1 have been very hit or miss, it is his insistance to play Brimstone that may catch teams from other regions off guard at Bangkok in the end.

DRX BeYN

Hailing from DRX Prospects, Kang "BeYN" Ha-bin got promoted to the main DRX team in 2024, where he managed to make it all the way to VCT 2024 - Champions 2024. After being eliminated from the tournament during the Lower Bracket Quarterfinals, BeYN will come into Masters Bangkok hungry to make his first Masters event count after helping DRX run away with the 2025 Pacific Kickoff trophy.

DRX freeing

After years grinding through the Tier-2 scene in the pacific, No "free1ng" Ha-jun was quick to make his shot at the VCT count. In fact, if DRX were able to win Kickoff, that is largely thanks to freeing and his ability to master Tejo faster than anyone else in the region.

Now, freeing comes into his first Masters event having played only Tejo in 2025 so far, putting up a remarkable 1.14 rating, 222.2 ACS, and 145.6 ADR on his 13 maps on the VALORANT's newest agent. The question now remains: can freeing replicate these numbers at Bangkok?

DRX Flashback

Yet another tried and true DRX prospect, Cho "Flashback" Min-hyuk has spent the entirety of his VALORANT career under a single organization. His reward? Masters Bangkok.

Ever since being promoted to the main DRX team near the end of 2023, Flashback has been the man tasked with locking down sites for his team, and he has not disappointed.

DRX HUYNMIN

The new DRX duelist wasted no time in making his presence known. At the young age of 18, Hyun-min " HYUNMIN" Song claimed a trophy for himself during his very first VCT tournament, earning him a spot at Masters Bangkok right off the bat.

Masters Newcomers: China

EDG S1Mon

A reigning VALORANT Champions winner, yes, but a newcomer to the Masters stage all the same. Has any recent roster move in the VCT been more profitable than EDward Gaming signing Hsieh "S1Mon" Meng-hsun half way through the 2024 season?

A win at Masters Bangkok for EDG to come away back-to-back international trophies would easily put that conversation to rest.

Trace Esports: All fresh faces

It seems crazy to think the entire Trace Esports roster is attending their first Masters event at Bangkok. After shocking the world at VALORANT Champions 2024 to top their group and eliminate Team Vitality and TALON from the tournament, Trace continues their relentless pursuit of greatness.

Following the team's close second-place finish at VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - China Kickoff, all five of Zhang "LuoK1ng" Zhanpeng, Lu "Kai" Zhinan, Song "FengF" Xuefeng, Ho "heybay" Shun Hei, and Zhong "Biank" Jianfei are set to make their inaugural Masters appearance at Bangkok.

HeiB and Biank will need to put all of their experience to good use in leading the team, as the pair stand as the oldest players on this list at 26 and 24 years old, respectively.

The Americas: Land of Masters

In a surprising turn of events, the Americas turns out to be the only region not to send even a single newcomer to Masters Bangkok. With all ten players representing G2 Esports and Sentinels knowing what it's like to perform at a Masters stage, will either team be able to profit enough from their experience to come away with the Masters Bangkok trophy once all is said and done?

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news. Also, check out our full viewer's guide to find out everything there is to know about Masters Bangkok.

Featured Image Source: Riot Games