Power rankings for VCT Masters Berlin

The VALORANT Champions Tour Masters Berlin tournament is just a few days away.

The top 16 teams in the world have secured their spot in the international event, where they’ll fight for crucial circuit points in hopes of qualifying for the Champions tournament later this year. The winner will automatically earn a spot in the Champions tournament, further cementing the importance of this event. 

But fighting through the best teams from each region is no easy task. Some teams should make it through the group stage and playoffs without issue, while others will have to be on their A-game to survive. 

The Dot Esports staff ranked every team going into Masters Berlin. Here are our power rankings. 

The top four: Sentinels, Gambit Esports, Vision Strikers, and Acend

Our top four teams shouldn’t be surprising considering their outstanding records as some of the best VALORANT teams in the world.

Our top pick is Sentinels—and for a good reason. The unstoppable North American juggernaut has dominated the VALORANT scene all year and has shown no signs of slowing down. They’re on an eight-game winning streak and most recently finished in first place in the VCT NA Stage Three Challengers Playoffs. They also won the first international VALORANT event, Masters Two Reykjavik. It’s unlikely that any team will dethrone Sentinels in Berlin, but they’ll still have their work cut out for them.

Gambit Esports are in our No. 2 spot and first place in the European rankings. Gambit are on a four-game winning streak and were the champions of the VCT EMEA Challengers Playoffs. They pulled off an incredible win against Team Liquid in the lower bracket, securing their spot in Berlin and sending the powerful team home. Gambit also beat the other three EMEA teams joining them in Berlin, setting an excellent precedent for their first international VALORANT appearance.

Vision Strikers are just behind Gambit in our power rankings. The team is best known for its incredible 104-win streak in VCT Stage Two. But they failed to qualify for Masters Two Reykjavik, forcing fans to wait for the next international event to see them in action. Vision Strikers revamped its roster with Lakia, MaKo, BuZz, resulting in an undefeated streak leading into Masters Berlin. 

Our top four picks are rounded out by Acend, the powerful European team looking to add another Masters victory to their collection. Acend won Masters One but didn’t qualify for Masters Two Reykjavik. But they did secure a spot in Berlin, despite losing their last two matches in the EMEA Challengers Playoffs. Regardless, Acend has one of the best VALORANT rosters, including cNed, and we’re excited to see how they perform in Berlin. 

The strong contenders: 100 Thieves, G2 Esports, SuperMassive Blaze, and Envy

The next four teams are not our top picks but are still talented enough to make a run for the title in Berlin. None of these teams have made appearances in an international VALORANT event yet and all want to make a name for themselves out of their respective region. 

100 Thieves are our fifth-place pick. This North American team started strong in VALORANT by winning First Strike but have failed to win a significant title since. The team didn’t qualify for Masters Reykjavik but did manage to get it together in Stage Three. 100 Thieves defeated Envy in the Challengers Playoffs lower final before facing Sentinels in the grand final. While they didn’t defeat the North American juggernaut, they still re-established themselves as a top team in the region and finally have a chance to prove themselves on an international stage. 

Next up is G2 Esports, the so-called superteam that defeated Giants Gaming to secure a spot in Berlin. G2 made drastic roster changes before Stage Three that have worked in its favor. But the team recently lost against Gambit and SuperMassive Blaze and will need to overcome these teams if they want to make a run for the title in Germany. 

SuperMassive Blaze went on an incredible run during the EMEA Challengers Playoffs, defeating notable teams like FunPlus Phoenix, G2, and Acend. They were eventually beat by Gambit in the grand finals but still earned their spot in Berlin. This Turkish squad has a tough battle in Group A but they have the potential for success. 

Envy round out the top eight in our rankings and have finally earned a spot in an international tournament. Envy have consistently been one of the best teams in North America but have struggled to win a significant event. Envy did beat FaZe Clan and XSET in the NA Challengers Playoffs but lost to 100 Thieves in the lower bracket finals. Envy are a favorite in Group B and will likely make it through the group stage. 

The wild cards: Vivo Keyd, ZETA Division, F4Q, Crazy Raccoon

Vivo Keyd are the best team from Brazil and made an incredible run in the Brazilain Challengers Playoffs lower bracket. This was an impressive performance in the region, but the international stage is a different story. Vivo Keyd will face Envy in their first match in Berlin, which should be an exciting event.

ZETA Division, formerly known as Absolute JUPITER, are on a four-game win streak. Their most recent win came against Crazy Raccoon in the Japenese Challengers Playoffs grand finals, surprising fans worldwide. But they’re up against a lot of talented teams in Berlin and will need to up their game if they want to succeed. 

F4Q are a talented Korean team that includes former Overwatch players and streamers. The team secured a spot in Berlin with a win over DAMWON Gaming in the Korea Challengers Playoffs but lost against Vision Strikers in the grand finals. F4Q will face Sentinels and G2 in Group A, meaning they’ll need to pull off an incredible performance to make it to the playoffs. 

Crazy Raccoon are one of the best teams from Japan but have a lot to prove in Berlin. They won three matches in the Japanese Challengers Playoffs before losing to Zeta Division in the grand finals. The team might be one of the best in their region, but their first match is against Gambit, which will be a tough challenge. 

The bottom of the bunch: KRU Esports, Paper Rex, Haven Liberty, and Bren Esports

Our bottom-four teams still earned a spot in Masters Berlin, but the odds aren’t in their favor. Plenty of people love an underdog story, though, and we’d be happy to see one of these teams prove us wrong. 

KRU Esports have maintained their spot as the best Latin American team, winning the LATAM Challengers Playoffs with a victory over Australs. The team also qualified for Masters Reykjavik but only won one match before heading home. KRU Esports have proven that they’re the best in their region, but it’s unclear if they can compete with the international teams this time or if they’ll be sent home early once more.

Paper Rex earned a spot in Berlin in the SEA Challengers Playoffs and are ranked fifth in the Asia-Pacific region. The team lost against Bren Esports in their most recent match and are up against three harder opponents in Berlin. Group A is stacked with Vision Strikers, Acend, and SuperMassive Blaze, and it’s unlikely Paper Rex will survive the gauntlet. 

Haven Liberty are another team from Brazil that only dropped one series against Vivo Keyd in VCT Stage Three. But they’re up against 100 Thieves in their first match and will need to beat either Gambit or Crazy Raccoon if they drop down to the elimination bracket. While we’d enjoy seeing this Brazilian team make it to the playoffs, we aren’t holding our breath. 

Our lowest-ranked team by default is Bren Esports. This team placed first in the SEA Challengers Playoffs, but Riot Games couldn’t secure travel visas for the Filipino team. The team won’t travel to Berlin and automatically finish the event in 16th place. 

VCT Stage Three Masters Three Berlin begins on Sept. 10 and will run through Sept. 19. 

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