VALORANT esports has nurtured many rising stars since 2021, but few shine as brightly as Aspas. In a scene where success often fades as quickly as it arrives, the young Brazilian defied expectations, emerging from Champions Paris’ group stage as a top-rated player—despite representing a team once considered one of the weakest in the Americas.
According to vlr.gg, the 22-year-old star duelist is the second-highest rated player at 1.32 in the group stage of VALORANT Champions 2025—right after Paper Rex’s something, who takes the first place at 1.39. His achievement can be attributed to all the multi-kill rounds and crucial round-winning eliminations he’s delivered as part of Made in Brazil (MIBR) against teams like FNATIC, Billibilli Gaming, and Rex Regum Qeon. He’s also among the top four players in terms of Average Combat Score (255, fourth) and Kills Per Round (0.93, third).
The group stage ended on Sept. 22, with MIBR winning their decider series 2-0 against RRQ. With this victory, the Brazilian squad secured promotion to the playoffs, where they’ll face seven other teams in the battle for the trophy.
Interestingly, fans didn’t expect them to make it to the playoffs, considering their underwhelming performance throughout the VCT 2025 season. In fact, they managed to qualify for Champions as Americas’ third seed in a rather controversial way. But despite the past, Aspas’ team has managed to defy the odds at the year’s most prestigious global stage—and it’s mostly thanks to him.
While Aspas has impressed in every series so far, his standout performance in the group stage came against RRQ in the decider series. He secured multiple crucial rounds across both the VALORANT maps with his trademark mechanical brilliance—something he has long been known for. If you haven’t seen him in action recently, his outrageous 4K against RRQ had fans chanting “Aspas’ back!” He also shone against FNATIC—a close series that caught many by surprise—and Billibilli Gaming in the opening series.
That said, Aspas’ teammates stepped up as well—it wasn’t just him carrying the squad. Artzin and Verno excelled in their roles, while Cortezia and Xenom provided crucial support with sharp coordination. Given MIBR’s past struggles with coordination, strategy, and mechanics, their current form as a team marks a massive improvement.
Going forward, MIBR will compete for the VCT Champions trophy in the playoffs, beginning Sept. 25. Their first series comes on Sept. 26 against Team Heretics—the 2024 grand finalists who reached the playoffs undefeated after toppling formidable contenders like G2 Esports and T1. Can Aspas channel his dominant form that peaked with LOUD in 2022 and earn redemption against the doubters? Only time will tell.
Published: Sep 24, 2025 02:47 am