VALORANT Masters Copenhagen: Can OpTic and XSET win another title for NA?

The VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2022 Stage 2 Masters tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark is almost upon us. Among the global VALORANT fanbase, tension is high, but so is the excitement for the next big tournament.

Before all the fun kicks off this weekend, let's take another look at the teams competing.

With 12 teams from different regions proving their mettle and qualifying for this tournament, there's undoubtedly plenty of range to be found in the upcoming games, with some surprises to boot.

For the second installment of this series, let's check out North American representatives XSET and OpTic Gaming.

XSET

We all love a good underdog story, and that’s precisely what XSET brought to the table when they finally qualified for Masters Copenhagen this year.

Despite being one of the most hardworking teams out there, XSET still came up short of qualifying for a major event during last year’s 2021 VCT and the previous VCT Stage 1 Challengers tournament.

But under the leadership of Rory “dephh” Jackson, the team had one of their best runs this year in the VCT NA Stage 2 Challengers, ultimately leading to a Masters Copenhagen qualification.

After finishing with an impressive 4-1 record in the group stage, they lost to OpTic, 3-1, in the upper bracket finals of the playoffs. The team then defeated FaZe Clan 3-1 in the lower bracket finals to force a rematch with the Masters Reykjavík champions.

XSET then got their revenge over OpTic in the grand finals, winning the series 3-1, to claim the NA Stage 2 Challengers championship.

While they will enter Masters Copenhagen as regional champions, it will mark the first time that XSET will set foot in an international VALORANT event.

Luckily, talent is on their side, with hard-hitters like Zachary “zekken” Patrone and Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban on the roster.

Add the flexible Brendan “BcJ” Jensen onto the fray, and you have a serious contender for the Masters Copenhagen championship.

Roster:

1. Rory “dephh” Jackson

2. Jordan “AYRIN” He

3. Brendan “BcJ” Jensen

4. Zacharay “zekken” Patrone

5. Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban

OpTic Gaming

It’s hard to be a fan of the VALORANT esports scene without having heard of the mighty OpTic Gaming.

With communication, talent, desire, and a number of impressive players on their roster, like Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker and Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen, OpTic have had their fair share of ups and downs this season.

But what sets OpTic apart from others is their ability to stay cool under defeat, and calm under immense pressure, a strategy that has proven itself useful on many occasions.

Pair that with their experience in the game, and it’s no wonder OpTic always put on phenomenal performances, like when they claimed the 2022 Masters Reykjavík championship.

While OpTic did lose the NA Stage 2 Challengers title to XSET, it was still enough to qualify them for the Stage 2 Masters tournament.

And as the defending Masters Reykjavík champions, OpTic will be the team to beat in Copenhagen.

In fact, they’re also the first team that qualified for VALORANT Champions this September, to be held in Turkey.

All eyes will be on OpTic Gaming, can they put on another spectacular performance in Copenhagen and claim a second-straight Masters championship?

Roster:

1. Pujan “FNS” Mehta

2. Victor “Victor” Wong

3. Austin “crashies” Roberts

4. Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker

5. Jimmy “Marved” Nguyen

Masters Copenhagen will see 12 of the top VALORANT teams from all over the world clashing with each other from 10 to 24 July, all for the chance to reign victorious as the Copenhagen champions and claim a spot in VALORANT Champions 2022 in Istanbul come September.

For everything you need to know about Masters Copenhagen, check here.

Feb has been trying to speedrun Super Mario 64 ever since he started playing video games at 11 years old. He has never succeeded, but has completed other video games in the time since. When not playing, he's usually playing music or building Gunpla.

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