Key takeaways from VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: Masters Tokyo

The VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: Masters Tokyo was one of the most unpredictable pro tournaments in recent years. The tournament was predictably won by Team Fnatic, who proved their superiority in practice. However, the past event was marked by a number of other unexpected twists and turns, which are worth talking about. In this article we would like to walk through the major championship teams and sum up the interim results for the regions after the event in Tokyo.

Fnatic has proven to be the undisputed strongest team of the pro scene

Back in Sao Paulo, Fnatic put on an extra-strength performance that allowed them to roll onto the grid and swept away all the opponents. Furthermore, the squad continued to tear up the European league, but in the finals unexpectedly Ledge was defeated by Team Liquid, leaving the fans wondering.

However, the past event in Tokyo finally put all the dots over the "i", as here again Fnatic appeared before us as a team that is impossible to beat. First of all, it is worth highlighting the excellent decisions of the coaching staff, as he managed to find a balance between roles and players. Secondly, the current meta allows the team to have an edge over their opponents thanks to their strong selection.

As a result, Fnatic raced through the VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: Masters Tokyo, and the defeat of Evil Geniuses in the grand final only proves the gulf between the team and the rest.

The rebirth of America

A word or two must be said about the American region, from which many were expecting to fight for the title. By the way, they did, but there were other teams in the lead roles. Of course we're talking about LOUD, who seem to have come to the tournament with an inflated self-esteem syndrome. Moreover, NRG also played very unstable matches and could go from reaching the Grand Final to being knocked out in the early stages of the play-offs.

Of all this, it is worth highlighting Evil Geniuses, which forced the region to be reborn. Aggression has now replaced the calibrated play, and so far it's yielding results. However, only dictation will tell which way the region will want to go.

The success of Evil Geniuses is a consequence of the lack of flexibility of everyone else

It's obvious that Evil Geniuses should be called the league's biggest discovery. In just one month the team went from struggling for the American League play-offs (which they got by chance alone) to becoming a real contender for the Masters title.

However, only a long diatribe will show just how far the Evil Geniuses are willing to go to get a foothold at this level. Still, there are a number of game aspects that cannot be trusted. First and foremost, the team's entire game is shaped towards a fast style, to which many will adapt with time. Second, tactically Evil Geniuses remains a second-tier team, without offering many fresh ideas.

Thus, the North American squad only shot well, thanks to their opponents' inability to adjust to the situation. As a result, Evil Geniuses have yet to prove that their success in Tokyo is not a one-off, but the result of real hard work.

Europe seems to be the weakest region so far.

European teams, Fnatic championships aside, have completely failed at VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: Masters Tokyo. Many expected Natus Vincere to at least make the play-offs. Moreover, after the unexpected success in the league play-offs, FUT Esports was also worth the hope. Needless to say Team Liquid, who arrived at the championship with the first seed from the region.

But the previous tournament has shown that Europe is starting to lose ground: Born to Win failed in the group and finished in last place; the Turkish side failed to put up a fight and crashed out as expected; and Team Liquid once again failed to make the play-offs.

As a result Fnatic had to take the lead for the region, but the overall picture is unlikely to please the fans. And there is speculation that the stagnation of European teams will continue, which will lead to a noticeable weakening of competition in the region.

Complex and inconsistent Asia

If anyone was naming the favourites, Asian teams were definitely not on that list. Looking seriously, T1 is a real joke, as in terms of names and results, the South Korean squad did not lay claim to big things. It's another matter that many probably expected to see DRX on the approach of the top 4 or so.

However, the best representative of Asia was the Paper Rex team, who initially understood their situation - the main player failed to get a visa to Japan. In this scenario, almost every match of the team was called last, but time after time, the line-up with the content-maker came up with surprises.

Still, the region as a whole looked pale against Paper Rex. And if we don't talk about the reasons, it is obvious that Asia will not be able to compete with other members of the pro scene in the future, as the region will continue to burrow into itself.

China is beginning to wake up

An equally interesting topic of discussion is the Chinese teams. Whereas in Sao Paulo both teams from the Celestial Empire failed and finished in last place, here the region already looked like a much more significant entity. First of all, we must say something about Attacking Soul Esports, as the team is still too raw and definitely did not expect to succeed.

However, EDward Gaming showed that in a short period of time you can noticeably improve and become a serious contender for teams from Europe, Asia and America. In general, the Chinese team is more reminiscent of Evil Geniuses in its playing model, so it is quite appropriate to use similar epithets. And yet EDward Gaming is remembered for a number of impressive results which hint at further growth of both the team and the region.

Now it remains to be seen in what form China will arrive at the VALORANT Champions 2023. And if the region shows at least a similar result in Los Angeles, next year we will be able to see an interesting turn and a serious change in the balance of power on the professional stage.

Final VALORANT Champions Tour 2023: Masters Tokyo

• 1st place: Fnatic - $350,000
  
• 2nd place: Evil Geniuses - $200,000
• 3 place: Paper Rex - $125,000
• 4 place: NRG - $75,000
• 5-6 place: EDward Gaming and Team Liquid - $50,000
• 7-8 place: LOUD and DRX - $35,000
• 9-10 place: FUT Esports and T1 - $25,000
• 11-12 place: Natus Vincere and Attacking Soul Esports - $15,000