Historically, EMEA has been the strongest region in Valorant esports. At most international LANs, the western superregion has held the most spots and dominated the top seats at these events. Things shouldn't change this year, right?
Well, there's one hurdle EMEA has never been able to get over. Overall, the region has three international titles: Masters Berlin, Champions 2021, and Masters Copenhagen. However, the first LAN of both 2021 and 2022 — notably hosted in Reykjavik — have always eluded them. In other words, EMEA has never kicked off a VCT year with a title abroad.
But those were Masters events. This is LOCK//IN. And several old names are making a comeback.
FNATIC: always the title contenders, never the title holders
FNATIC
FNATIC
Europe
Rank #1
Leo
Leo Jannesson
Derke
Nikita Sirmitev
Boaster
Jake Howlett
Chronicle
Timofey Khromov
Alfajer
Emir Ali Beder
have been a part of EMEA for as long as can be remembered. Under their original
SUMN FC
SUMN FC
Inactive
Moe40
Muhammad Hariff
doma
Domagoj Fancev
Mistic
James Orfila
Boaster
Jake Howlett
tsack
Konstantinos Theodoropoulos
name, the team placed second at First Strike. A couple months later, they finished second again, this time at Masters Reykjavik in a 3-0 loss to
Sentinels
Sentinels
North America
Rank #1
TenZ
Tyson Ngo
Zellsis
Jordan Montemurro
zekken
Zachary Patrone
johnqt
Mohamed Amine Ouarid
Sacy
Gustavo Rossi
that shook the team.
Boaster
is the only player still in the squad to have played First Strike, while he and
Derke
are the only ones to have attended the Reykjavik grand final.
The team went bold in 2022, bringing on superstar fragger
Alfajer
. He helped FNATIC reach fourth at Masters Copenhagen and top six at Champions, but not even that was enough. For 2023, mastermind Boaster has enlisted the help of
Leo
and
Chronicle
, two of Europe's most standout players. The former was the top performer during his time on
Guild Esports
Guild Esports
Inactive
, playing several roles, while Chronicle's similar flexibility helped
Gambit Esports
Gambit Esports
Inactive
Redgar
Igor Vlasov
Chronicle
Timofey Khromov
d3ffo
Nikita Sudakov
sheydos
Bogdan Naumov
nAts
Ayaz Akhmetshin
on their path to glory at Masters Berlin in 2021.
With a star-studded squad and three big brains behind the guns — Boaster, coach Mini , and assistant coach slk — FNATIC are ready for São Paulo. But if they want success in LOCK//IN, they have to face their demons. FNATIC play Sentinels on February 24, the first match of the day.
The EMEA starboys are headed to LOCK//IN. (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
Team Vitality: from VRL superstars to hopeful VCT stars
Another one of Europe's oldest names,
Team Vitality
Team Vitality
Europe
Rank #15
trexx
Nikita Cherednichenko
Kicks
Kimmie Laasner
runneR
Emil Trajkovski
ceNder
Jokūbas Labutis
Sayf
Saif Jibraeel
dabbled in VCT events throughout 2021, but success eluded them. The team's best achievement was a top-four finish at Stage 2: Challengers 2 in 2021. Soon after, in 2022, they were relegated to the VRL system in Europe (now rebranded to VCL) as they were unable to reach Challengers. Despite a lackluster Stage 1, the EMEA shuffle allowed Vitality a new roster which let them win VRL France in Stage 2.
The French title gave them a slot at the VRL Finals, where they finished second to
FUT Esports
FUT Esports
Europe
Rank #7
MrFaliN
Furkan Yeğen
yetujey
Eray Budak
AtaKaptan
Ata Tan
cNed
Mehmet Yağız İpek
qRaxs
Doğukan Balaban
. Best of the rest wasn't enough for Vitality, which signed
Strong
and
marcus_askildsen
to their coaching squad, as well as former OGLU duo
Destrian
and
MOLSI
. The revamped roster already has two top-four finishes under its belt. After G-Loot Clash, Vitality showed up in convincing fashion for Home Ground 3, where they stole wins off of
KRÜ Esports
KRÜ Esports
Latin America South
Rank #3
keznit
Angelo Mori
Klaus
Nicolas Ferrari
Shyy
Fabian Usnayo
Melser
Marco Eliot Machuca Amaro
heat
Olavo Marcelo
and
Team Heretics
Team Heretics
Europe
Rank #34
MiniBoo
Dominykas Lukaševičius
Wo0t
Mert Alkan
RieNs
Enes Ecirli
benjyfishy
Benjy David Fish
Boo
Ričardas Lukaševičius
before
KRÜ Esports
KRÜ Esports
Latin America South
Rank #3
keznit
Angelo Mori
Klaus
Nicolas Ferrari
Shyy
Fabian Usnayo
Melser
Marco Eliot Machuca Amaro
heat
Olavo Marcelo
cut their run short in the semifinals.
If, in under a month, Vitality can take wins off of KRÜ and Heretics, what can they do after two more months of preparation? The world will have to wait for February 23, when they face off
Global Esports
Global Esports
Asia-Pacific
Rank #66
blaZek1ng
Gary Dastin
Lightningfast
Abhirup Choudhury
Polvi
Niko Polvinen
Benkai
Benedict Tan
Russ
Russel Mendes
in the day's opener.
One isn't enough, is it BONECOLD? (Photo by Michal Konkol/Riot Games)
Team Heretics finally arrive on the international stage
For Team Heretics, a trip abroad has been long overdue. For a long time, Heretics seemed like a one-hit wonder. They were the winners of First Strike, way back in December 2020 when teams still competed exclusively online, but have only returned to one VCT event since. After that title, Heretics only returned to the top flight of Valorant for Stage 1: Masters, where they placed second.
The team quickly fell apart, and the rebuild didn't allow for success in VRL Spain, where they had to fight off relegation in Stage 1 and narrowly avoided it in Stage 2. Their end-of-year changes allowed them to win the Crossfire Cup, the team's first tournament win in over a year and a half, but their new team's first showing against partnered teams, at Home Ground 3, felt underwhelming to many as they bombed out in the top six.
Heretics will be the fourth EMEA squad to step on the LOCK//IN stage, taking on
Evil Geniuses
Evil Geniuses
North America
Rank #41
Derrek
Derrek Ha
NaturE
Nicholas Garrison
supamen
Phat Le
Apoth
Vincent Le
jawgemo
Alexander Mor
for the opening match of February 15.
Reunited, and it feels so good... (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
The not-so-gentle Giants return to the VCT
Giants Gaming
Giants Gaming
Inactive
Redgar
Igor Vlasov
Fit1nho
Adolfo Gallego
nukkye
Žygimantas Chmieliauskas
hoody
Aaro Peltokangas
Cloud
Kirill Nehozhin
were, during 2020, Spain's undisputed best squad. But they struggled in Europe, even after signing a European core in 2021. Midseason changes saw the team crash land in Stage 3: Challengers 2, disrupting the scene for a few weeks as they headed to a top-six finish in the following Challengers Playoffs. That roster also found victory in the LVP Rising Series #3 and a third place at Home Ground 2.
But in 2022, Giants struggled. Despite being a constant headliner in VRL Spain, the team was never able to make it past the top four in playoffs and bombed out of the Crossfire Cup in the top eight. However, their offseason rebuild brought in big names such as nukkye , hoody , rhyme , and Cloud , allowing them to reach the top four at the G-Loot Clash.
The signing of big EMEA names and the return of rhyme from NA to IGL in Europe might just be what Giants need for a gentle landing in the VCT. Their opening match will be on February 13, LOCK//IN's first day, against
DetonatioN FocusMe
DetonatioN FocusMe
Japan
Rank #4
Medusa
An Min-cheol (안민철)
neth
Yusuke Matsuda
Meiy
Ibuki Seki
popogachi
Souta Morita
Anthem
Yoshitaka Enomoto
, at 9 p.m. CET.
nukkye used to carry G2. Can he carry Giants? (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
Karmine Corp: the new kids on the block
So far, every team listed has been in Valorant for about two years.
Karmine Corp
Karmine Corp
Europe
Rank #8
MAGNUM
Martin Penkov
tomaszy
Tomás Machado
N4RRATE
Marshall Massey
marteen
Martin Pátek
sh1n
Ryad Ensaad
are undoubtedly the new kids on the block, only entering Valorant in May 2022. But their short stay has been underwhelming, despite signing names such as
Amilwa
and
TakaS
.
For 2023, though, the story is much different.
Karmine Corp have opened their pockets and signed siblings
ScreaM
and
Nivera
, who departed
Team Liquid
Team Liquid
Europe
Rank #14
Jamppi
Elias Olkkonen
nAts
Ayaz Akhmetshin
Enzo
Enzo Mestari
Mistic
James Orfila
Keiko
Georgio Sanassy
last November. The team has also brought in
xms
, who finished second in both VRL NE and VRL France last year. When coupled with re-signees
Newzera
and
sh1n
, some say KCorp may have bolstered their roster with enough firepower to surprise the world on their first international showing. Others say that, while the Benrlitom brothers are two undoubtable machines, firepower alone won't win you games.
Their aim will be put to the test on February 14, when the team debuts against
FunPlus Phoenix
FunPlus Phoenix
China
Rank #3
Autumn
Kale Dunne
Life
Qu Donghao (瞿东豪)
AAAAY
Zhang Yang (张杨)
BerLIN
Zhang Bolin (張柏霖)
Lysoar
Liang Youhao (梁优好)
ZiXuan
Liu Junwei (刘俊伟)
's Chinese squad, opening the second day of LOCK//IN.
The Benrlitom brothers are coming for the competition. (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games)
While these five teams all have their own storyline, there's one key point nobody can forget: nearly half of these players have not been to an international LAN in Valorant yet. Most of them, after some success in online tournaments, worked their way here through the VRL system.
FNATIC, being the notable name they are in Valorant, are the only exception here. Every one of their players has been to at least one international LAN, and one of them — Chronicle — is a title-holder. Vitality, similarly, are led by former world champion BONECOLD .
However, this isn't all the region has to offer. The second batch of EMEA teams includes
Natus Vincere
Natus Vincere
Europe
Rank #3
ANGE1
Kyrylo Karasov
Shao
Andrey Kiprsky
Zyppan
Pontus Eek
SUYGETSU
Dmitry Ilyushin
ardiis
Ardis Svarenieks
— who signed four of the former
FunPlus Phoenix
FunPlus Phoenix
Inactive
SUYGETSU
Dmitry Ilyushin
Zyppan
Pontus Eek
ANGE1
Kyrylo Karasov
Shao
Andrey Kiprsky
ardiis
Ardis Svarenieks
players who won Masters Copenhagen — Team Liquid — who finally have a dedicated IGL in
Redgar
, and have also signed
nAts
and
Sayf
— and
KOI
KOI
Europe
Rank #155
kamo
Kamil Frąckowiak
ShadoW
Tobias Flodström
grubinho
Grzegorz Ryczko
starxo
Patryk Kopczynski
sheydos
Bogdan Naumov
, who are led by
koldamenta
, a player known for elevating several teams to new heights.
The question isn't whether EMEA will be a title contender at LOCK//IN or not. The question is which of the region's 10 names will be there at the very end.