Everything You Need To Know About VCT Masters 3 Berlin
The VALORANT Champions Tour has come down to its third and final stage and will be held in Berlin, Germany from September 10-19. Teams from all around the globe competed for the top 16 spots at the tournament, and now they will be fighting for the title and a direct invitation to VALORANT Champions.
Every team is required to earn circuit points which will eventually lead them towards qualification for the Champions, the end-of-year VALORANT World Finals.
The previous edition in Reykjavík, Iceland saw Sentinels from North America winning the title.
Qualified Teams and Groups
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Click to enlargeAll the qualified teams are divided into four groups consisting of four teams in each of them. The group stage will follow a double-elimination format leading to the top two teams qualifying for the knockout stages.
The playoffs will feature eight teams in a single-elimination bracket where all the matches will be played in a 'best of three' format, except for the grand finals, which will be a 'best of five' affair.
Group A
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- SuperMassive Blaze (EMEA)
- Acend (EMEA)
- Vision Strikers (KR)
- Paper Rex (SEA)
Turkey's SuperMassive Blaze was the second-seeded team from the EMEA region and has performed consistently throughout the tournament. They defeated G2 Esports in the upper bracket of the playoffs to secure a spot at the Masters.
Ascend surprised everyone in the Playoffs by defeating the mighty Gambit in the EMEA Challengers Playoffs and booked their spot for Berlin.
Vision Strikers went through a major roster shuffle in the past couple of months when they signed heavyweights - Buzz, Lakia, and MaKo. This change surely affected the team and changed their playstyle resulting in qualification for the Masters.
Paper Rex qualified for Masters Berlins as SEA region's second-seeded team after beating Alter Ego in the lower bracket final of the Playoffs.
Group B
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Click to enlarge- Team Envy (NA)
- KRÜ (LATAM)
- Vivo Keyd (BR)
- Zeta Division (JP)
Team Envy struggled at first in the Playoffs but finally secured the last spot in the NA regional qualifiers after beating Team XSET and FaZe Clan respectively.
KRÜ is the only qualified team from Latin America and is expected to deliver a dominant performance in the Masters. They defeated Australs 3-0 in the Grand Finals of the LATAM Challengers Playoffs and made their way to the top 16.
Vivo Keyd made it to Masters Berlin after qualifying as the first seeded team in the Brazil region. They had an incredible journey through the lower bracket and then ended up defeating Haven Liberty in the Grand Finals.
Zeta Division - which was previously known as Jupiter - defeated one of the fan-favourites Crazy Raccoon in the Grand Finals of the Japan Challengers Playoffs, and qualified as the first seed.
Group C
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Click to enlarge- 100 Thieves (NA)
- Gambit (EMEA)
- Havan Liberty (BR)
- Crazy Raccoon (JP)
100 Thieves were seen missing from Masters, Reykjavík, and made sure to make a comeback this time when they defeated XSET in the upper bracket of the NA Challengers Playoffs.
Gambit faced defeat from the hands of Ascend in the upper bracket of the EMEA Challengers Playoffs. Although, they showcased an amazing performance in the lower bracket finals against Team Liquid and secured their spot at the Masters Berlin.
Havan Liberty defeated Furia Esports 3-0 in a 'best of five' upper bracket finals to earn their spot at the Masters Berlin.
Crazy Raccoon lost to Zeta Division in the grand finals of the regional playoffs in the Japan Region. However, they still qualified as the second-seeded team for the Masters.
Group D
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Click to enlarge- Sentinels (NA)
- F4Q (KR)
- G2 (EMEA)
- Bren (SEA)
The defending champions proved themselves again after finishing first in the North America Challengers Playoffs. With their current winning spree, Sentinels are surely the favourites to win Masters Berlin.
Korea's popular F4Q qualified for Masters Berlin after beating Damwon Gaming in the semifinals of the Korean Challengers Playoffs.
G2 Esports were the fourth and the final team to qualify from the EMEA region by defeating Giants Gaming in the lower bracket playoffs.
Bren Esports was placed as the first seeded team in their region after performing constantly throughout the tournament. However, the team will be unable to attend Master Berlin due to visa issues.
The format for Group D will now change to a double round-robin, where the top two teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Masters Berlin Schedule
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Click to enlargeThe tournament is scheduled to begin on September 10 with the opening match of KRU Esports vs Zeta Division and then the knockout stage in the following days. The Grand Finals will be a 'best of five' series, taking place on the final day - September 19.
September 10
- 2 pm BST: Group B – KRU Esports vs. ZETA Division
- 5 pm BST: Group C – Gambit vs. Crazy Raccoon
- 8 pm BST: Group D – G2 vs. F4Q
September 11
- 2 pm BST: Group A – Vision Strikers vs. Paper Rex
- 5 pm BST: Group B – Keyd Stars vs. Envy
- 8 pm BST: Group C – 100 Thieves vs. Havan Liberty
September 12
- 2 pm BST: Group A – SuperMassive Blaze vs. Acend
- 5 pm BST: Group D – Sentinels vs. G2
- 8 pm BST: Group C winner’s match
September 13
- 2 pm BST: Group B winner’s match
- 5 pm BST: Group A winner’s match
- 8 pm BST: Group D – F4Q vs. Sentinels
September 14
- 2 pm BST: Group D – F4Q vs. G2
- 5 pm BST: Group B elimination match
- 8 pm BST: Group C elimination match
September 15
- 2 pm BST: Group A elimination match
- 5 pm BST: Group D – G2 vs. Sentinels
- 8 pm BST: Group B decider match
September 16
- 2 pm BST:: Group A decider match
- 5 pm BST: Group C decider match
- 8 pm BST: Group D – Sentinels vs. F4Q
September 17
- 2 pm BST Quarterfinals
- 4 pm BST: Quarterfinals
- 6 pm BST: Quarterfinals
- 8 pm BST: Quarterfinals
September 18
- 4 pm BST: Semifinals
- 7 pm BST: Semifinals
September 19
- 4 pm BST: Grand Finals (best-of-five)
All the matches will be covered on Twitch and YouTube and will be casted by well-known faces from each of the three regions. It will be quite interesting to see which team makes it to the top, and lifts the title for VCT Masters Berlin.