Red Bull Campus Clutch Makes Triumphant Return To LAN In Madrid
Breeze isn’t the only sunny location for VALORANT this year, as the Red Bull Campus Clutch has jetted off to Madrid where the top 12 university teams in the world will compete on LAN for the first time since the global pandemic hit.
Beneath the beaming rays of the sun, only one gleaming Raze can say they’ve won, and as the blue skies make for a feast for the eyes, the worlds best Skye’s only have eyes for one prize.
Without further ado, here’s our Red Bull Campus Clutch preview…
Click to enlargeRed Bull Campus Clutch - The teams:
Platoon [Belarus]
This plucky team of rookies come fresh out of the packet for the Campus Clutch, having seldom appeared in events before. However, they could be on for a shock underdog story when you consider they haven’t dropped a single map in the entirety of the knockout rounds.
PXL Esports [Belgium]
Following the national football team's defeat to Italy, the student VALORANT roster showed their worth to the nation in qualifying, outthinking and outwitting the Romans in a decisive winner takes all qualifiers. Here, they will look to combine strategy and emotion, a perfect combination for a neutral to adore.
BTR [Canada]
Boasting one of the most experienced squads on paper, team Canada has actually only been together for a matter of four months. Forming in March, the combination of two professionals and an additional three top-tier brains could see them become serious contenders if they can tighten up against the strategic stalwarts.
Anubis [Egypt]
The ancient Greek pharaoh was known for being a strikingly fierce embalmer, but thrived in the face of adversity to dine amongst the greats. Possibly inspired by their own mythology, Anubis has shown immense team cohesion in the qualification stage, with a star weapon up their sleeve – very Sentinels-esque.
Mama’s Boys [New Zealand]
Down under, it’s often when a joey leaves the kangaroos pouch for the first time that the biggest sucker punch comes in the way of its foes. For Mama’s Boys, leaving home for the University of Auckland and Victoria University was their first venture into the wider world, and their close rivals Australia received the full force of their box-like punches. Twelve successive rounds saw them defeat the Aussies, seeing them come into the world stage full of anticipation.
Maxd [Pakistan]
With only 21 days of practice before their Red Bull Campus Clutch ventures, the Pakistan roster appeared to be one with many cracks to puncture. However, Maxd has been impressive in qualifying, and are no stranger to the world stage, having three members of the Pakistan team that entered the World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) China 2018.
Click to enlargeCataclysm [Peru]
Despite having the coolest name out of the bunch, Peru may be considered the weakest team in the Red Bull Campus Clutch world finals, having only earned their place on stage through Brazil’s forfeit. However, there’s no doubt that they’ll be hungry to prove the doubters wrong.
Project S [Portugal]
These IT fanatics are not to be taken lightly, with a former top 50 Fortnite professional in their ranks. With a variety of different experiences under their belts, the Portuguese Project S have already knocked out some of the better University sides in the world on their road to the Red Bull Campus Clutch Final
Vac Kimchi [South Korea]
The global pandemic may not have hit many other teams as hard as the South Korean outfit for the Red Bull Campus Clutch. The team has never met in person, although that hasn’t stopped them posting up impressive victories and reaching a world final.
Click to enlargeSpain.DLL [Spain]
As the home nation, Spain.DLL will no doubt be out to put on a show for the spectators in Madrid. Also boasting three professionals still in education, Spain will be looking to put skill and will together to make their fans proud.
Bedel Ödeyenler [Turkey]
Introducing your Red Bull Campus Clutch favourites, Turkey. The quintet from İzmir Dokuz Eylül University are all professional gamers, some of whom have competed in VALORANT Master and other esports’ World Championships. Having beaten over 1,600 teams to get to this point, Bedel Ödeyenler is going to take some stopping.
Bay Area Vandals [USA]
All the USA roster are students from the San Jose State University, whose road to Madrid was trickier than most. Having competed against 529 teams in the Red Bull Campus Clutch qualifiers, Bay Area Vandals have shrugged off some of America’s most exciting prospects.
Click to enlargeWhere to watch the Red Bull Campus Clutch World Championships
With the event being held live in Madrid at the La Estación Gran Teatro Caixabank Príncipe Pío, some fans will be permitted into the arena – mainly consisting of player families and locals. Those fans around the globe will be able to tune into the event live on Twitch.
The first games will kick off with Group A at 8am BST / 9am CEST.
