With the 12 teams that will play at Masters Copenhagen locked in, analysts are now going to town with speculation on which team will walk away with the second international trophy of the year.
While many have put either OpTic Gaming or Fnatic on top of their power rankings, Valorant analyst and Acend content creator Donnie “Elevated” Chell has pegged quite a different team to win it all.
Kings of APAC Paper Rex sit on top of his rankings, one of several teams that are fresh off incredibly dominant runs in their respective regions.
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Elevated ranks Paper Rex as the top team at Masters Copenhagen
Alongside teams like Korea’s DRX and Brazil’s LOUD, PRX remain undefeated in their regional playoffs, sweeping rivals XERXIA Esports 3-0 in the grand final. At Masters Reykjavik 2022, the team impressed with a top-four placing, taking down giants like G2 Esports and The Guard.
Many lauded the team for their fast and explosive playstyle, winning rounds off the back of coordinated aggression and supreme confidence in their aim.
Duelist duo Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto and Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie have already shown themselves capable of going toe-to-toe with the world’s best, and they have absolutely outclassed the competition in the APAC region.
Elevated is clearly a believer himself, putting the Southeast Asian team above even EMEA juggernauts Fnatic, who look like they are currently in their prime. His ranking is as follows:
- Paper Rex
- Fnatic
- OpTic Gaming
- FunPlus Phoenix
- LOUD
- XSET
- DRX
- Northeption
- Guild Esports
- Leviatán
- XERXIA Esports
- KRU Esports
An Asian team has yet to win an international Valorant LAN — the past four events have been won by either North American or EMEA teams. PRX have a chance to make history in Denmark, if they show up in the same form they have displayed over the past couple of months.
However, it will be an uphill climb for the Southeast Asian powerhouse. Fnatic and OpTic are heavy-hitters that remain the favorites to lift the trophy, while challengers like LOUD, XSET, and DRX look like they just need a few good rounds to take it all.
Masters Copenhagen runs from July 10 to 24. You can view the full match schedule here.
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