Throughout competitive Valorant, Envy Envy Inactive Marved Jimmy Nguyen Victor Victor Wong crashies Austin Roberts FiNESSE Pujan Mehta yay Jaccob Whiteaker have been one of the most consistent teams in North America. They have regularly found themselves among the top three since their inception in July 2020.

But they have yet to claim a major event title, despite coming close in Masters: Berlin with a second-place finish.

That event was the first time Envy truly showed what they were capable of on the international stage. After signing the notorious El Diablo Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker from Andbox Andbox Inactive oderus Chad Miller mummAy Anthony DiPaolo Lear Dayton Akau Jonaaa6 Jonard Penaflor vice Daniel Kim and receiving Jimmy "Marved" Nguyen on loan from FaZe Clan FaZe Clan Inactive POISED Kevin Ngo mummAy Anthony DiPaolo TiGG Tanner Spanu BABYBAY Andrej Francisty supamen Phat Le , Envy became a team to fear.

They made it through the group stage of Masters: Berlin by easily defeating both KRÜ Esports KRÜ Esports Latin America South Rank #2 keznit Angelo Mori Mazino Roberto Rivas adverso Benjamín Poblete Shyy Fabian Usnayo Melser Marco Eliot Machuca Amaro and Keyd Stars Keyd Stars Inactive . Their next opponent was the North American overlord, Sentinels Sentinels North America Rank #3 N4RRATE Marshall Massey bang Sean Bezerra Zellsis Jordan Montemurro zekken Zachary Patrone johnqt Mohamed Amine Ouarid . Few predicted an Envy win, but fewer still expected the shocking result: a 2-0 sweep. They then moved on to the semifinal against 100 Thieves 100 Thieves North America Rank #8 zander Alexander Dituri Cryocells Matthew Panganiban eeiu Daniel Vucenovic Boostio Kelden Pupello Asuna Peter Mazuryk and dispatched the other North American titan with ease, again claiming a 2-0 victory.

Envy walking onto the stage in the semifinal of Masters: Berlin Envy ready to face 100T in the semifinal of Masters: Berlin (Photo by Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games).

Envy found themselves in the grand final against the CIS giants Gambit Esports Gambit Esports Inactive Redgar Igor Vlasov Chronicle Timofey Khromov d3ffo Nikita Sudakov sheydos Bogdan Naumov nAts Ayaz Akhmetshin , but this time came up short. Gambit took the championship in 3-0 fashion, but the series was closer than the scoreline indicated.

“They deserved to win that day, but I don't think that happens again,” said Pujan "FiNESSE" Mehta in the YouTube series NA/TURALS. “Or at the very least we should've won those first two maps and we threw it away on our own accord. That's my main hunger, I want to beat them, I want to make that wrong a right again.”

Now that Envy has had more time to polish their gameplay and look back on what they could've done, this event will be the true test of their abilities against the world's best teams.

“Before Berlin we only had like a month or so, and it is so hard to add so many things with a new player,” Austin "crashies" Roberts said. “I do think we have a lot of new [strategies] now, and I think players and opponents will definitely be caught off guard.”

Envy have always been at the top, but never the ones sitting in the throne. Coming into Champions, they look to finally take what they believe is theirs and be crowned the first Valorant world champions.

Envy will debut in Valorant Champions on December 3 at 6 p.m. CET against X10 Esports X10 Esports Inactive Vera Rodman Yap Tempz Pierre Heng RedKoh Danial Hakim wayne Wayne Chang Egoist Javier Chua . Their group consists of Acend Acend Inactive ALIVE Gilad Hakim musashi Alessio Xhaferi pyrolll Artur Minin cullumx Nikolaj Cullum Andersen chiwa Egor Stepanyuk , X10 Esports X10 Esports Inactive Vera Rodman Yap Tempz Pierre Heng RedKoh Danial Hakim wayne Wayne Chang Egoist Javier Chua , and Keyd Stars Keyd Stars Inactive .