- Talon Esports
Almost everyone and their pets had Talon going to Masters, especially after their impressive showing at LOCK//IN. What happened in VCT Pacific : finished 9th with a 3-6 record. Pretty sure most people didn't expect that.
- Natus Vincere
Let's be real, we had very high expectations from this team. Hell, many of us even thought they were contenders. Finished top 4 at LOCK//IN, 2nd in the EMEA League stage, everything was set. Then the cracks started to show, and they have not been the same since. They've been trolling their agent comps, their strats, ANGE1 can't shoot... You name it. And now, they've been knocked out of Masters in the group stage itself. It was really FNATIC winning LOCK//IN that saved them from not going to Tokyo.
- DRX
Don't get me wrong, DRX are still a decent team. However recently they've kinda lacked the punch that they had all this time. Performed great in VCT Pacific but lost to their rivals PRX in an ugly reverse sweep. Now they're staring at potential elimination from Masters. Really just bring Zest at this point.