An adult conversation about Valorant Champions.

#1

Noyn

Guys, I see a lot of you when you talk about playoffs ranking the best teams (on paper) as favorites for the title, but you're forgetting that in a world tournament there's a different tension and supernatural things tend to happen in these playoffs, talented players will become kittens and supporting players will become lions, you saw what 100T did in Berlin with Hiko and Nitr0 being extremely clutch.

Now I'm going to comment on teams that I believe can be the first champion in Valorant's history in LAN and without crowd:

Team Liquid - It's hard not to imagine this team at least in the semifinals, ScreaM and Nivera have already won several titles in crowded stadiums at CSGO, Jamppi has a good experience in big events, my only concern is Link and Soulcas/Kriptix in playoffs, but they with sure they are the most favorite team for the title imo.

Sentinels - Players used to playing LAN at CSGO, of course none of them played major playoffs there, but the confidence I saw from Shahzam, Sick, and Dapr in Iceland was enough to get them here, if TenZ performs like he did in Iceland and Shahzam doesn't let him play Raze I think it's very difficult for them not to make it in the semifinals at least.

Envy - Yay and Crashies were steel ball players during the most tense moments in Berlin, and the team's IGL has a lot of experience in big events since CSGO, I don't think they can be champions, but them will be a team that tends to grow a lot in the playoffs.

Vision Strikers - They are an excellent team and on another occasion they would contend for the title, but I don't know, I feel there is a lack of sauce on this team, I don't see a superstar putting the team on its back in a moment of great tension and harcarrying a BO3, so I I don't think they can be champions.

Gambit - They showed they bleed and they can crash in Berlin against 100T and Crazy Raccoons, they won't win this time.

Acend - Team very dependent on cNed and Starxo who are two excellent players not used to playing big events and withstanding the pressure of playing a world tournament playoff, we saw what happened against 100T.

Cloud9 - An excellent team filled with super talented players, but who are used to playing from inside their bedroom eating Cheetos and drinking Coke, they won't take the pressure either.

Fnatic - A very good team that possibly hid their Champions strategy in the last championships but their players are very young and they are less favorites than the teams I mentioned at the beginning.

Vivo Keyd - Jhow and Murizz are LAN rats who don't feel pressure on big events, they've done it their whole lives. Mwzera and Heat are two superstars capable of hardcarrying a series, V1xen is a very talented young player who plays in a support role where it doesn't have much impact on the game if he crashes, so this is my Darkhorse, VK can beat any team in the playoffs if the opponent is choked.

What did you think of the stitches I raised? I was 100% honest in this thread, no cap.

#2

ShadowisBAD

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actually , despite u being on BR's Ass the whole time this was actually pretty good , u were unbiased and raised good points !

#3

Noyn

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Thank you. 🙏🏻

#4

Sprouts

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Yeah, the teams you listed might make semifinals, but it's inevitable that the finals will be Full Sense vs Crazy Racoon

#6

ShadowisBAD

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sprouts , im disappointed how could u forget my bois at KRU :<

#7

DELUSIONAL_FANS_DESTROYER

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Whoever at the semi, or final.
The winner will still be CR. Good day sir,

#9

Noyn

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Sure

#5

Mortadelo

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A bit biased but kinda accurate imo

#8

Noyn

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If 100T with Steel were here they would be the champions.

#10

Olofboost

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"Fnatic saving strats for Champions" no, the team is just not good individually, they don't have what Gambit / Liquid have (insane aimers all around)

Boaster is another bonkar but people refuse to accept it, maybe it's because Doma / Mistic / Magnum didn't play CSGO at any level before, so Boaster has to micromanage their every mid round decision

Gunplay meta doesn't suit them well, the only reason they succeeded in Stage 2 were postplants and the scene wasn't as strong

And overall this analysis is biased and doesn't correspond to reality, it's like "I will tell you which teams I love and which teams I hate and you rate it"

#14

Noyn

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No.

#15

Olofboost

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Watch Red Bull games of Fnatic lol
They tryharded like no other Champions-qualified team, but still failed

#16

Olofboost

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About Sentinels:

They only start practicing at Berlin on 21st (source - liquipedia), this entire time they were streaming on twitch and farming subscribers, because it's hard to find scrims in NA when the rest of the region is asleep till 2022.

SEN come into the tournament unprepared (not really their fault) and will lose to EMEA teams except Fnatic fluke. "LAN magic" is over.

I even think C9 will outperform both SEN and NV, because C9 have some LCQ experience so they are more adapted.

#17

Noyn

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You raised an important point, I believe that all other regions are dead regarding scrims until 2022, only Europe has high quality training throughout the year due to the amount of secondary tournaments, this can make all the difference, but the Sentinels players are very confident on LAN, in playoffs it makes all the difference imo

#19

ShadowisBAD

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nah this guys speaking out of his ass , he needs to be ready to swallow up his words if he gets proven wrong instead of giving excuses

#86

bandwagondestroyer

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shadow, bro, ur spawning with 5 upvotes wtf

#18

ShadowisBAD

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most 1head take ever
Rawkus said on stream theyre putting in the hard work and they wll take every game as if they are playing against the best team in the world cuz even if we get a little comfortable someone will overtake u , They scrimmed alot in NA ( I heard from rawkus stream ) ,

and theyre in LA rn too bootcamp and then theyre going to berlin on the 20TH to bootcamp and full practice and hard work there

#20

Olofboost

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I thought they were in LA for content.
But who they gonna scrim against if Envy already left to EU? Only C9? No other NA team will do any scrims right now.

#22

ShadowisBAD

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rawkus literally said on stream they scrimmed TSM recently i forgot which stream tho

they ARE in LA for content but not for all days LOL , if they are in LA for content from 14th to 20th theyre trolling HARD , theyre gonna film content there and then bootcamp

#25

ShadowisBAD

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am pretty sure the NA teams which are making roster changes are scrimmin rn

#27

nikoya

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cough cough Shahzam 24 hour stream cough cough

jokes aside Sen is one of the teams I'm rooting for.

#28

ShadowisBAD

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jokes aside Sen is one of the teams I'm rooting for.

thank you !!! . you are welcome to support sen whenever u want :)

#29

ShadowisBAD

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im pretty sure they only stream after prac and i dont think they practised that day on 24 hour stream

#32

nikoya

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yeah it was a joke. Shah isn't stupid. And players need breaks, otherwise, they'll crash and burn. I trust that Sen as a whole learned from their losses.

At least Shah is building his brand and name... although 24 hours seemed questionable.

well, I'm sure it was planned. Not just randomly thrown in without scheduling and his health taken into account.

#35

ShadowisBAD

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LOL he said he couldnt do a full 24 hour stream and he doesnt know how others do it , he roughly did like 17 hours or smth if im not nblind but still thats a long time

#36

nikoya

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it definitely is a long time. But most students do that so that's not that bad. I didn't know he didn't do the full 24 hours, I just saw his title streaming and that he was still streaming before and after I slept so I assumed he was fully dialed in and did it all.

#26

wedqatwrtgehge

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theyve been scrimming since start of november
source: dapr, shahzam and tenz streams.

#33

Olofboost

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Ofc they do, if they weren't scrimming they wouldn't be called a pro team.

Still EMEA scrims >>>>>>> NA scrims, if they left to EU 2-3 weeks earlier I could have believed in some kind of redemption arc after Berlin, but now - nah.

Also are you telling me Shahzam does pracc with team and then comes and spends 8 more hours on twitch? This guy sits behind the computer 15 hours per day or what?

#37

ShadowisBAD

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the computer 15 hours per day or what?

bro as a pro player ur supposed to put in the grind
WHAT ARE U SUPPOSED TO PRAC AND THEN SCRIM AND THEN JUST GO TO SLEEP OR GO TO A RESORT ? hes putting in the work , i cant take ur opi nion seriously cuz in ALL ur threads u hate sentinels so no not u

#39

Olofboost

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Twitch is not the grind it's more like pastime

#41

ShadowisBAD

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Bruh u really dont think he can and other players can try out their different agents in ranked ? ultimately it wont matter much , but they can prac their in game agent without using strats against ranked demons

#46

nikoya

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plus, it's fun. It's both a grind and a pastime. Which is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with streaming as a pastime. In fact, finding streaming fun is necessary for it to be as effective and efficient as possible.

By streaming, they can have fun, build their brand, make money that can be invested into themselves and their career path, maintain their mechanics, and practice some aspects of the game. Why would they not stream? They already have a fanbase, it's a win win.

(now maybe he shouldn't be on Twitch for a third of the day, but he should definitely be on twitch consistently. It's a long-term investment and overall intelligent move).

#44

wedqatwrtgehge

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it's how he earns his paycheck, and much more than you ever will in a month at that.

#73

AslanP

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Shadow your opinion is unviable, cringe indian sentinel fanboy kid.

#79

ShadowisBAD

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Noone cars hasosP , u and ur 24 alt accounts fuck off

#38

wedqatwrtgehge

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mfer you wouldn't have believed in shit as long as SEN was involved in it, most of your comments that involve them are negative towards them or their players.

#40

ShadowisBAD

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exactly , thats why i never take the opinion of a hater seriously , cuz they just hate to hate , so supposed some one hates gambit , their opinion of gambit cannot be taken seriously because they hate them LOL

#43

nikoya

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you criticized Noyn for being biased while being even more biased.

Although I do agree that the amount Shah streams slightly concerns me.

But yes. The man sits behind a computer for 15 hours a day. He likely keeps himself relatively healthy (diet, gym, sleep, breaks), but this is part of his job. It's a grindset.

#47

ShadowisBAD

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bro shahz is used to this workload trust me , he go to gym and healthy , the streaming thing yeah , he streams alot that ill agree but he has such a heavy workload am sure he is fine with it and theyre fine rn

#48

nikoya

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being used to a heavy workload isn't necessarily a good thing. It's how he deals with the stress that comes with the workload that's important.

However, Shah genuinely loves his career. It's not like he's grinding something he hates or doing something he completely despises 20 hours a day. The man has fun doing it. That's important.

#50

ShadowisBAD

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HE has fun praccin and has fun streamin + he can interact with his fans for a few hours

sounds like a W to me ,

#52

nikoya

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for sure, I def agree that Shah should stream. I said that in a different reply that it was a massive win win scenario for him.

plus, it's fun. It's both a grind and a pastime. Which is a good thing. There is nothing wrong with streaming as a pastime. In fact, finding streaming fun is necessary for it to be as effective and efficient as possible.

By streaming, they can have fun, build their brand, make money that can be invested into themselves and their career path, maintain their mechanics, and practice some aspects of the game. Why would they not stream? They already have a fanbase, it's a win win.

(now maybe he shouldn't be on Twitch for a third of the day, but he should definitely be on twitch consistently. It's a long-term investment and overall intelligent move).

My only concern is the amount of time he streams. But everyone has different tolerances and habits.

shah is just built different.

continue thread →

#49

ShadowisBAD

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you criticized Noyn for being biased while being even more biased.

My man is fucking pissed that he said gambit will most likely not win 💀💀💀

Dude also thats a reasonable point , gambit won berlin , so theyre a prime target for EVERY team so others will study gambit like mad

#53

nikoya

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add that to newfound pressure along with the fact that they already have a habit of choking... it's not an insult. It's an observation.

#45

generator35

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unprepared ? bro thats just so dumb

#51

Yeetus

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Envy is already in Europe presumably scrimming

#64

ilikerubikscubes

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they don't have what Gambit / Liquid have (insane aimers all around)

Derke, Doma and MAGNUM fucking says hello

#71

Olofboost

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Wow really?
Well I didn't see any of this Doma / Magnum power at Red Bull tourney
They were casually whiffing bullets like the rest of the squad
I didn't watch LVPes / EU Challengers 2 where Fnatic participated and lost, but I guess it was the same there

Saving aim for Champions?

#72

ilikerubikscubes

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It's always possible that the long time without playing top tier made em lose it a bit. If they properly warm up, prepare properly, and feel themselves, probably will do better

#92

trembolonaRage

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+1 perfect
they will change the lineup very soon

#11

Aight

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Damn

#12

OKMAN

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TS VS CR GRANDFINALS IT IS INEVITABLE

#13

OkOkay

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Ok

#21

deathlyclaws

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Common Noyn W

#23

nikoya

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I agree that there is a lot of potential for upsets. Nothing is set in stone. Anything can happen on any given day. A fan favorite could throw, an underdog could play the best game of their lives, who knows. I'm still new to the Valorant scene (and esports scene in general) so I don't know much about these teams and their histories. But one thing that remains consistent throughout life, in general, is that opportunities arise at the oddest times. Expect the unexpected, for what we predict may happen could very well go awry. The image we see of champions is likely to go up in flames. This being said, there are definitely events that can be estimated with fairly high levels of accuracy. It's just that 1% chance that gives hope of an upset.

Besides, if everything goes exactly as planned, where's the fun in that.

I'm rereading what I said and now I see why people think I'm fucking 80 yrs old or smth.

man all I want is to see some good gameplay and my favorite teams to perform as best they can.

#24

yungbasel

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Cheetohs n coke lmao xD

#30

Ckka

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Most c9 players have lan experience right??

#57

Noyn

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Just Vanity and Xeta i think

#31

EU_quiet

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TSM better than every LATAM and BR team

#34

nikoya

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ong fr

#55

Blazieboy

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Heat and Xand will Jett diff Wardell no cap.

#60

EU_quiet

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Bro they can't even jett diff patiphan

#91

Katharize

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bruh patiphan sage god

#90

sank3tsu

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bruh moment

#42

Zaynio

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Pretty accurate assessment honestly.

#56

redlight

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that is a very very fair assessment of all teams

are you going to the rest of the 7 teams? i'm intrigued to hear your thoughts on full sense, crazy raccoon, and FURIA.

#58

Noyn

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I can lengthen this discussion, but most here are interested to hear about these, I love an underdog story too :(

#59

JokesOver

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pretty accurate

#63

Noyn

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Thanks!!

#61

MilanTheMyth

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Team Secret- They have fallen since Stage 3, after not being able to come to Berlin for Masters they have gotten very weak loosing to no-namers. that's unless they are saving strats for Champions who knows?

#62

OKMAN

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VERY accurate

#65

kbkdark

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Another thread of Noyn talking shit... oh god, when this will come to an end 🙄🙄

#66

ilikerubikscubes

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Good shit tho

#68

kbkdark

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i was typing that i was joking LOL
pretty fast that you come

#69

ilikerubikscubes

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right sorry lmfao
in my defence tho i messaged it before your message

#70

kbkdark

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np, it happens

#67

kbkdark

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just kidding bro... your assentments is just perfectly accurate

want to read what do you think about the rest of the teams

#74

AslanP

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I think you underestimate acend they play more tournaments then all other teams in the world even with live crowd.

#81

nikoya

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yes, they do seem to be learning from their mistakes and are actively participating in as many tournaments as possible.

#82

Noyn

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Maybe, they are very good, but it all depends on how they will behave under great pressure and will play with the same confidence as online imo.

#84

nikoya

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That's why they're participating in a lot of tournaments. To improve their mental and get used to the environment (ofc champion's environment will be different but nonetheless, it's still a type of tournament). Whether or not it'll be enough remains to be seen, but at least they are trying.

I don't think FS will win the whole event, but I would like to see them perform well. I don't enough about VK but they sound like a strong contender with a lot of potential. So I'd at least like to see them live up to their hype.

#75

idkbro

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Nivera has never played at LAN, this is his second year as pro he hasnt won shit wdym XD

#85

NotWakemeupwhenniveratop1

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He won some top tier events back in his csgo career

Edit: he also played some lan in lower tier events but yeah thats it

#95

idkbro

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" ScreaM and Nivera have already won several titles in crowded stadiums at CSGO" Only ScreaM did, Nivera won some tournaments playing as a sixth in the online era in CSGO

#76

idkbro

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Why do you say soulcas/kryptix ???? kryptix is not even on the roster m8

#77

idkbro

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These are some of the worst takes and stupid shit I have read in a long time. I guess you are just baiting 8/8 good bait

#78

Carthage_Er_Pola

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Man idc about anything i just wanna see an Asian team perform good and go far. Really looking forward to what Full Sense does

#80

Noyn

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Me too!!

#83

Yoorake

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I'm sad i didn't see prx here because i think their the best sea team but just unlucky with shiba's military duty and lcq being their first tournament with jinggg. That said i hope any of the 3 sea teams that qualify can challenge for playoff :)

#87

roaree

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i dont get how people think tl are favourites to win. sure they did well in lcq against a shit g2 and guild and won red bull where everyone was testing strats and not taking things seriously. they look amazing and super in form so i wouldn't be surprised if they win but certainly not favourites. Gambit in form stomped everyone same with sentinels so they are certainly favourites.

Envy dropped their coach and picked up chet who hasnt really done much so they could easily underperform and they no longer so unknown (with the addition of yay). however i still have hopes they can perform so are they are definitely up there.

Gambit played insane in playoffs and looked completely different from groups which was probably a confidence thing so its not far to put them that low. Their strats and reads are unbelievable and are 2nd/3rd favourites to win.

everything else i agree with. hope vs show what they are capable and vk improve with the addition of mwzera. also want to see a underdog make an upset run. that would be cool. maybe FS, TS or CR.

my rankings:
1) Gambit
2) Sentinels
3) Envy
4) TL
5) VS
6) Acend
7) C9
8) Fnatic
9) Vivo Keyd
10) KRU
11) Vikings
12) TS
13) FS
14) CR
15) Furia
16) X10

#88

nikoya

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Gambit in form stomped everyone same with sentinels so they are certainly favourites.

keywords being in form. They have a rather bad habit of not being in form.

But it's true that they're cracked and very likely the best team in the world atm (provided they are in form).

#94

bhc

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well you gotta remember that envy played all of Berlin without MIke even being runner-ups without a coach is an impressive feat in itself. Adding Chet is only gonna help them unless he does some stupid shit.

#89

elayaCL

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Pretty accurate if i may say. Nice and detailed. I kinda agree in almost everything.

#93

trembolonaRage

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"Fnatic - A very good team that possibly hid their Champions strategy in the last championships "

jesus christ, you are blatant delusional