Masters Berlin is just around the corner and the groups have been revealed! As a reminder, each group will feature a double elimination bracket and the top two teams will move on to the single elimination playoffs. Only eight teams can move on to the next round and the rest will go home. 

UPDATE: @VivoKeyd and @havanliberty have been swapped to correctly reflect the seeding rules. pic.twitter.com/nl9knaJJfZ

— Liquipedia VALORANT (@LiquipediaVAL) August 27, 2021

Each team was placed in one of four pools as follows: 

• Pool 1: NA #1, EMEA #1, KR #1, BR #1 
• Pool 2: NA #2, EMEA #2, LATAM #1, SEA #1 
• Pool 3: JP #1, BR #2, KR #2, EMEA #3 
• Pool 4: NA #3, SEA #2, JP #2, EMEA #4 

From there, each Masters Berlin team is drawn into a random Group from A-D. If a team was drawn into a group with a team from their region, then they’re moved to the next one. If that group also has a team from their region, the team will still be placed in that group regardless. 

Without further adieu, let’s take a quick look at each of the groups!

Group A

• Vision Strikers
• Paper Rex
• SuperMassive Blaze
• Acend

Right out of the gates, we’ve already got one of the spiciest (or most disappointing depending on how you view it) groups in the Masters Berlin tournament. Two super teams of their respective regions and a team that is fielding possibly the best player in the world? Vision Strikers, SuperMassive Blaze, and Acend all have arguments for being title contenders. Paper Rex, on the other hand, may have just found themselves caught between a rock, a hard place, and a pit. The odds are not stacked in their favor and It’ll take some Herculean effort from the underdog SEA squad to make some ripples in this tournament. They’ll have to come out swinging right from the get-go. 

Group B

• Vivo Keyd
• Team Envy
• Krü
• Zeta Division 

Envy, the third seed of NA find themselves grouped with some possibly dangerous opponents. KRÜ Esports is back. They’re one of the three teams from Masters 2 that have made it back to the international stage. Last time, they were stopped in their tracks by Team Liquid. Perhaps this time they’ll show that they have what it takes to go further. Meanwhile, the Japanese team Zeta Division (Formerly JUPITER), are finally making their international debut after missing out on Masters 2 and alongside them are the Brazilian Champions Vivo Keyd. They’ve got a lot of fire and a lot to prove. It would be safe to assume that Envy and Zeta Division are probably the favorites to get out of this group. Who can say for sure though? Upsets are always possible, after all. 

Group C

• Gambit
• Crazy Raccoon
• 100 Thieves
• Havan Liberty

Guess what? We’ve got another group with an NA team, a Brazilian team, and a Japanese team in the mix. They’ll be joined by Gambit, the current champions of VCT EMEA. For Gambit, 100 Thieves, and Havan Liberty, this will be their first international tournament. Gambit and 100 Thieves in particular have been getting hyped up as possible title contenders. As the two favorites to make it out of the group, the pressure will be on their shoulders to perform. Havan Liberty, the runners-up of VCT BR are probably walking into this group with low expectations and the lack of any expectation on their back may end up being their key to a surprising run. On the other hand, this won’t be Crazy Raccoon’s first rodeo. The Japanese team exited early in Masters 2 without a single best of three (Bo3) win to their name and they’ll definitely want to put up a respectable performance this time around. 

Group D

• Sentinels
• G2
• Bren
• F4Q

Last but definitely not the least, we’ve got Group D. If the twitter banter is any indication, we’re gonna be in for a real show. Sentinels are back and they’re hungry for their second international title. The best team in the world are still going strong and they still look pretty unstoppable. However, they’ve still got to pass through some tough obstacles. G2 is looking to halt Sentinels in their tracks while an upstart and aggressive F4Q is looking to make waves for their international debut. Of course, we can’t forget about Bren Esports, the VCT SEA champions. Like their Singaporean brethren, the odds are highly stacked against them. Realistically, the group will probably come down to a fight for second between G2 and F4Q. However, Filipino teams have had a knack for surprising upsets in esports. Just ask any Dota fan!

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