Unless you’re Brazilian, you’d be forgiven for not knowing who Team Vikings are. If you are Brazilian and a fan of Valorant, however, then you have no excuse. This major esports organization from Brazil is owned by two professional soccer players from that country, João Pedro and Kaique Rocha. However, their ownership is only a small part of the equation leading up to their success.

When it comes to VCT Masters, this team is the dictionary definition of a dark horse. Even though they’ve yet to prove themselves on the international stage, Team Vikings have been nothing short of a dominant force in their home country. Today we’re going to take a look at Team Vikings’ journey to Reykjavik.

Remember to check out the journeys of Liquid, Fnatic, Sentinels, Version1, NUTURN, Crazy Raccoon, and X10 before Masters Reykjavik commences!

Humble Beginnings

Team Vikings have been nothing short of destroyers in the Brazilian Valorant scene in recent memory. However, they didn’t start that way. Their first recorded Valorant tournament, the Fusion New Rivals tournament in June 2020, organized by energy drink makers Fusion, resulted in them not even cracking the top 4, out of 8 teams. They didn’t let that stop them, however. At their next tournament, the qualifiers for the Brazil Spray Series that took place July 2020, they managed to place Top 4. In the Brazil Spray Series main tournament, they placed Top 6. And for the Valorant Zone Invitational #2, they actually placed second!

However, they couldn’t keep this up. From there, the Team Vikings roster at this time couldn’t place higher than Top 8 for most of the tournaments they attended. Their highest success from September to November of 2020 occurred during the First Strike qualifiers, where they placed Top 8. In First Strike itself, however, they failed to crack the Top 8. It was clear in their current state that Team Vikings were headed nowhere fast. It was time for a change.

The Roster Shake-Up That Sent Quakes

On December 12, 2020, Team Vikings parted ways with four of their five current members. The only remaining original member of this shake-up would be Gustavo “gtnziN” Moura. From here, Team Vikings picked up new members. These new acquisitions turned out to be:

• Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi
• Leandro “frz” Gomes
• Gabriel “sutecas” Dias
• Matias “Saadhak” Delipetro

This roster shake-up would end up sending nothing short of quakes through the Brazilian Valorant scene. The new Team Vikings wound up dominating almost every event they played in from January 2021 forward.

They started with Ultimasters AOC, where they won 1st Place. From there, they set their sights on the Valorant Champions Tour. Even as far back as the Stage 1 Challengers qualifiers, they were making waves with their victories. They even took Stage 1 Masters for their home region. The only times they faltered on their way to where they are now in the Valorant Champions Tour were against a team called SLICK. However, inconsistency on the part of SLICK made them slip up when they needed to clutch the most in the Stage 2 Challengers Finals. Team Vikings ended up having the last laugh.

A Dark Horse with a Name

As mentioned before, Team Vikings fit the description of a “dark horse” pretty accurately. They’ve yet to prove themselves on the world stage, but in their home country with their current roster, they’ve swept everyone else aside. They’ve proven they clearly have the talent and hunger. Will this talent hold up in the face of international scrutiny? We’ll have to find out once VCT Masters starts in Reykjavik, Iceland, on May 24.

Stay tuned to Run it Back for full coverage of VCT Masters!