This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
VALORANT Elite Showdown should be one of the more interesting tournaments in North American VALORANT as we barrel towards a date with destiny at VCT Champions. With a lineup of teams lacking most of the top teams and seeing a mix of rosters that wouldn't normally compete with each other, the potential for upsets is off the charts. We're gonna run down our tournament favorites, and a dark horse for what could be one of North America's more interesting tournaments.
Tournament Favorites
1. Version1
Kicking off the tournament favorites has to be Version1, as the only top-10 rated team in the world in attendance, anything but an event win would likely be seen as a disappointing result. Across the board this team has some of the best players in the tournament and the best fantasy options. Zellsis and penny have strong potential with their aggressive agent pool, with penny taking up most Jett duties while Zellsis finds himself on KAY/O, Reyna and Skye. The only issue for Version1 is consistent form. In the past they have shown they can compete with the best in the world, even traveling to VCT Masters: Reykjavik and performing admirably. Recently though, they haven't been anywhere near that level. The talent is there, but Version1's biggest enemies might be themselves, if they can play at their best, it's hard to see anyone denying them the title.
2. NRG
This outfit has hovered right around the edge of North America's best, but can't quite get past the hump. NRG have come so close, so many times, dropping matches at the very last hurdle to some of North America's best teams. NRG is lead by tex, eeiu and ANDROID, who all have shown the firepower to make them top options in any match. eeiu is perhaps the most impressive of the bunch, with his 1.22 rating and 229 ACS, despite playing utility and smoke agents. tex is the team's Jett, giving him solid fantasy value, and an unsurprisingly strong floor. His 1.18 rating and 241 ACS are among the best and most consistent in the tournament, and with soft matchups throughout, he is in prime position to truly take over and post some mind-boggling stats. ANDROID, the final member of the high-powered trio of NRG is perhaps the most impressive with a 1.26 rating and 1.33 K/D with the capability of absolutely taking over on Raze and Reyna. NRG have everything to play for, and a tournament win over Version1 would go a long way towards proving they can compete with North America's best.
3. SoaR Gaming
SoaR is an interesting proposition, and perhaps one of the wildcards of the tournament. This side hasn't really competed with North America's best, failing to qualify for major VCT events, but they have established themselves as one of the best of the rest. With consistent wins over Soniqs, Pioneers, Immortals and more, they have shown that they are a level above most of the teams in this event. That said it would take a Herculean effort for SoaR to take down NRG or Version1. Cryocells is the player to watch for SoaR - as the team's Jett he tends to play a very aggressive, in-your-face, style and he comes roaring into the tournament in immaculate form. With a 1.23 rating and 234 ACS, Crycocells will have to lead the charge if SoaR take on Version1 or NRG, but if either of those teams slip up SoaR could be perfectly poised to capitalize.
Dark Horses
4. Built By Gamers
Built By Gamers is such an inconsistent team I considered moving them to the favorites section. On their best day they can beat anyone, but on an off day? Good luck. This team hasn't played in over a month and rumors of new roles on the team have swirled. As a result, the best course of action is to wait-and-see after their first-round match. If you must target someone here, Will is the player to go for. His entry play is top notch, and against weaker competition he could be in line for some truly massive numbers.
5. TSM FTX Academy
TSM FTX Academy is an interesting team on the rise. They have been playing in every event they can find, and have truly been grinding it out. The improvement is there, but they have yet to claim that big win to put them into the conversation as a favorite. In fact their most recent loss was a disappointing 2-0 sweep at the hands of Version1. Bdog and Dcop would need to take over the map for TSM FTX Academy to take down some of the biggest teams, but the talent is certainly there, and a run of good form could position them perfectly to make a deep run.
