Riot Games has unveiled the first set of group stage games for VALORANT Masters Toronto, set to take place on June 8th.
The draw took place shortly after Fnatic lifted the VCT 2025 EMEA Stage 1 following its dominant win against Team Heretics.
Round 1 matches will be as follows:
- June 8th: Gen.G Esports (Pacific #2) vs. MIBR (Americas #3)
- June 8th: Bilibili Gaming (China #2) vs. Team Liquid (EMEA #3)
- June 9th: Sentinels (Americas #2) vs. Wolves Esports (China #3)
- June 9th: Team Heretics (EMEA #2) vs. Paper Rex (Pacific #3)
Which Teams Will Walk Out Victorious?
Among the four matches, the most volatile series should be the one between Gen.G and MIBR. The Brazilian team, spearheaded by Erick ‘aspas‘ Santos, has been in strong form, even taking a game against G2 Esports.
That being said, going up against former VALORANT Masters Shanghai champions Gen.G will not be an easy task.
The other matches are also not easy to predict. Team Liquid should be favoured over BiliBili Gaming, but VCT has previously proved that the Chinese region is on the rise, and with BLG taking down VCT 2024 Champions EDward Gaming in playoffs, the series might surprise many.
The same can be said about the series between Team Heretics and Paper Rex, especially after the European team got destroyed by Fnatic in the VCT EMEA Finals. On paper, Heretics should be expected to take the win.
Sentinels probably have the easiest time among the Swiss stage teams in the first round. Despite the incredible run Wolves Esports pulled off in VCT CN, the team hasn’t looked as strong towards the end of the tournament and also failed to qualify for the Esports World Cup during the Asian Champions League.
According to the tournament’s Swiss group stage format, round 1 matches’ results will determine the round 2 matches, and teams on the same record will face each other in all subsequent rounds. Among the eight teams in the swiss stage, the top four teams will join G2 Esports, XLG Esports, Fnatic and RRQ in the playoff bracket.
