Valorant Champions 2023 Predictions – Group Stage

Here are our Champions 2023 predictions on the teams that are likely going to secure Playoffs from the Group Stage

Champions 2023 is featuring 16 teams from the Americas, Pacific, EMEA and China – all of them the best of their regions. The event will kick off with the Group Stage, where each of the four groups has four teams. Two squads from each group will make it to the Playoffs, and here are our predictions on the teams who will move past their opponents –

Champions 2023 Predictions Group A

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Out of the four teams of Group A, Paper Rex are certainly the favorites, considering their commendable run at the Masters, even with a substitute. Here are the two teams we predict securing the Playoffs from Group A –

Paper Rex

The Singaporeans arrived at Masters Tokyo without their star player Ilya “something” Petrov, and his absence meant we were likely to see Paper Rex struggling in the tournament. However, PRX were still able to secure the third spot in the event with substitute Patiphan “cgrs” Posri, who lacked experience compared to the rest of the team.

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Fortunately, the Russian prodigy something is coming to Los Angeles, and we are expecting to witness the best look from this Pacific Team. The group’s first encounter will be against KRÜ Esports, not the easiest match considering the Chileans’ recent performance at the Americas LCQ. After winning the opening match, our guess is PRX will defeat EDward Gaming, a match where we will see the most awaited something vs KangKang battle. 

EDward Gaming

EDG’s Masters Tokyo run was one of the most exciting things to happen in Valorant eSports, as the underdog team from China surprised the rest of the world by defeating some of the strongest names, including NAVI and LOUD – a “miracle run,” as explained by the team’s member Wang “nobody” Senxu.

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Just from an insane performance at the Masters, Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang (KangKang) has become one of the most well-known aggressive Duelists attending this Champions. His raw talent, along with his teammates’ incredible form, will lead EDG to victory in their first match against Giants. Even though we are predicting a loss for them when faced against Paper Rex, they will be able to qualify by winning the decider facing KRÜ.

Champions 2023 Predictions Group B

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Similar to Group A, Group B also features one team from the four participating regions – Americas, China, EMEA and Pacific. Moreover, this group also has one of the favorite names to win the entire event. Here are our Group B picks –

Evil Geniuses

EG was considered the worst North American team in the regional league only a few months ago, as they struggled in the first few weeks of the Regular Season. After getting Max “Demon1” Mazanov on the roster, things started to look much different for this squad, which went from being an underdog to writing one of the best Cinderella stories we have enjoyed this year. After the continuation of their commendable form at Masters Tokyo, EG are one of the favorites to win Champions after Fnatic.

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EG’s first encounter of the Group Stage is set against FPX, a team that’s yet to grab its first win on a global stage after switching to China. Therefore, it should be a relatively easy success for the North Americans. For the winner’s match, we expect an EG vs T1 duel, another instance where Kelden “Boostio” Pupello’s squad is highly favored to win.

T1

FUT and T1 are the next two strong names from Group B, and from these squads, we are going with the South Koreans to qualify for the Playoffs. This roster failed to secure Playoffs at the Masters, only winning one match against EDG. However, this time around, they are going to have much easier opponents in the Group Stage aside from EG. Although FUT might be a tough contender, we predict the South Koreans to have the last laugh in the decider match.

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T1’s Champions journey will begin by facing FUT, where an upset will go in their favor. As mentioned before, we expect the South Koreans to face their first loss at the winner’s match, and then they will secure their Playoffs spot by defeating FUT once again in the decider Bo3.

Champions 2023 Predictions Group C

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Except for BLG, Group C consists of some of the stronger names of the event, including the best team in the world as of now. Although you may predict NRG to move forward after Fnatic, we have a slightly different idea –

Fnatic

Of course, we pick Fnatic to secure the Playoffs, as this squad has rarely faced defeats in 2023. In fact, Jake “Boaster” Howlett’s crew only lost one game this year out of 21 games they played. As the winners of LOCK//IN and Masters Tokyo, Fnatic are also expecting to win the Champions since this team appears a league above everyone in the global Valorant scene. The roster is looking so unbeatable right now that we don’t really see any team defeating the Kings of Valorant. 

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Fnatic’s first matchup will be against ZETA DIVISION, which will likely result in a clean victory for the Europeans, even though the Japanese roster has looked pretty good in the LCQ. Going into the winner’s Bo3, we may see the second Fnatic vs NRG face-off of 2023, where, considering their past encounter, the Europeans will dominate and make their way to the Playoffs. 

ZETA DIVISION

After Fnatic, most people’s second pick is going to be the North American legends at NRG. However, we have a unique prediction: no Valorant tournament is complete without some incredible upsets. ZETA DIVISION are no stranger to shaking up the competition by defeating strong names, as we have seen before at Masters Reykjavik. Moreover, coming from an undefeated journey at the Pacific LCQ, the Japanese crew is ready to cause waves at the Champions.

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ZETA’s first matchup is set against Fnatic, where we are expecting a loss for Koji “Laz” Ushida’s team. Then, the squad will avoid elimination by defeating BLG and face NRG in the decider match. In the NRG vs ZETA encounter, the North Americans will be highly favored to win. However, the Japanese squad, with the help of Laz’s domination, will secure a victory to get their name to the Playoffs.

Champions 2023 Predictions Group D

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Unlike the other groups, Group D has two EMEA teams and a single squad from both the Pacific and Americas regions. This is the most stacked group of the event, as all four rosters have the ability to be one of the top three names of Champions 2023. After some careful consideration, we think these two teams will move forward from Group D –

Team Liquid

Liquid didn’t have the best look at Masters Tokyo, as they were able to win only a single match in the Playoffs, leaving the tournament with a 1-2 record. However, you do have to consider the powerful opponents they faced, including EG and NRG. This time, going through the Group Stage will be the strength for this European roster.

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Their first obstacle will be NAVI, a team they are very familiar with and have a 1-1 face-to-face record in 2023. Considering NAVI’s recent poor form and loss at the LCQ Grand Final, the match will likely end with Liquid’s victory. The winner’s match, as per our prediction, is likely to be a Liquid vs DRX game, where we may see a very close game, eventually, with Liquid winning the Bo3.

DRX

After losing the Grand Final of the Pacific League to Paper Rex, DRX have not found their old glory back, as they suffered in the Masters. These recent problems can be attributed to their roster issues, where the team had been suffering to find the right place for Jung “Foxy9” Jae-sung in their lineup. Coming to the Champions, we have a hunch that these issues have been dealt with by the South Koreans, and they are ready to go back to their stellar performance. 

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DRX’s first match will be against LOUD, and even though the Brazilians are favored to win the series, we expect an upset. After that, the winner’s match will likely end in a loss for the South Koreans, as Liquid will enjoy an undefeated Group Stage run. The decider Bo3 will likely be a rematch between DRX and LOUD, where Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwan’s squad will send the 2022 Champions winners home. 

If you are a Valorant eSports fan, you wouldn’t want to miss the exciting news of Champions 2023, the biggest event of the game. Stay tuned with ESTNN for the latest updates, previews and coverage of the tournament.