The best of the best from every region will be in attendance, with 16 teams from all over the world qualifying for the season finale. They include Fnatic, Paper Rex, Evil Geniuses, NRG, LOUD, EDward Gaming, Team Liquid, DRX, Natus Vincere, KRU Esports, FUT Esports, Giants Gaming, T1, ZETA DIVISION, Bilibili Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix.

After winning the VCT LOCK//IN and VCT Masters Tokyo during the year, Fnatic are the clear favourites at +110 with most esports betting sites as they seek to become the first team to win every international event in a single Valorant Champions Tour season.

Best Bet – Fnatic

VCT Champions 2023 appears Fnatic’s title to lose. The EMEA League winners have shown this year that they are in a class of their own. No one got near them at VCT Masters Tokyo, with the champions only losing one map for the entire event. That blip came at the hands Evil Geniuses in the upper-bracket final; however, they would clash again in the grand final, where Fnatic swept EG 3-0.

Fnatic created history after their VCT Masters Tokyo title, becoming the first team to win two international events in a single season, and they will be looking to create more history with a third international title at VCT Champions. With the likes of Jake “Boaster” Howlett and Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov leading their roster, it is hard to go past the pre-tournament favourites.

Best Value – EDward Gaming

EDward Gaming were one of the surprise packets to come out of VCT Masters Tokyo, where they knocked out Natus Vincere during the group stage and LOUD during the playoffs. Before booking their place at VCT Champions, EDG had to go through the China Qualifier. The top-ranked Chinese team went through undefeated and only dropped one map, coming in the grand final against Bilibili Gaming.

Zheng “ZMjjKK” Yongkang, also known as Kang Kang, is one of the best snipers to ever grace the Valorant servers. The 19-year-old is considered one of best up-and-coming talents in the world and is already a leader on this team. If he produces a similar show-stopping performance to what he did in Tokyo, EDG will be there when the whips are cracking on the final days of the event.

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Following up their success in the VCT LOCK//IN, Fnatic have now cemented their position as the No.1 Valorant team worldwide and punched their ticket to the Valorant Champions 2023 in August.

The best-of-five series kicked off on Lotus, where Fnatic started strong but ended the map half with a tied 6-6 scoreboard. In the second half, Evil Geniuses won only two rounds while Fnatic cruised to a 13-8 victory.

On Split, Fnatic pushed into the lead with four round wins. The teams were tied for most of the map until round 23, when Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev got in four kills and secured Fnatic another win.

Evil Geniuses needed a win on the third map, Bind, to continue the series. They jumped out of the gates well and took Fnatic by surprise, reaching 8-4 by half time and then winning a second pistol round to lead 12-7.

Fnatic seemed unfazed by the onslaught, however, and pushed the map to overtime. There, they won two rounds to clinch their second Valorant title of the year.

After the match, Fnatic player Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov shed light on how they were able to win the game.

“It was kind of rough for us at the start of Bind, but we realized it was just like LOUD on Icebox in the last finals,” Chronicle said.

“We just had to focus on the comeback, focus on our attack side, and it went just as we expected. I’m happy we stayed focused.”

With that result, Fnatic have earned another spot for the EMEA region in the much-anticipated Valorant Champions 2023. The region will now have five teams participating at the tournament, which will run from August 6-26 in Los Angeles, USA.

The remaining participants will be chosen via the EMEA last-chance qualifier, which will be held from July 19-23. The qualifier will only feature six squads, following Team Vitality’s decision to withdraw from the event after the passing of Karel “Twisten” A?enbrener.

Valorant Champions 2023 EMEA teams

• Fnatic
• FUT Esports
• Team Liquid
• EMEA last-chance qualifier winner
• EMEA last-chance qualifier runner-up

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EVIL GENIUSES vs PAPER REX VCT BETTING & MATCH DETAILS

Evil Geniuses and Paper Rex will clash on Saturday, June 24, in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) 2023 Masters Tokyo lower-bracket final. Two underdogs who defied all the odds, these teams are now just one series away from facing Fnatic in the final.

Paper Rex entered the tournament as the VCT Pacific League champions but were billed as one of the outsiders with their star player, Ilya “something” Petrov, not able to travel to Tokyo. Still, the Singaporean outfit proved all the doubters wrong by eliminating NRG Esports (2-1), EDward Gaming (2-1), and DRX (2-0) from the event.

Evil Geniuses weren’t expected to achieve much in Tokyo either, but they didn’t need long to prove the sceptics wrong. After finishing Group B with a perfect 2-0 record, the North American team kept the momentum going and defeated LOUD (2-0) and Team Liquid (2-1). Their only loss so far happened on Wednesday, when Evil Geniuses had to admit defeat to Fnatic (1-2), but they performed admirably and came just two rounds short of winning the series.

Paper Rex have looked incredible so far, but beating Evil Geniuses might be too much to ask from them. Addison “zecK” Gorzeck’s charges have shown immense improvement throughout the tournament, and if their close series against Fnatic is any indication, EG should be able to close out this series in two maps.

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After kicking off last week, the VCT Masters: Tokyo will continue again this week, with the final games of the playoffs stage taking place later in the week and the grand final set to be played on Sunday.

The tournament favourite with most esports betting sites, Fnatic, began their playoffs with a dominant win over NRG, while the likes of Team Liquid and Paper Rex are also alive in the upper-bracket of the playoffs and could challenge the favourite.

Some of the key leagues and tournaments taking place in the esports world this week include:

• Valorant Champions Tour Masters: Tokyo

  VCT Masters: Tokyo will be the second international event of the 2023 Valorant Champions Tour, with the winner of the event earning their region an extra slot at Champions 2023 from their respective Last Chance Qualifier. Due to Fnatic winning the LOCK//IN tournament, EMEA will have an extra team at the VCT Masters event.

  Check out our extensive VCT Masters Tokyo betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.

• League of Legends Pro League (LPL)

  The fourth week of the LPL will continue on Monday, with JD Gaming and Top Esports set for a top of the table clash on Friday, with the winner of the clash taking ownership of sole first place on the table.

  JD Gaming are still the hot favourite at +125 with most esports betting sites to take out the LPL Summer split, with Top Esports now on the second line of betting at +400.

  Check out our extensive LPL betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.

• League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK)

  The third week of the LCK will begin on Wednesday, with Gen.G currently sitting in first place on the table as the only undefeated team through four series.

  After their hot start, Gen.G has overtaken T1 to become the outright bookies favourite at +120 to take out the LCK Summer split, ahead of T1 who are currently +200.

  Check out our extensive LCK betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.

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Paper Rex and DRX will cross swords on Friday, June 16, in the first round of VCT 2023 Masters Tokyo playoffs, for the fourth time this season. Paper Rex already met with DRX during the regular season and twice in VCT 2023 Pacific League playoffs, with the last two matches ending in the Singaporean side’s favour (2-0, 3-2).

But despite beating DRX twice over the last 30 days, Paper Rex enter this match as underdogs. This might not be too wrong, considering DRX had a chance to warm up in the group stage last week, and they didn’t look too bad, with wins against Attacking Soul Esports (2-0) and FUT Esports (2-1). Still, DRX being warmed up is the only real argument we can make in their favour.

DRX looked like the best Valorant team in the Pacific region for the entire regular season, but then they fell off in the playoffs and have yet to show any remarkable improvement. Paper Rex to win at even odds or better is a solid bet.

Fnatic were nearly unstoppable this season. They first won VCT 2023: LOCK//IN S?o Paulo and then completed their run through VCT 2023 EMEA League regular season with a perfect 9-0 record. But their flawless form came to a stop in the EMEA League finals, where Fnatic had to admit defeat to Team Liquid (1-3) in one of the biggest upsets of the season.

Losing the finals is not a good look for Fnatic, but one defeat doesn’t change the fact that Fnatic have since VALORANT Champions 2021, lost only 12 games (45-12) and just one over the last 22.

NRG Esports looked surprisingly good in the final stage of VCT 2023 Americas League, and even though they couldn’t beat LOUD in the finals (9-13, 11-13, 11-13), NRG came very close. Considering what NRG have shown in the Americas League playoffs, they’re a serious threat for a deep run in Tokyo, but they’re not getting much respect.

More times than not, Fnatic should defeat NRG, but NRG had time to warm up, and they’re much stronger than what the current Valorant betting odds suggest. This should be a very competitive series that can reach the third map.

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Scheduled to kick off on Sunday, June 11, the tournament will welcome 12 Valorant esports teams from three regions, who will battle for the lion’s share of the $1 million prize pool and the coveted trophy.

Here is our VCT 2023 Masters Tokyo tournament preview, including the latest outright odds and our top betting picks.

Fnatic or LOUD?

According to the latest VCT 2023 Masters Tokyo betting odds, Fnatic (+125) are the clear favourites to win the tournament, and rightly so. The European squad already won VCT 2023 LOCK//IN S?o Paulo and were incredible throughout the VCT EMEA League, finishing the regular season with a perfect 9-0 record and 18-1 map differential.

The Black & Orange were unstoppable until the end, when they lost the VCT EMEA League finals against Team Liquid (1-3) – their only professional defeat of the 2023 season. Losing the finals was painful, but it doesn’t change much – they are still a powerhouse.

Fnatic have not lost a single map in the EMEA League since Emir “Alfajer” Beder returned to the lineup, and they were already a class above everyone else in Sao Paulo. The only team that managed to cause them problems was the VCT Americas League champions, LOUD.

LOUD enter VCT Masters Tokyo as the second favourites in Valorant betting markets, but at +300 they are nearly double the odds of Fnatic. And even though Jacob “Mini” Harris’ team is one of the most dominant in Valorant esports history, it’s hard to justify the idea that Fnatic are twice as likely to win this tourney.

LOUD reached the finals of the VCT 2023 LOCK//IN and came within a couple of rounds of defeating Fnatic, so they were good enough to compete with the European roster three months back. Since then, LOUD have won the VCT Americas League with an 8-1 record in the regular season and a perfect run through the playoffs, beating FURIA Esports (2-0), Evil Geniuses (2-1), and NRG Esports (3-0) in the post-season.

Fnatic and LOUD are undeniably two of the strongest teams at VCT Masters Tokyo. The only question is: who will go the distance this time?

Don’t sleep on Paper Rex

VCT Pacific League champions Paper Rex enter this tournament as third favourites to win the whole thing, priced at +600 with esports betting sites. This gives them just a 14.3% implied probability of winning the event, which might sound right, but that’s a very low number.

Paper Rex had a slow start to the season and crashed out of VCT 2023 LOCK//IN S?o Paulo in 17th-32nd place, and things didn’t improve early into the VCT Pacific League season. However, once Paper Rex found traction, they proved impossible to stop.

After finishing the regular season in second place with a 7-2 record, Paper Rex shifted into a higher gear in the playoffs and defeated T1 (2-0) and DRX (2-0) to reach the finals, where they reverse-swept DRX (3-2) to win the VCT Pacific League crown. Some may argue that DRX choked, but the eye test suggests Paper Rex have been playing well throughout the season and just needed more time to make things click.

One concern with Paper Rex is that Ilya “something” Petrov might not be able to play due to visa issues; however, the team has yet to offer an official statement. The Russian has been a huge part of this squad’s success over the season, so it would be wise to follow the latest Valorant news for updates before making any bets.

Besides something’s possible absence, the only other reason anyone can doubt Paper Rex is the raw strength of Fnatic and LOUD. But there’s a good chance one of the favourites will slip, and if that happens, Paper Rex will be there to grab their chance.

VCT 2023 Masters Tokyo betting predictions

Fnatic are clearly the best team in this field, but their outright odds are too short to justify backing them. Regardless of how good the European giants have looked this season, giving them a nearly 50% chance of winning an international tournament is too much.

LOUD are the next potential candidates to win it all, and rightly so. They are very strong and poised to finish at least inside the top four, but if they happen to meet with Fnatic in the final, there’s a good chance LOUD will lose. So instead of backing LOUD to win, we can grab a very generous offer on LOUD reaching the final at +120 with BetOnline.

Paper Rex are priced at +225 to reach the final, which is a good offer assuming at least one of the favourites slips up. But it might be wiser to wait for the updates on something and his visa situation before putting money on the VCT Pacific League representatives.

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The BLAST Premier Spring Final will be held in Washington D.C, United States of America, with the second of two back-to-back CS:GO events held in North America kicking off on June 7.

Four of the eight participating teams are ranked inside the top five in the world, with the likes of Team Vitality, Heroic, FaZe Clan and G2 Esports headlining the four-day event.

Most esports betting sites have Team Vitality as their +250 favourite, closely followed by Heroic at +300 and G2 Esports at +350.

Some of the key leagues and tournaments taking place in the esports world this week include:

• BLAST Premier Spring Final

  After claiming the BLAST.tv Paris Major, Team Vitality will go to Washington D.C to try and go one better from last year and claim their first BLAST Premier Spring Final title. Both FaZe Clan and Heroic finished in 3rd-4th-place at IEM Dallas, and they appear to be the biggest threat to the bookies favourite.

  Check out our extensive BLAST Premier Spring Final betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.

• Valorant Champions Tour Masters: Tokyo

  The lone VCT Masters event for the 2023 Valorant Champions Tour season will be held in Tokyo, Japan, with the two-week long tournament beginning on Sunday, June 11.

  Fnatic will begin the event as the +125 favourites with most esports betting sites, followed by LOUD at +300 and Paper Rex at +600.

  Check out our extensive VCT Masters Tokyo betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.

• League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK Summer 2023)

  The second split of the League of Legends Champions Korea will kick off on Wednesday, June 7, with Gen.G attempting to defend their crown from last year and record their third straight LCK championship.

  Most esports betting sites have T1 marked as their +120 favourite, closely followed by Gen.G at +200. Outside of the two favourites, KT Rolster (+500) and Dplus KIA (+600) are given smaller chances after showing big improvement during the LCK Spring split.

  Check out our extensive LCK betting guide to get the latest odds and tournament information.

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