Jemkin finally arrives on the global stage – VCT Toronto Day 7 Preview

The playoffs of Masters Toronto have begun, with its first set of games seeing Paper Rex and Sentinels progress through the upper bracket while G2 Esports and XLG Esports are already resigned to lower bracket runs. Next up is an all-Eastern clash between RRQ, making their international debut, and fan favourites Wolves, followed by Fnatic making their return to the global stage against the in-form Gen.G.

Rex Regum Qeon vs Wolves – Jemkin making his global debut

Kicking off at 12:00 local time (18:00 CEST) is the day’s first matchup between RRQ and Wolves. Ahead of the tournament, this draw would easily see RRQ as the favourites, however their opponents have all the momentum coming off their unexpected Swiss run.

Like Wolves, Rex Regum Qeon are attending a global event for the very first time, but received a bye to the playoffs after winning VCT Pacific Stage 1. Their grand final victory over Gen.G was largely in thanks to their star Duelist Maksim “Jemkin” Batorov. A player who has been a top performer in Pacific for some time and enters as one of the top 5 players at Masters Toronto, Jemkin has the chance to cement his name amongst the elite of VALORANT if he performs at this event.

His play this year has been undoubtedly world-class, but he lacks the big-stage pedigree that’s necessary to be regularly discussed as one of VCT’s top pros. Finally finding some domestic success was a start, but a significant global event run would go some way further.

Against Jemkin and RRQ are Wolves Esports, a side written off entirely before the tournament, who have silenced the doubters to reach the playoffs. The team’s vibes are infectious, led by the joyful Pong “SiuFatBB” Ka-hei, and it’s no surprise that they’ve gathered a raft of new supporters during their Toronto run already.

RRQ will likely be favourites to win the series, though they’d be foolish to underestimate Wolves as the Chinese side has more than shown that they are far above the level that the community thought of them coming into the tournament.

Fnatic vs Gen.G – Fnatic’s new lineup trying to match up to 2023 legacy

The second series of the day, due to begin at 15:00 local time (21:00 CEST), is between EMEA Stage 1 winners Fnatic and Pacific runners-up Gen.G. Two sides that have been in great form in their most recent matches, their clash should be one of the best so far in Toronto.

For Fnatic, it’s their return to the global stage after missing out on Masters Bangkok qualification earlier this year. At that time, their shuffled roster had struggled to get things together, and their poor Kickoff run resulted in the benching of coach Chris “Elmapuddy” Tebbit.

Since then, and following the promotion of Milan “Milan” de Meij to head coach, Fnatic is back to their EMEA-dominating ways, with team vibes at their all-time best according to superstar IGL Jake “Boaster” Howlett. The side continued to ramp up throughout Stage 1, finally hitting their peak during back-to-back victories over Team Heretics, who, at the time, were the in-form team in the league.

Masters Toronto is the chance for Fnatic to prove that they’re back to top level once and for all. Not only would it be a return to the top for the organisation, but it would show that their new-look lineup can form its own legacy and allow the team move on from its 2023 glory days.

Up against Fnatic is Gen.G, a side that has gone from strength to strength in this tournament. It should come as little surprise to see them perform at an elite level, given that they still hold 3/5 of the 2024 Masters Shanghai-winning roster. They would have emerged as Pacific champions in Stage 1 were it not for Jemkin and his ridiculous 89-kill performance in the Stage 1 grand final.

They were the side that claimed the most convincing wins during the Swiss stage of Masters Toronto, winning both of their ties with 2-0 scorelines. Their opening series against MIBR saw the Brazilian organisation win a measly 6 combined rounds across the two maps. Then, Gen.G’s second matchup against familiar opponents Paper Rex brought one closer map, a 13-11 win on Ascent, before Gen.G again crushed their opposition by winning the second map 13-3.

This momentum could prove pivotal for Gen.G as they enter the matchup full of confidence and full of on-stage practice on the current patch. Fnatic, on the other hand, come in cold, having played no official games since the EMEA final on May 18th — nearly a full month ago. However, that also means that there are no official VODs for Gen.G to review, meaning Fnatic enter the series with all of their new strategies under wraps.