VALORANT’s second international LAN of the year, VCT Masters Tokyo, was full of pop-off moments. The talent level is the highest it has ever been at in VALORANT, leading to the rise of new stars among the existing elite. We’ve compiled a list of the top five plays from the VCT Masters Tokyo Playoffs to keep you satiated until Champions begins in August.
Image Credit Riot Games | Colin Young-Wolff
5. NRG ardiis vs DRX – Shooting Fish in a Barrel on the Long Flank
NRG’s round one loss to Fnatic was a heavy blow to be dealt, as it meant that the North American hopefuls had to be perfect from there on out. After narrowly edging DRX out on their pick of Pearl, NRG were looking to end things cleanly on home turf. With match point on Haven, ardiis positioned himself in a solo lurk position, perfectly navigating the round and wiping DRX out from behind.
4. TL nAts vs NRG – Phantom Perfection on the 4K Retake Defense
The losers’ bracket quarterfinals saw two tournament hopefuls meet up early on in a brutal elimination match. TL had just lost in resounding fashion to EG, and now had to deal with another NA titan in NRG. Looking to secure their map one Haven pick, nAts positioned perfectly for the C site retake and crushed NRG’s hopes in round 16.
3. EDG ZmjjKK vs Paper Rex – Insane Operator Flicks Galore
Of all of the come-up stories that came out of VCT Masters Tokyo, few were as awe-inspiring as that of EDG and ZmjjKK (said as “Kangkang”). You could make a montage solely out of this guy’s impressive Operator flicks alone. It feels wrong to only put one of his many plays on this list. This flick against Paper Rex in a top four elimination match shows Kangkang’s insane control, even while under high pressure.
2. EG C0M vs Team Liquid – 4K Pistol Round Mow Down
The first upper bracket semifinals match saw Evil Geniuses face off against the defending EMEA champions in Team Liquid. After crushing their opponents on their home pick of Fracture, EG was looking to put a cap on the series quick. The first round of Haven saw a defensive short A push go wrong for EG. Luckily, C0M was in the right place to line up all four remaining TL members and save the round.
1. EDG nobody vs LOUD – Holding Strong while Stunned for a 3K
One of the biggest stories of VCT Masters Tokyo was the fall of LOUD, the LOCK/IN runners-up and defending Champions winners. After losing their first match to EG, LOUD had one last shot at redemption against EDward Gaming, the first Chinese team to make playoffs at a VCT event. EDG and nobody had other ideas. An improbable 3K on a defensive collapse put LOUD’s Fracture comeback to bed, securing EDG their first VCT playoffs victory.
Those are our top plays of the VCT Masters Tokyo Playoffs. There are many more amazing moments that didn’t make this list, and plenty from the group stage as well. VALORANT has delivered so far in 2023, and will continue to do so as we near the end of the competitive season. We’ll no doubt see a bevy of beautiful plays when VALORANT Champions begins on August 6. Stay tuned at Hotspawn for all the latest in VALORANT coverage.
