Best VALORANT Champions Pick’Ems

VALORANT Esports has officially confirmed the return of Pick’Ems for VALORANT Champions Paris, now with an exciting twist: Factions led by creators. The feature arrives on September 4, ahead of the event, and is available globally. As always, it promises exclusive rewards and a new layer of community competition. Here’s everything you need to know.

VALORANT Champions Pick’Ems Important Dates & Regions

• Pick ’Ems Launches: Wednesday, September 4, right before the event kicks off.
• Groups Pick’Ems: Open Sept 4 at 9 AM PT; lock Sept 12 at 6:20 AM PT with the start of Groups.
• Playoff Pick’Ems: Open Sept 22 after the draw and schedule are available (estimated by 6 PM PT); lock Sept 25 at 6:20 AM PT with the start of Playoffs.
• Eligible Regions: Champions Paris Pick’Em is available to play in all regions except for Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Sudan, Venezuela, Syria, China, Quebec, Myanmar, or any other region where this offer is void; and requires a valid Riot Account to play and receive rewards.

Champs Pick’Ems: Where & How to Play

• Access Pick ’Ems through the Esports tab in-game or via the official VALORANT Champions landing page.
• How to create your Pick:
  • Group stage match winners,
  • Group standings (e.g., “Team A finishes second”), and
  • Playoff and final outcomes.
• Do this to create your Pick’Em:
  • Open the Pick’Ems tab on Riot’s VALORANT Esports site
  • Sign in
  • Join a Faction
  • Make your picks
  • You can also use the in-game Esports tab

Pick’Ems Rewards

Fans can earn up to four exclusive items based on VALORANT Champions Pick ’Ems performance:

• Tejo ¡Eureka! Spray – submit at least one valid prediction (auto-eligibility).
• G.O.A.T. Gun Buddy – achieve at least a 50% correct pick rate.
• Golden G.O.A.T. Buddy – reach a 20% correct pick rate.
• 100% Title – perfect prediction across all picks—exceedingly rare.

Influencer Factions & Rewards

You’ll also select one of ten Factions to support—each led by a VALORANT creator. Factions compete as teams, with the top 75% of players in each Faction contributing to the overall faction score.

Here are the factions and their hosts, along with the exclusive cosmetic reward tied to each:

These rewards are unique to your faction—you can’t earn another faction’s cosmetics unless you switch.

Hotspawn’s VALORANT Champions Pick’Ems

Group A (PRX, SEN, GX, XLG)

Paper Rex (PRX) are top seeds after winning Masters Toronto and Stage 2 of VCT Pacific, making them the most dominant Pacific squad this year. Sentinels (SEN) slot into second; despite stumbling at Masters, they came second or third at all VCT Americas Stages, finishing top three in Stage 2, showcasing domestic dominance (after G2 anyway). GIANTX (GX) come in third after a powerful playoffs run, jumping in after a heated victory over BBL. Finally, XLG (Xi Lai Gaming, from China) are considered underdogs due to their lack of wins on the international stage, but they did win Stage 1 so perhaps they might pull off a Wolves-like run.

Group B (FNC, RRQ, BLG, MIBR)

Fnatic (FNC) lead this group after a resurgence late in the season, placing second at Masters Toronto and maintaining strong EMEA results. RRQ take second after making the Pacific Stage 2 finals as well as lifting the Stage 1 trophy, which cemented them as a consistent threat throughout the year. Bilibili Gaming (BLG), China’s first seed, impressed with a trophy in Stage 2 but have had little international play this year, something that can also be said about the last member of this group. MIBR rounds out the group after qualifying by circuit points in the Americas but showing little playoff depth in Stage 2.

Group C (TL, EDG, DRX, NRG)

Team Liquid (TL) are seeded highest thanks to their dominant Stage 2 EMEA title, proving their form against top-tier opposition. EDward Gaming (EDG) are slotted second after a strong domestic season and by virtue of winning Champions 2024; the dream is to win two Champs trophies back-to-back. DRX, long-time Pacific giants, struggled following their Kickoff win, exiting early at Masters Bangkok, failing to qualify for Toronto, and only reaching 5th-6th in Stage 2. NRG occupy the last slot, despite finishing second at Americas Stage 2. Since their international results lag behind the others, and they have three rookies for whom this is their first major, they are the wild card of this group.

Group D (G2, TH, T1, DRG)

G2 top Group D after winning Americas Stage 2 (as well as Kickoff and Stage 1) and reaching the finals of Masters Bangkok, making them one of the most consistent teams in the world. Team Heretics (TH) follow after their consistent play in EMEA, and thanks to Team Liquid’s top two finish, and recently won their first international trophy at the EWC. T1 are third despite winning Masters Bangkok, since their Stage 2 playoff finish was modest compared to PRX. DRG (Dragon Ranger Gaming, China’s fourth seed) are last, despite their Ascension win, due to the other teams in the group being so strong.