Riot Games announces VALORANT Masters 3: Berlin groups

Riot Games announced the groups for VALORANT Champions Tour Masters 3: Berlin.

The format for Masters 3 was hotly debated by the community due to a lack of games at an international event. Following the format change, VALORANT now revealed which teams will be competing in which groups on the international stage. 

Group A:

• Acend (EMEA)
• Paper Rex (SEA)
• Vision Strikers (KOR)
• Supermassive Blaze (EMEA) 

Group B:

• Vivo Keyd (BR)
• TeamEnvy (NA)
• KRÜ Esports (LATAM)
• Zeta Division (JP)

Group C:

• Gambit (EMEA)
• Crazy Racoon (JP)
• 100 Thieves (NA)
• Havan Liberty (BR)

Group D:

• Sentinels (NA)
• G2 Esports (EMEA)
• Bren Esports (SEA)
• F4Q (KOR)

Each group will have two teams emerge from the upper and lower bracket. One team will come out as the first seed and the other team will come out as the second seed. From there, they will be slotted into the Masters 3 playoffs stage, where the remaining eight teams will compete for the title. 

Teams battle to get to VCT Masters Berlin

After VCT Masters 2, the number of teams invited to the international event expanded to include more teams from each region. Outside of LATAM, each region was awarded another shot, with EMEA reviving two extra slots. Despite how teams did at the previous masters event, all 16 teams had to fight their way through several qualifiers in order to earn a shot at the second international tournament. 

Out of the teams that participated in Masters Reykjavík, only Sentinels, KRÜ Esports and Crazy Raccoon are the only teams returning to represent their regions. All the other teams will be attending their first international event. And, for some, it will be their first LAN since the start of VALORANT. 

Furthermore, many teams were left in the dark on what the format would be for masters. With more teams included than previously, there would have to be adjustments to the format. When the original format was teased, fans and players were furious with how it was laid out. After the outcry from the community, VALORANT added groups and changed the format.