Everything you need to know about VCT Stage 3 Masters

The next major VALORANT Champions Tour event begins on Sept. 9, with higher stakes for VCT Stage 3 Masters than any tournament in the scene to date. Not only will sixteen teams compete in Berlin for both an international title and an extra slot for their region in the upcoming world championship, but Sentinels must defend their position as the best team in the game.

There are lots of new faces when compared to VCT Stage 2 Masters, which means many first time matchups between the best from every region. And to help make sure you don’t miss a moment of the action, here is everything you need to know about VCT Stage 3 Masters — Berlin:

Who is competing at VCT Stage 3 Masters?

The 15 teams competing at Masters Berlin come from seven regions, making for the biggest international tournament to date. Four come from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, three from North America, two from Brazil, South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia and one hails from Latin America. They are as follows, complete with previews from Upcomer’s Tyler Erzberger rolling out until in the days leading up to the event.

• Sentinels (NA)
• 100 Thieves (NA)
• Envy (NA)
• Vivo Keyd (BR)
• Havan Liberty (BR)
• Gambit (EMEA)
• SuperMassive Blaze (EMEA)
• Acend (EMEA)
• G2 esports (EMEA)
• Crazy Raccoon (JP)
• Zeta Division (JP)
• Vision Strikers (KOR)
• F4Q (KOR)
• Paper Rex (SEA)
• KRÜ Esports (LATAM)

Which teams are the best?

With so many teams from so many regions, it isn’t easy to figure out exactly how everyone stacks up against each other (except for Sentinels being at the top). The good news is, Upcomer’s power rankings have that covered.

Inside, all 15 competitors are laid out in order of the biggest underdog to the top contender, plus plenty of insights into why every team landed where they did. And armed with that knowledge, it should be much easier to adjust expectations and understand the excitement of every match.

How to watch VCT Stage 3 Masters?

The tournament will have two stages: a Group Stage with the best two out of four teams then qualifying for a subsequent Playoff Stage. While Riot Games has not yet released a schedule for individual matches, the teams have already been separated into four groups. You can read more about the groups and the format here.

Which agents will be played at VCT Stage 3 Masters?

It’s impossible to tell with certainty which agents players will favor in Berlin. However, with no new patches since the last major tournaments, examining some data could offer hints as to where the meta is. Agents like Jett and Sova top the usage statistics, but there’s still plenty of diversity in terms of picks. Read the full breakdown here.

What happened to Bren esports?

Originally, there were 16 teams slated to compete at Masters Berlin, but then the No. 1 seed from the Philippines, Bren Esports, ran into visa issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Group D shifted to a double round robin format with the top two teams advancing. Following this, the team announced on Facebook that they would pursue other opportunities. Then, the next day, Team Secret announced they had signed the former roster and officially moved into the VALORANT scene. That won’t help them with Masters Berlin, but that does mean the team maintains the circuit points needed to continue chasing a spot at Champions.