Valorant
Valorant
VCT Champions 2026 Playoffs round 1 predictions: best picks
Owen Harsono
Top-tier Valorant is coming back, as the first round of the VCT Champions 2026 playoffs is about to begin. If you’re looking to trade on these matches, let’s go over what the prediction markets think, as well as who I believe are going to take each series. Opening the playoffs is a match between two international Valorant winners. NRG are of course looking to defend their title after winning VCT …
Valorant
Valorant Champions 2026 Playoffs Preview: Schedule, Betting Picks, and Predictions
Hannan Mundia
After a tough year and an even tougher group stage, the 2026 Valorant Champions playoffs are finally here. Eight of the best Valorant teams will compete to determine which one deserves to be crowned this year’s champion. Multiple professional Valorant teams gave it their all in their respective domestic leagues to qualify for Champions, but not every team was successful. Out of the sixteen teams that made it to Valorant’s …
Valorant
VCT Champions 2026 Plagued With Tech Issues — Players Now Forced to Play on Wired Mice
Owen Harsono
The biggest Valorant tournament of the year is off to a pretty rough start, as numerous players have experienced technical issues across their very important group stage matches. Things really got out of hand in the recent series between 100 Thieves and FUT Esports, as one player couldn’t fire his weapon entirely. Now, Riot’s most recent announcement has erupted players and the community in anger. Technical issues were already apparent …
Valorant
Global Esports vs EDward Gaming: Best Picks for VCT Champions 2026
Owen Harsono
Some top teams are already being sent home from VCT Champions 2026, as Global Esports and EDward Gaming will face off in an elimination match on October 2. Both teams are playing for their tournament lives, so we can expect them to pull out their pocket strats. Here are my Global Esports vs EDward Gaming predictions. Tournament: VCT Champions 2026 Stage: Group Stage (Elimination) Game: Valorant Format: Best of 3 …
Valorant
Complexity Gaming shuts down after 23 years – Here’s what we know
Khizar Mundia
Esports organization Complexity Gaming is ending its 23-year run, as its founder announces its shutdown. Complexity is an organization that has been around since the early days of esports. The organization had rosters in multiple games, including Counter-Strike and Valorant. Despite this, Complexity’s CS roster was the most famous, as it won several major events. This is why it was a surprise for fans to hear that Complexity is shutting …
Valorant
NRG vs Nongshim RedForce: Best picks for VCT Champions 2026
Owen Harsono
Two tournament favorites face off in the first round of the VCT Champions 2026 group stage, as NRG will take on Nongshim RedForce in their opening match. There is no room for slow starts at this event, making it an incredibly important match for both teams. Here are our NRG vs Nongshim RedForce predictions. Tournament: VCT Champions 2026 Stage: Group Stage Game: Valorant Format: Best of 3 Betting tip: These …
Valorant
Who Will Win VCT Champions 2026? These Are The Top Four Candidates
Owen Harsono
VCT Champions 2026 is the biggest Valorant tournament of the year. 16 of the best teams in the world will gather in Shanghai, but only one can fly back home with the title. With so many good teams at the event, it’s pretty hard to pinpoint which one is going to win, but Kalshi traders think they have a good idea of what will happen at the tournament, which ends …
![VCT Champions 2026 Power Ranking [Best Valorant Teams Ranked]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/vct-champions-2026-power-ranking.jpg.webp)
Valorant
VCT Champions 2026 Power Ranking [Best Valorant Teams Ranked]
Owen Harsono
The biggest Valorant tournament of the year is right around the corner, as VCT Champions 2026 in Shanghai kicks off on September 24. If you’re looking to follow and bet on this esports event, let’s make sure you know which teams to look out for. Here are our VCT Champions 2026 power rankings. These rankings are based on recent results and international experience. Favorites can always fall victim to upsets, …
Will zekken Leave MIBR in 2026?
Hannan Mundia
Valorant
Competitive Valorant has given rise to multiple talented professional players, but zekken stands as a powerful fragger even among them. While his glory days were definitely when he was on Sentinels during their iconic run, the player is now part of MIBR, which promised to create a super team. Unfortunately for zekken, the team has fallen short of that promise. With a disappointing 2026 season, rumors have started that zekken …
VCT Champions 2026: Teabagging and Shooting Bodies Banned
Owen Harsono
Valorant
Riot Games has added controversial changes into the VCT Champions Shanghai 2026 rulebook. At the biggest Valorant tournament of the year, participants are now prohibited from in-game actions including shooting dead bodies, teabagging, and other forms of bad manners. A week before VCT Champions 2026 begins, fans have realized that new rules have been added to the tournament’s rulebook: “For the duration of the VCT Champions Shanghai Event, the following …
VCT Champions 2026: Preview, Schedule, Format, Prize Pool, and Teams To Watch
Owen Harsono
Valorant
The VCT 2026 season ends with the annual VCT Champions tournament, and this year’s iteration is heading to Shanghai. Even if you haven’t been actively following the competitive scene, this is a tournament you don’t want to miss. Below we outlined everything you need to know about VCT Champions 2026, including where is best for some Valorant betting. A total of 16 teams will compete in the battleground that is …
Nongshim RedForce vs Global Esports at VCT Pacific Stage 2: Best Betting Predictions
Owen Harsono
Valorant
The regular season of VCT Pacific is nearing its end, as Nongshim RedForce take on Global Esports in the upper bracket final of Stage 2. This Valorant match is an incredibly important one for Global Esports, as a win here will secure them a spot at VCT Champions 2026 — the final event of the year. Here are my Nongshim RedForce vs Global Esports VCT Pacific predictions. Tournament: VCT Pacific …
All the VCT Champions and winners so far
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant Champions Tour is one of the biggest esports events, which takes place every tail end of the year. With the 2024 season approaching, it’s worth looking back at the winners of all VCT finals so far. Valorant Champions Tour filters out the best teams worldwide and then pits them against each other on the grand stage at the end of every year. Since 2021, this event’s trophy has been …
Leviatán vs MIBR at VCT Americas Stage 2: Betting Predictions and Picks
Owen Harsono
Valorant
The top two South American organizations are set to clash in the VCT Americas Stage 2 playoffs, as LEVIATAN take on MIBR for a spot in the Upper Bracket Semifinals in São Paulo. We will look closely at leading Valorant betting sites, and with that in mind, here are our LEVIATAN vs MIBR VCT Americas predictions. Tournament: VCT Americas Stage 2 Playoffs Stage: Playoffs Game: Valorant Format: Best of 3 …
MIBR vs Leviatán Esports Match Preview & Predictions – Saturday 8 August
Owen Harsono
Valorant
Two of the top VCT Americas squads are set to clash in Stage 2, as the star-studded roster of MIBR will take on the reigning international champions LEVIATAN in a Best of 3 series. Here are our MIBR vs LEVIATAN VCT Americas Stage 2 predictions. If you’re planning to make a trade on this match, be sure to use our Kalshi promo code WINGGPREMAR for up to $500 in bonus …
Kalshi Promo Code for T1 vs DRX – VCT Pacific Stage 2: Get Up to $500 Bonus with “WINGGPREMAR”
Owen Harsono
Valorant
This Saturday at VCT Pacific Stage 2 will see a highly anticipated South Korean derby between flagship squads T1 and KIWOOM DRX, with both teams desperately needing this win if they want to top their group. We have looked at the prediction market Kalshi app to try and make sense of what could happen — if you’re planning to trade for yourself then be sure to use our Kalshi promo …
MLBB is the most-watched game from the EWC, and it’s hard to see another game beating it
Michael Hassall
Esports Betting
The Esports World Cup 2026 has officially passed its midway point and viewership figures for the tournament have surpassed many expectations so far, as per Esports Charts. The viewership tracking site revealed new statistics for the event on Aug. 6, showcasing just how many games had set new records in viewership, including one name leading the way in views: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. MLBB leads the viewership charts with the …
Top 10 Best Valorant Players to Have Never Won an International Event
Owen Harsono
Valorant
We’ve seen countless talented Valorant players, but the reality is that not everyone can win an international trophy. Some are world-class players who have cracked aim and insane utility usage, but are still missing that one big win in their careers. Below, we take a look at the top 10 Valorant players who have never won a VCT Masters or Champions title. Cryocells has been one of North America’s best …
These Are The Top 5 Most Broken Valorant Agents on Release
Owen Harsono
Valorant
Riot Games releases new Valorant agents from time to time, and let’s just say some of them were completely broken when they were first released. Of course, Riot quickly took measures and balanced them accordingly, but it was hilarious how insanely strong some of them were when they were first released. Below, we’ll take a look at the top five most broken Valorant agents upon their launch. Coming in fifth …
Opinion: Is Esports Tracing the Same Evolutionary Path As Traditional Sports?
Cecilia Ciocchetti
News
What happens when an industry compresses centuries of sporting evolution into less than a decade or two? Communities become global audiences overnight, rivalries spread through social media within minutes, and tournaments turn into entertainment products faster than ever before. And so what took traditional sports centuries to build has taken esports a fraction of that. From local communities to sold out arenas, and from informal matches to Olympic-style events, the …
Riot Games has long looked to expand its footprint beyond the success of popular MOBA League of Legends, and one of its biggest successes to date in this regard is the tactical shooter, Valorant. Blending traditional first-person shooter elements with unique and flashy hero abilities, Valorant seeks to combine the best attributes of tactical shooters and hero shooters into one cohesive experience.
Based on player feedback, the game has largely succeeded in accomplishing those aims. It’s not an easy balance, and it’s one that is arguably still tenuous, but Riot Games seems to be doing as good a job of it as most fans have hoped for.
What type of game is Valorant?
Valorant is a first-person shooter that represents a unique blend of the tactical shooter and hero shooter subgenres. There are some games that represent similar gameplay elements, but not many that offer the exact experience that Valorant puts forward to players.
The tactical shooter genre is often considered to have been defined by the release of the original Counter-Strike, a multiplayer mod for famed single-player PC title Half-Life that later became a standalone game of its own. While most multiplayer FPS games to that point emphasized prolonged battles between opposing players zipping around the game at high speeds, Counter-Strike slowed things down significantly and made players much more susceptible to each other’s firepower, requiring players to take a more tactical approach to play.
That slower and more tactical approach, combined with the lightning-quick nature of action when it does occur, proved reliably popular. That popularity can still be seen today with the ongoing success enjoyed by the Counter-Strike franchise, and it’s this gameplay type that represents the core of Valorant. It’s no accident that former Counter-Strike developers were drafted by Riot Games to help create Valorant during the game’s formative stages.
What differentiates Valorant from CS and other tactical shooters it that each of the game’s characters, called agents, wield a number of unique abilities. Some are typical for tactical shooters, like flashbangs and smokes, while others are wildly different, such as an ability that transports two players to an isolated dueling arena for its duration.
These agent abilities are more reminiscent of hero shooters, a subgenre that arguably got its start with the Team Fortress games but has best been popularized by Blizzard title Overwatch. The abilities, combind with the tactical considerations that are at the core of Valorant, separate it from most any other FPS experience available for play.
How does Valorant esports work?
Like many other popular competitive shooters, Valorant does have a thriving esports scene. That scene is differentiated by the way it’s run and controlled by developer and publisher Riot Games. Riot uses a model based on the success of its League of Legends esports scene, which sees the globe’s competitive players and team’s separated by region. These regions play out their own competitions in their sections of the world before coming together at regular intervals for international tournaments featuring the best teams from each individual region.
While League of Legends once boasted a variety of regions and regional types, Riot sought to simplify that model when setting up esports for Valorant. The game has only a handful of major regions, and these regions are held as largely equitable, each sending their best teams to international events leading up to the year-end VALORANT Champions event.
