Fnatic troubles, EMEA dual stage, and Masters London tierlists: VALORANT’s packed week

Despite a lack of VCT action, the VALORANT esports scene saw massive shake-ups and heated discussions last week.

From Fnatic’s coaching changes to the most-anticipated teams at Masters London, here’s a rundown of everything you might have missed!

Fnatic, one of the historically most successful VALORANT organizations, made significant changes to its coaching staff last week. After the controversial kicking of former Head Coach Milan “Milan” de Meij two weeks ago, Fnatic announced Andrey “Engh” Sholokhov as Milan’s replacement. 

Engh previously spent nearly three years at Karmine Corp before stepping down amidst disappointing year-on-year results. He joins his new organization at a time of turbulence. Fnatic, which had finished second place at Masters Toronto and Champions Paris last year, recently failed to qualify for its second global VCT event of 2026.

These unusual regional performances have also led to increased pressure – even harassment – from Fnatic “fans.” The hate escalated following the team’s elimination from the Esports World Cup (EWC) EMEA Qualifier, prompting Fnatic representatives and community members to speak up.

“That result is super sad, but I legit have never seen such disgusting comments under some match coverage in my life. PLEASE be normal, man,” stressed Fnatic’s Senior Social Media Manager, David “Davard” E.

Not only is online toxicity never merited, but it’s also crucial to remember that Fnatic had been competing with substitute player Clément “CyvOph” Millard since the Stage 1 Playoffs. With Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn returning to the active roster, the team can leverage the eight weeks leading up to Stage 2 to get back on track.

As for Engh’s new role on the team, the coach shared in the announcement video that he already has some ideas for what Fnatic could improve on. He further highlighted that he aims to support the roster’s in-game leader Jake “Boaster” Howlett without disrupting the system the IGL has created for Fnatic.

DACH’s VALORANT community was hit with sad news last week. PROJECT V announced the end of its four-year tenure as a tournament organizer in the region’s VALORANT esports scene. 

“After thorough discussions and much deliberation, we have made the difficult decision not to continue any league under PROJECT V from 2027 onwards,” explained the organization in its official statement.

“The upcoming changes surrounding the future ecosystem undoubtedly open up new opportunities for new ideas and concepts within the scene. Nevertheless, we have come to the conclusion that we no longer see our place in this new chapter.”

PROJECT V was responsible for the DACH sub-region within VALORANT’s EMEA Challengers ecosystem. Each stage offered its top teams qualification for the respective Challengers EMEA tournament. In addition, the organization hosted co-ed Tier 3 events and a DACH-focused tournament series for women and marginalized genders, called Equal Esports Queens.

Throughout its time as a tournament organizer, PROJECT V grew into a fundamental part of VALORANT’s esports scene in EMEA, providing career opportunities for both players and up-and-coming broadcast talent. Following the announcement, many community members came forward, sharing fond memories and expressing their gratitude towards PROJECT V’s work. 

“Without PROJECT V there would be no Akamask in international broadcast. The Dach scene became my home for the past 3 years, and I am grateful for everything,” commented VALORANT on-air talent Patrick “Akamask” Decker.

German observer and producer Timon “Timon” Praast posted: “This concludes the chapter that began my journey into esports. I want to thank everyone I’ve met along the way in PROJECT V. For the time we shared and for helping me grow as a person. Thank you for everything, PROJECT V.”

With the sunsetting of PROJECT V’s tournament operations, all previously announced events have also been canceled. However, THE POKAL 2026 will still be held as a “joint final chapter” to this era of DACH VALORANT esports.

Another major shake-up in VALORANT esports EMEA was introduced by Riot Games last week. And it did not achieve the community resonance Riot would have hoped for.

Starting with VCT EMEA Stage 2, Berlin’s Riot Games Arena will switch to a dual-stage broadcast setup for its VCT and LEC products. Previously, both circuits shared the same stage, which meant there were no weekend matches for the VCT. 

The new system allows Riot to broadcast both leagues simultaneously. VCT EMEA will receive weekend matches, but these come at a steep price. Stage 2 will run on the broadcast-only “Studio Stage” until the Playoffs. That means no live audience except for one Playoffs week and the Finals in Barcelona.

“If you want to grow the esport, you gotta invest in it, don’t you? I don’t understand how you can simultaneously say that live audiences are a big part of the experience while ACTIVELY REMOVING US???!,” replied VALORANT caster YuLi under Riot’s announcement.

Understandably so, the news left many community members and professionals concerned about the sustainability of the VALORANT esports ecosystem outside regions like Pacific and China. In particular, Western VCT viewership has been declining, and live crowds contribute significantly to the atmosphere and appeal of LAN tournaments.

VCT veteran Patryk “starxo” Kopczyński also pointed out how prioritizing broadcast-only matches might impact player motivations: “Making internationals in VALORANT is already insanely hard challenge with so little spots per region compared to other games. 

“The reason why many of us young kids chase the dream of being a pro player is because of being able to feel the connection with fans from around the world, feeling the adrenaline of playing on big stages around thousands of people watching. In VALORANT, it’s been very limited since the beginning, and it doesn’t seem like things are getting any better anytime soon.”

In my opinion, missing out on a live crowd at most games will surely make the viewing experience during Stage 2 feel hollow, even for the most dedicated fans. With massive ecosystem changes on the horizon next year, we can only hope that Riot continues to actively listen to and incorporate community feedback before that community shrinks even further.

The latest regional VCT match ahead of Masters London was the VCT Americas Stage 1 Grand Final between Leviatán and G2 Esports. Despite hailing from the Lower Playoffs Bracket and suffering a double map-ban disadvantage, G2 Esports defeated its Americas rival 3-2 and is now back at the very top of its region. 

With the team securing its fourth VCT Americas trophy, it’s time to ask the same old question: Can G2 Esports replicate its regional dominance and finally score its first international title?  After all, G2 Esports failed to reach these ever-elusive global VCT heights all across 2025 – the same year where the organization achieved its back-to-back-to-back VCT Americas trophy lift. 

The team never significantly underperformed at VCT global events, but consistently crumbled just before the finish line. This problem was meant to be fixed with the permanent signing of Andrej “babybay” Francisty ahead of the ongoing season. He took on the role of the roster’s hypeman and emotional anchor. 

Yet after another Playoffs elimination at Masters Santiago, the first international VCT event of the year, doubters are once again questioning whether G2 Esports has any chance of redeeming itself on a global VCT stage.

Aside from the mental pressure this roster might be under, I believe G2 Esports is not at its best right now. It can outperform its regional competitors, sure. However, the recent Grand Final against Leviatán also revealed concerning weaknesses in the team’s map pool, particularly on Breeze.

On top of that, some of the roster’s star players, including Nathan “leaf” Orf, have not shown their best possible individual performances during Stage 1. Although Phoenix has been dominating across all VCT regions, leaf just hasn’t been able to reach the same stats as other top Phoenix players. 

My prediction is that G2 Esports will likely make another top-four finish at Masters London.

So, if G2 Esports isn’t the top contender for the Masters London trophy, then which team is? The answer is obviously Paper Rex. After a rollercoaster of a season kickoff, this team just completed a three-match Lower Bracket win streak to wipe FULL SENSE 3-0 in the VCT Pacific Stage 1 Grand Final. 

In the same process, Paper Rex also 3-0ed Global Esports, the organization that had sent Paper Rex to the Lower Bracket in the Upper Bracket Semifinals.

If you’re getting a deja-vu, well, that’s because Paper Rex pulled off a similar Lower Bracket Run during last year’s Stage 1 competition. And that was right before the Southeast Asian organization lifted its first-ever international trophy at Masters Toronto. 

Now, you might say I’m just biased, which is true. However, even from a more rational point of view, the stars are clearly aligned for Paper Rex. The team has a great map pool, its players are in top form, and it excels with the currently highest-win-rate agent: Phoenix. Moreover, Paper Rex will likely benefit from the upcoming Neon nerfs, as its players never warmed up to the agent during her prime. 

As a result, Paper Rex has been ranked as the event favorite by numerous notable VALORANT personalities, including Thinking Man’s VALORANT and The Wingmen podcast.

To wrap it up with the words of VALORANT broadcast talent Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson from the latest Plat Chat episode: “We literally have to put Paper Rex almost in a rank of their own, don’t we? If we all said that they were the favorite, and we had different answers for number two, don’t we have to put them in S on their own almost? There’s like a tier gap between Paper Rex and the second.”