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The VALORANT teams set to shake up Red Bull Home Ground
It may be the off-season, but the VALORANT scene shows no signs of slowing down as top pros gear up for an electrifying showdown in Berlin.
The invites have been sent and the stage is set for a clash of titans, as Red Bull Home Ground descends on Berlin, Germany, this weekend. Teams from across Asia, Europe and the Americas will meet at the Arena Berlin for a three-day competition, serving as a fittingly thrilling ender to the 2024 season.
After 2023's blowout show in Tokyo, the eyes of the competitive VALORANT scene will be fixed on Berlin as the rising stars stake their claim to the Red Bull Home Ground crown. Let’s take a look at the teams looking to break new ground at this electrifying event.
01
Karmine Corp
Karmine Corp
© Stephanie Lindgren
After a rough 2023, Karmine Corp rebuilt their squad from the ground up, retaining just one player: Ryad 'Sh1n' Ensaad. The rest were talented upstarts drafted in from the VALORANT Challengers scene, including in-game leader (IGL) Martin 'Magnum' Penkov (previously of Apeks), Tomás 'tomaszy' Machado (SAW Esports) and Martin 'Marteen' Pátek (GMT Esports).
Despite the overhaul, Karmine has had a difficult year, failing to achieve consistent victories in the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT). Team cohesion was a sore spot, as the new players struggled to find their groove. Still, their season was shot through with flashes of brilliance and perhaps if this time they can hit their stride, they can win redemption at Red Bull Home Ground.
02
Fokus Clan
Fokus Clan at Red Bull Home Ground Istanbul 2023
© Fokus Clan
Fokus Clan are another team who've failed to live up to their potential in the 2024 season, despite their roster being a seemingly potent mix of experienced players and rising stars. IGL Lewis ‘YaBoiLewis’ Hughes saw the team through ups and downs, as the team pulled out some clutch wins, but suffered defeats to teams like Unicorns of Love and SK Gaming.
YaBoiLewis's strong frags make him a formidable opponent on a variety of maps, while Tselmeg ‘xuss’ Tsolman has shown immense mechanical skill. These players in particular will be ones to watch as Fokus Clan look to topple giants in Berlin.
03
Fnatic
Fnatic huddle at Red Bull Home Ground 2023
© Jason Halayko/Red Bull Content Pool
It's hard to understate Fnatic's dominance of the 2023 season. In comparison, 2024 been a weaker year for the charismatic UK-based team, but wasn’t entirely without accolades. Wind was taken out of the squad’s sails when MVP Leo 'Leo' Jannesson fell ill, forcing him to sit out the majority of the season.
It's hard to say how the season could have turned out had this setback not halted their momentum, but the squad led by Jake 'Boaster' Howlett still managed to win two EMEA titles, making them back-to-back regional champions. They fared less well on the international stage, only achieving a 5-6th place finish at VALORANT Champions 2024. So, at Red Bull Home Ground, Fnatic will attempt to reassert itself as a leading name in VALORANT esports.
04
Cloud9
Take a look at Francis ‘OXY’ Hoang’s ace against MIBR during VCT Americas, and you’ll quickly understand why Cloud9 is a feared name in the VALORANT scene. Throughout their 2024 season, the squad showed resilience and adaptability, frequently turning matches around from a losing position to secure victory.
Their unpredictable team chemistry is a force to be reckoned with, but with IGL Anthony ‘vanity’ Malaspina having recently departed, it will be interesting to see how the new formation, completed by Daniel ‘Rossy’ Abedrabbo (formerly of T1) and Victor ‘v1c’ Truong, shows at this international tournament.
05
Team Heretics
Team Heretics
© Team Heretic
Spanish squad Team Heretics had an impressive year, despite not achieving a major title. Led by IGL Ričardas 'Boo' Lukaševičius, the team made it all the way to the VALORANT Champions Grand Finals, smoking a number of heavy hitters like Leviatàn and Sentinals to get there.
Although frequently pipped in the final rounds, Team Heretics displayed outstanding individual skill and strong team cohesion, with players like Benjy 'Benjyfishy' Fish and Enes 'RieNs' Ecirli demonstrating outstanding adaptability during matches. Their strong synergy and high skill level will make them intimidating opponents in Red Bull Home Ground.
06
T1
T1 celebrates winning the Red Bull Home Ground APAC Qualifier in Tokyo
© Jason Halayko/Red Bull Content Pool
Finally, we come to one of the most revered names in all of esports – T1. As of yet the T1 VALORANT roster hasn't achieved the reverence of their League of Legends counterparts, but the potential for them to reach the same heights has been apparent throughout their 2024 season.
Strong team coordination and exceptional fragging has allowed T1 to achieve solid results this year. The team, made up mostly of South Korean talent, including former Overwatch pro Lee ‘carpe’ Jae-hyeok, has shown vicious attacking ability but has sometimes failed to gel as a cohesive unit. If they can pool their talents to become more than the sum of their parts, they will undoubtedly be the team to beat at this year's Red Bull Home Ground tournament.
07
FUT Esports and G2 Esports complete the lineup
On November 20, Red Bull Home Ground kicked-off with the Play-In stage. Teams including G2 Esports, G2 Gozen, Siko Esports, NXT, Permitta Unicorns, Zen Esports, FUT Esports and BBL Esports were there to battle for the last two spots for the main event. It was set to be an exciting and eventful day.
The entire VALORANT elite has gathered in Berlin
© Stephanie Lindgren
Michaela 'mimi' Lintrup and G2 Gozen
© Marius Faulhaber
'billieidk' and 'Kairo' lead fans through the first day of action
© Stephanie Lindgren
The Play-Ins have been played and the stage is set
© Stephanie Lindgren
First place went to Turkey's FUT Esports, who confidently made their way through the upper bracket. They started off by beating Chile's Zen eSports 13–2 and then sent home local heroes Permitta Unicorns 13–5 in the semi-finals.
The final saw them face G2 Esports in an extremely close and thrilling game. On the Haven map, FUT Esports' tactics paid-off in the end thanks to a better defense. They were able to win 13–11.
North America's G2 Esports also managed to secure their ticket for the main event in the evening via the lower bracket however. There they met the surprise package Permitta Unicorns in the final.
The Unicorns had shown their strength in the lower bracket, first defeating Siko Esports of Belgium in the quarter-finals and narrowly winning 15–13 against EMEA qualifiers BBL Esports in the semi-final.
In the final however the surprise finalists had to admit defeat to G2 Esports by a wide margin. G2 put in an impressive team performance and, after nine points in defense, only needed to score four more points to win. In the end, the favorite was able to prevail on the Sunset map with 13–3 winning margin.
This means that the lineup for the main event has been set:
- Fnatic
- FOKUS Clan
- Karmine Corp
- Team Heretics
- Cloud9
- T1
- FUT Esports
- G2 Esports
There can be only one ultimate winner of Red Bull Home Ground and to find out who that will be, tune into the main event live stream on Twitch or Red Bull Gaming YouTube from November 20-23.
