After years of trying, LATAM finally has their first International trophy under their belt, and it comes through the youngest VCT winning side ever!
The newly re-vamped LEVIATAN roster was only eligible to be fielded on the 1st of February this year, has made history with an average age of 20 years and 4 months old lifting the Masters London trophy.
They completed their cinderella run after going through 7 different teams to lift the trophy, only rematching Paper Rex from their first Play-Off game, to their last.
Coming into the series, PRX looked unstoppable. The Pacific representatives had not dropped a playoff match and had already beaten LEVIATÁN earlier in the tournament in devastating fashion, leading many fans and analysts to favour them heading into the championship match. After a dominant 13-2 victory on Fracture to open the 5 map series, it seemed as though another one-sided international final was on the cards.
LEVIATÁN had other ideas.
Instead of folding after the crushing map loss, the Americas squad responded with one of the most impressive displays of resilience seen at an international event this year. Led by kiNgg, LEV found answers to Paper Rex’s relentless aggression and took the series back into their hands. Split saw the momentum shift, while a hard-fought victory on Ascent ensured the series would go the distance.
With everything on the line in the deciding map, LEVIATÁN delivered their cleanest performance of the tournament. Their defensive setups consistently shut down PRX’s trademark explosive attacks, and once they gained control of the economy, there was little Paper Rex could do to stop the momentum. A convincing 13-5 victory on Lotus sealed both the map and the championship.
For Paper Rex, the result will be difficult to swallow. Throughout Masters London they looked like the most dangerous team in attendance, dispatching several tournament favourites and showcasing the fearless style that has made them one of VALORANT’s most popular teams. However, despite another deep international run, the trophy once again slipped through their fingers at the final hurdle.
On the other side of the stage, LEVIATÁN’s victory represents a landmark moment for both the organisation and the Americas region. After spending the last two seasons consistently knocking on the door of international success, they finally converted their potential into silverware when it mattered most.
Despite dropping the series, something took the top spot on the leaderboard with 80 frags followed closely by Neon with 79 and Invy with 78.
With the win, the MVP award was deservedly given to Neon, who was consistently performing to the highest level in all of their wins that got them into this position. He has broken the record that I dont see anyone breaking anytime soon, with the lowest amount of games before an international win.
It took Neon only 20 games from his debut in VCT before he lifted the Masters London title, cementing his name in history as MVP and also being the fastest to do so.
With this win, LEVIATAN can now focus on resting up and looking towards Stage 2 after they failed to qualify for EWC, which is a blessing whilst being a curse to the squad. They can focus on recovery so that they won’t feel burned out and can look towards Champions Shanghai at the end of the year, where they will be looking to qualify in that 1st seed in Americas.
With the winning side, there has to be a losing side. This loss marks Paper Rex’s 4th international Grand Final loss, with their 2nd this year. The emotions must be running high, and for some, this won’t sit as heavy as D4V41, Jinggg, something and F0rsakeN already have their Masters Toronto title, Invy is yet to lift an international trophy in his career.
They will look towards EWC Paris, where they guaranteed qualification through winning Stage 1. They have already qualified through Champions points for Champions Shanghai, so the weight of qualifying for Champs has been lifted at least.
EWC Paris starts on July 2nd, with VCT Americas Stage 2 not starting until July 16th.
Valorant Digest 
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