Riot Games Faces Backlash for VALORANT Masters Copenhagen Playoff Format
Riot Games is receiving backlash for the playoffs format of VALORANT Masters Copenhagen, as it potentially pits North American and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) teams against each other.
The Playoff Format Under Scrutiny
The VCT Masters Copenhagen playoff format was revealed on the third day of the event, after two teams were eliminated in the group stage. While the format is determined by a “random draw,” it once again has the possibility of NA teams facing each other in the quarterfinals, with all three EMEA teams placed on the same side of the bracket.
Community Reactions
After the format was revealed, members of the VALORANT community expressed their disappointment with the lack of interesting matchups at an international event. XSET’s Zachary “zekken” Patrone tweeted about the frustration of traveling to a different country to compete against the same team they had already played during Challengers Two.
“Fly halfway across the world to possibly vs the team I usually play from my bedroom cool cool,” zekken said on Twitter.
XSET will face either KRÜ Esports or OpTic Gaming in the first round of the playoffs. OpTic and XSET had already faced each other twice during Challengers Two, including in the grand finals. In response to zekken’s tweet, DarkZero’s Justin “Trick” Sears criticized the top-seeded NA teams playing each other in the first round.
“It shouldn’t even be possible for the #1 & #2 NA teams to play round 1,” Trick said. “Hopefully they change it in the future.”
Unfavorable Bracket Placement for EMEA Teams
In addition to the potential NA matchups, the VALORANT community is also upset with all three qualified EMEA teams potentially ending up on the same side of the bracket. This means that two EMEA teams could face each other in the opening round.
Fans are urging Riot Games to reconsider the format and allow teams from different regions to compete against each other during international events. This would prevent repetitive matchups that viewers have already seen in regional qualifiers.
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