Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming SOOP VALORANT League.
SOUTH KOREA – The SOOP VALORANT League, running from December 10–15, is set to kick off on Tuesday at the Sangam SOOP Colosseum in Seoul.
This high-stake OFF//SEASON tournament will start with the group stage from December 10-13, featuring two groups of four teams each. In this phase, teams will compete in best-of-three, double-elimination brackets, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the playoffs.
In Group A, we will see Sentinels, Gen.G, Made in Thailand, and Talon Esports competing for the top spots, while Group B will feature Rapid Lofi, NRG Esports, DRX, and Bilibili Gaming.
Once the group stage concludes, the tournament will shift to the playoffs, taking place over the final two days, December 14-15. The playoffs will feature a single-elimination bracket, with teams competing in semi-finals before moving on to the best-of-five grand finals on Sunday. The champion of the event will walk away with the US$25,000 first-place prize and, of course, the bragging rights as the best team at the SOOP VALORANT League.
ALSO READ: VALORANT Radiant Asia Invitational Recap – “Mini Masters Chengdu”
Headlining the event are Sentinels, the defending champions who clinched the 2023 AfreecaTV VALORANT League title over Paper Rex in the grand finals. As the VALORANT Masters Madrid champions, they return with a retooled roster and the additions of former 100 Thieves player Sean “bang” Bezerra and Karmine Corp star Marshall “N4RRATE” Massey.
Joining Sentinels from the Americas region is NRG Esports, who recently debuted a refreshed lineup at the SEN City Classic 2024 with Adam “mada” Pampuch from Moist x Shopify and Andrew “Verno” Maust from Oxygen Esports.
As with last year, two teams from the tier-two Challengers circuit in APAC have earned their spots in the tournament. Patiphan “CGRS” Posri’s Made in Thailand secured their place by winning the Thai Qualifier, while Rapid Lofi emerged victorious in the Vietnamese Qualifier.
Both teams recently competed in the VALORANT Challengers Southeast Asia Split 3, where MiTH reached the grand finals before falling short against Disguised. In contrast, Rapid Lofi faced an early exit, finishing in 7-8th place after consecutive losses in the Stage 3 playoffs to NAOS Esports and FULL SENSE. Nguyễn “Suka” Văn Tiến will make his return to Seoul after playing for Fancy United Esports in last year’s edition.
Representing VCT Pacific are Gen.G, DRX, and Talon Esports, three teams that have been regulars in this year’s OFF//SEASON cycle.
The two Korean powerhouses, Gen.G and DRX, recently competed in the VALORANT Radiant Asia Invitational in Chengdu, though neither managed to secure the title. Gen.G, however, continue to enjoy a stellar trajectory after winning the Gwangju Esports Series Asia 2024 and the TEN VALORANT Asia Invitational.
On the flip side, even though DRX had a bit of a rough patch during the OFF//SEASON, they’ve been showing signs of progress since switching their in-game leadership from Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwan to No “free1ng” Ha-jun. This change seems to have helped the team find a better rhythm and chemistry, especially in their matchups against Bilibili Gaming and Gen.G at the aforementioned Chengdu event.
Meanwhile, Talon Esports have also been active this OFF//SEASON, participating in two tournaments while maintaining their Champions Seoul roster headlined by ranked demon player Papaphat “Primmie” Sriprapha. TLN came close to winning the TEN VALORANT Asia Invitational but ultimately fell short in a closely contested 1-2 loss to Gen.G in the grand finals.
Meanwhile, Bilibili Gaming will stand as the sole representative from China (CN) in the tournament. Their victory at the FGC VALORANT Invitational 2024 serves as a potential indicator that they should still be considered one of the contenders in this competition. However, their performance at the Radiant Asia Invitational in front of their home crowd was less impressive, as they were unable to secure a series win and failed to advance out of the group stage after suffering losses to stronger opponents in DRX and Trace Esports.
The English broadcast of the SOOP VALORANT League will be available for fans to watch, with a talented casting duo of Seth “Achilios” King and Kentrell “heyimquack” Kwek leading the charge throughout the six days of action. Joining them as the host is Lee “Jennlee” Jeong-hyun, who will help guide the broadcast and engage with the audience. The three of them are also part of the judging panel for the upcoming 2024 VALO2ASIA Awards, which will be announced in the coming days.
The opening schedule for the tournament is as follows:
Tuesday, December 10
- 16:00 GMT+8 – Sentinels vs. Gen.G
- 18:00 – Made in Thailand vs. Talon Esports
Wednesday, December 11
- 16:00 – Rapid Lofi vs. NRG Esports
- 18:00 – DRX vs. Bilibili Gaming
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Cover photo courtesy of SOOP/AfreecaTV
