This article is part of our VALORANT series.
VCT Masters: Copenhagen group stage is in the books and it's time for the first half of the playoffs. With finalists LOUD already sent packing and OpTic Gaming looking vulnerable, here's a look at some players to target and fade in the VCT Masters: Copenhagen playoffs.
Players to Target
Derke
I really don't mean to sound repetitive putting Derke in the 'Players to Target' section, but it's simply impossible to ignore the best player in the world. This is a player who can take over an map against any competition and is playing for the tournament favorites. The same way one would target s1mple or Cellium in any match, it's impossible to fade Derke. Fnatic start in the upper bracket quarterfinals due to winning the EMEA playoffs and will be looking to add their first international title.
trexx
Yes, it's just group stage, but trexx has a 1.36 rating through five maps so far in VCT Masters: Copenhagen, and truly looks like one of the top players in the world. This Guild roster came into Copenhagen with all of the hype possible behind them and so far have lived up to it, taking down reigning champions OpTic, in no small part due to the brilliance of trexx. With 270 ACS so far in the group stage and a somewhat favorable clash with Paper Rex in the quarterfinals, it's possible that trexx and co. find themselves competing for top-four immediately.
stax
DRX VS may not be the flashiest name in VALORANT, but they won their group and have three of the top five players in the group stage. stax tops that list just barely behind trexx with a 1.34 rating and 233.4 ACS. DRX finished 5th-6th at VCT Masters: Reykjavik and are looking to go even further in Copenhagen. This roster has finally found firepower outside of just stax and MaKo, with BuZz and Rb both stepping up it's possible that these could be the Masters winners despite a group stage start. stax and co. take on Leviatan Esports in the quarterfinals.
Players to Fade
Russ
Russ is the support for Guild and despite all of the great plays from this team, and some brilliance from Russ himself, he remains a firm fade. The support has a 0.76 rating in the group stage which is right in line with his performances in EMEA. Add to that his role on Sage and Viper and this just isn't a player that offers enough to be a major fantasy target. Russ and Guild are among the five favorites for the VCT Masters crown, but he's unlikely to earn any fantasy plaudits.
ANGE1
FunPlus Phoenix just barely snuck into the playoffs, but as their reward they now get to play with their full roster which is fantastic news for this team in particular. Fantasy managers need to be wary and not get caught up in the hype though, as even with their full roster ANGE1 often finds himself struggling on an individual level and more often than not finds himself at the bottom of the board. ANGE1 might be set to lead his team deep into VCT Masters: Copenhagen, but that doesn't mean he is going to be a solid fantasy asset.
AYRIN
Another in-game leader finds himself in the red, and this time it's AYRIN. XSET took the North American crown and are poised for a debut in international competition led by AYRIN. Over the past three months AYRIN has stepped up for a 1.06 rating and 204 ACS, still making him the weakest member of XSET. This is a roster that would need every player at their absolute best to compete for the title in Copenhagen and against the best teams in the world it's tough to trust an inconsistent support. Especially concerning for AYRIN is his habit of picking Viper, his most comfortable agent, against top teams. On Viper AYRIN has a 0.98 rating and a 1.05 KD with only 190 ACS, cutting even further into his fantasy value.
Stats courtesy of Thespike.gg
