Top Valorant Teams to Watch This Season-and How the Odds Look on Stake

Valorant is best when it’s in that sweet spot where the game is stable, the map pool is deep, and the top teams are so polished that tiny details and clever plays decide entire tournaments. This season is already showing clear tiers, with a handful of super teams sitting at the top and a lively group of dark horses ready to ruin brackets. If you’re following the action on Stake, you’ll notice that the odds reflect this split: the proven giants usually enter matches as short favorites, while streaky squads and new look rosters show up with tempting prices that can swing fast once the pistol rounds are done. In other words, the gap between “favorite” and “vulnerable” has never felt smaller. Valorant Champions has already been underway for a while now, but there’s a lot of time until a winner is decided. There are tons to be examined and it’s worth taking a hard look at the favorites, the underdogs, and what the betting situation might look like this season. The group stage has concluded and the Playoffs are well and truly underway, both of course taking place at Les Arènes in Paris, France. Eight teams are confirmed to be participating in the playoffs in an attempt to win it all, and all eight will be analyzed today, especially in the context of betting on sites like Stake.com. First though, it’s important to take a look at the shocking defeats that some teams have suffered, including some very promising teams that suffered losses not many saw coming. It’s tough to predict the winners and losers even this early on, so those betting might find it useful to look at an esports betting guide before putting their money on the line. Happy betting, and try to keep a healthy mix of being both cautious and confident.

The Losing Teams That Won’t Make It To The Playoffs

Starting off with the most shocking loss, EDward Gaming suffered a devastating loss, being first out of the Group Stage, even though they were coming off winning the entire thing just a year ago. In 2024, EDward stunned audiences with their 3-2 victory against Team Heretics in order to win the Valorant champions and cement themselves in gaming history. Unfortunately though, this year they learned just how brutal and unforgiving the highest level of competition can be when you let your guard down and ride your victories without doubling down and trying to be even better next time. Right in their opening match, EDward Gaming suffered a crushing 2-0 loss against NRG, who themselves went on to be the top team of their respective group in the Group Stage. Things didn’t get better for EDward after immediately losing the following Elimination Match against Team Liquid. Liquid also ended up losing a match against DRX, which meant that TL and EDG got knocked out of the Group Stage, while NRG and DRX will go on into the Playoffs.

Another devastating loss is that of T1. T1 actually won the Masters tournament in Bangkok earlier this season, so they had already secured themselves a spot in this year’s Valorant Champions with plenty of time to prepare. This seemed to ring true as they thoroughly defeated Dragon Ranger Gaming during their Opening Match in a 2-0 victory. However, that momentum seemed to more or less fizzle out as they lost both the Winners Match and the Decider Match afterwards. They lost in a 0-2 defeat both times and got placed in third for the group, knocking them out of the Group Stage and placing Team Heretics and G2 Esports into the Playoffs.

What’s notable about the case of T1 is that some skilled betters probably could have already seen this one coming. While it’s true that T1 won in Bangkok, there were only two winning spots to take in a group that also contained both G2 and Team Heretics. Heretics placed second last year, and G2 are a mainstay that are generally regarded as a very skilled and well rounded team. Both are possible favorites to take the entire thing this year, and T1 probably knew that this was an uphill battle from the moment they saw their group. It could be a good idea to look at the betting odds in situations such as these, and plan accordingly, as there are good chances for money to be made if you pay enough attention to the specific teams and dynamics throughout esports tournaments. Of course, bet responsibly.

Rex Regum Qeon and Bilibili Gaming were the two losers in their groups respectively, and they fought well. However, the loss of two asian teams at once probably caused a sour taste in a lot of fans who come from China and Indonesia. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, and both teams look confident to try their hands at Champions again next year. This gave MIBR and Fnatic the win in that group. More on those two later.

The final two to get eliminated are XLG Esports and Sentinels. Of these two, Sentinels are a much more decorated team. They scored first in tons of North American tournaments, and even European ones such as Masters Reykjavik. However, in the past couple of years they’ve slightly faltered, only scoring 5th/6th in the Toronto Masters, losing to Fnatic. Back in 2021, Sentinels handily beat Fnatic in the aforementioned Masters Reykjavik tournament in an astounding 3-0 victory. Still, Sentinels are a strong team that fought hard, losing both of their Group Stage matches in a 2-1 defeat. XLG Esports is a smaller Chinese team that actually managed to beat the Sentinels in the elimination match, but unfortunately lost to GIANTX in the decider match.

Taking A Look At The Teams That Made It Into The Playoffs

The Upper Bracket Quarterfinals have been completely decided, with the top 8 teams this year making it in. The Lower Brackets will take place and feature those who initially lost in the upper bracket, so stay tuned to take a look at those matches as well. Lots of established names populate the top 8 this year, but it’s not all boring, so let’s take a closer look.

Fnatic vs DRX

To be honest, there weren’t many doubts about Fnatic making it into the playoffs, but this is where things truly heat up. They arrived as the top team in Group B after a 2-0 sweep over RRQ and a spirited 2-1 reverse sweep of MIBR. They dropped the ball on Bind really badly, but turned everything around on Abyss and had a nice closing on Haven. Taking a closer look at the roster, they’re strong as ever, with Boaster acting as an in game leader (IGL). Chronicle and Alfajer are heavy hitters themselves, and crashies and kaajek seem to be rounding the team out nicely. Overall, Fnatic enjoys a healthy mix and a lot of success, with a good chance at grabbing the title this year. However, to do that they would first have to beat DRX in their first match of the Playoffs.DRX made it through the gauntlet of Group C by beating Team Liquid in the decider after first dispatching EDG, who fell on NRG. The win against TL came as a shock to some, but it seems that Liquid is just not doing great this year. Overall, TL have been quite unpredictable and the wins they do pull out seem to be by the skin of their teeth at times. Back to DRX, their roster also has a healthy mix, though leaning more towards the experienced side of things, which isn’t necessarily bad. MaKo and BuZz are there, along with new(er) blood in Flicker, Doesn1k, and PixelClicks. If you’ve watched DRX over the years, the hallmarks of their playstyle are unchanged, with a more meticulous sort of playstyle and a sort of patience that can sometimes really pay off.

Overall, it all seems quite evenly matched, and will hopefully make for an exciting dynamic. For the average better, it’s definitely not the most predictable sort of thing, but it can be fun to roll the dice on something more evenly matched like this, because you honestly never know who will come out victorious and in what fashion until the players sit down and really start showing what they’re made of.

Paper Rex vs G2 Esports

Paper Rex are of course notable for their win in Masters Toronto 2025. Notably winning over Fnatic in a 3-1 victory, which is a great achievement in and of itself. This shows that Paper Rex really has what it takes this year, possibly even for a chance at winning Valorant Champions as a whole. The lineup consists of Jinggg, something, f0rsakeN, d4v41, and PatMen, who has slotted into the team only recently.Despite PatMen being new here, the team still looks strong and made it into the Playoffs for a reason. However, their opponent is G2 Esports, who looks just as strong and is sure to provide a tough fight.G2 are basically the best that America has to offer as far as this tournament goes, and they seem decently likely to proceed onwards into the Valorant Champions tournament, but nothing is ever known for sure, and they have to get past Paper Rex if they want to stay in the winners' bracket and push on for the title this year. Of course, best of luck to both teams, and the match is sure to be exciting.

Team Heretics vs MIBR

Team Heretics are an interesting case because of their aforementioned loss in the finals of last year’s Champions. This year, they’ve once again made it into the playoffs in a bid to finally win it all, but they have a lot ahead of them, the first thing being the match against MIBR. However, Heretics seem to be considered the favorite to win this matchup by some, due to them being so dominant both last year and this year so far. They won two 2-0 victories in the Group Stage, and don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, so MIBR is in for a tough fight if they plan to win this thing.Speaking of MIBR, their path has been an interesting one so far, first shocking BLG in the opener. Unfortunately, they got reverse swept by Fnatic, but they pulled out a much needed victory against RRQ in the decider match to end up second place in the group, successfully moving onto the playoffs. Out of the lineup, most have their eyes on aspas, who is definitely the most popular player on the team at the moment. He’s been exhibiting loads of skill and talent when he's in the zone, and to send Heretics packing, he’s gonna have to lock in this time around.

NRG vs GIANTX

NRG is a popular name in Esports, and the team’s been around for a while now. They topped their group in a win against EDG and DRX, with a solid lineup. Ethan is a notable player currently on the team, due to his ability in clutch situations. He’s saved the team multiple times from what probably should have been a lost round, and is honestly an invaluable asset to those around him.NRG as a team took a painful 0-3 loss against G2 to the chin in the Americas Stage 2 final, and bounced back quite valiantly in the Group Stage. Many are holding their breath to see how far this momentum might take them, starting with their match against GIANTX. GIANTX aren’t a very established team, but despite that, they’ve made it into the playoffs, to the surprise of some. They enjoyed a stunning 2-1 victory against Sentinels in the Group Stage, followed by a decisive 2-0 victory against XLG Esports. Cloud is a notable member of the team who has garnered a decent level of popularity and fame among the community. Overall, this will be one of the more interesting opening matches, seeing such an established team play against what is much more of an underdog type.