Leviatán Are Crowned Champions of VALORANT Masters London

In what may go down as one of the greatest grand finals in VALORANT esports history, Leviatán completed a storybook lower bracket run to claim the VALORANT Masters London trophy, defeating Paper Rex 3-2 in a pulsating five-map thriller. The young Latin American squad have made history in more ways than one, and the esports world is taking notice.

Leviatán's path to glory was anything but smooth. Knocked into the lower bracket in their very first playoff match by Paper Rex, many would have written them off. Instead, they went on a relentless march through the bracket, eliminating Team Heretics, XLG, Vitality, and EDward Gaming in succession before earning the right to face the Pacific powerhouse once more.

Grand Finals Recap: Five Maps of Pure Drama

Paper Rex wasted no time asserting dominance in the opener. On their map pick of Fracture, the Princes of Pacific put up a stunning 10-2 first half, riding six straight defensive rounds out of the gate. Leviatán found little room to breathe in the second half either, as PRX closed out the map a convincing 13-2. It was a statement opening from the Pacific side.

Leviatán responded with a statement of their own on Split. After a tightly contested first half, they turned it up defensively in a way that left Paper Rex with almost no answers, pulling off a near-flawless defensive side to take the map 13-6 and level the series.

Breeze provided the next twist. Leviatán surged to an 8-4 halftime lead, but Paper Rex dug deep and unleashed a relentless attack-side performance, rallying to claim the map 13-11 and retake the series lead. Ascent, however, swung things back. Leviatán's retake game was a cut above throughout, and they secured the map 13-10, sending the series to a deciding fifth map.

Lotus was where Leviatán truly entered a flow state. Their attack half was utterly dominant, ending 11-1 and winning the pistol round to make it 12-1; they stood just one round away from glory. Paper Rex clawed back four consecutive rounds in a dramatic comeback bid that had the crowd on the edge of their seats, but Leviatán kept their composure and closed it out 13-5 to win the series 3-2 and lift their first-ever international trophy.

History Made in London

The accolades that follow this title are staggering.

With an average team age of just 19.6 years, Leviatán are the youngest team to ever win an international VALORANT event.
They become the first LATAM team to win a Masters trophy—only LOUD, who took home the Champions title, had previously brought international glory to the region.
They also join Sentinels as the only Americas teams to win a Masters title, though Sentinels still hold the lead with two trophies to their name.
Perhaps most notably, Leviatán broke Pacific's grip on the last five Masters trophies, ending a dominant run from the region.

MVP: Bruno "Neon" Rodríguez

Bruno "Neon" Rodríguez was named the tournament MVP for an exceptional individual performance throughout Masters London, consistently delivering in high-pressure moments and proving to be Leviatán's spark plug across the event. His performances in the lower bracket run and his composure in the grand finals proved that he was built for the biggest stage.

Leviatán's triumph at Masters London is a heartfelt moment for Americas and LATAM VALORANT. A group of teenagers, written off after losing their opening playoff match, clawed through five elimination matches and a brutal grand finals to stand at the top. They are young, they are hungry, and they have just proven they belong among the very best.

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Featured Image Credit: Liu Yicun/Riot Games

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