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The players to watch out for at Red Bull Home Ground this week
As the unique VALORANT tournament prepares to kick off, the pundits name the players worth keeping an eye on...
London's calling: between 4-7 November, some of the best VALORANT teams from across Europe and the Middle East will gather in the capital for the second edition of Red Bull Home Ground.
With a unique Home & Away format placing major emphasis on map picks, strategy and game knowledge, teams can go from underdogs to favorites in the blink of an eye. Among the 16 teams taking part are Team Liquid, Acend, Gambit, and Red Bull Campus Clutch winners Anubis.
Derke is one of the best players in the entire region
How Ninjas in Pyjamas made it to Red Bull Home Ground
Sixteen teams in all will come together at London's Red Bull Gaming Sphere — fifteen of the best EMEA-based teams by invite, and also one qualifier, Ninjas in Pyjamas, who've certainly got a few points to prove.
But with so many major teams taking part, which players should you be keeping an eye on? Who's most likely to steal the show and get you off your seat? To get the best insight for what's to come, five casters and hosts provide tips for the players who could well be the tournament MVP...
Mitchman
Mitchman is a nAts fanboy
© Red Bull
Player to watch: nAts (Gambit)
"I'm a huge nAts stan and he's definitely the player that Gambit's opponents have to watch out for! He may be the best lurker in the world, and Gambit take full advantage of that. He will be one of the biggest challenges for any team at this event"
Yinsu Collins
Denke is Yinsu's player to watch in Red Bull Home Ground
© Red Bull
Player to watch: Derke (Fnatic)
"It’s been a while since we’ve seen Fnatic in action which means their star OPer Derke has been out of contention as one of the best Jetts in EMEA. But don’t let the lack of screen time fool you - Derke is still one of the best and most impactful players in the entire region. A lot of Fnatic’s success will rely on his entries and mid round reactions. Fnatic should go far in this tournament and it’ll be interesting to see how much Derke has adapted since Stage 3 Challengers."
Tombizz
Tombizz is tipping Tenstar, and Polvi in particular, to make an impact
© Red Bull
Player to watch: Polvi (Tenstar)
"My player to watch for Red Bull Home Ground will be Polvi, he is the star Jett/Raze for Tenstar who as a whole are a team I think could cause some major upsets during the tournament. Someone who is nearly always involved in the first engagement of the round, I think he will be incredibly exciting to watch and I hope they can turn some heads once again after some decent results over the last few months."
Pansy
Team Liquid's Nivera has caught Pansy's eye
© Red Bull
Player to watch: Nivera (Team Liquid)
"Coming off a victory through the Last Chance Qualifiers I have to keep my eye on this young superstar who has a blistering debut in the VALORANT scene. Team liquid as a whole will be coming into this substantially towards the top of the pack but there are many teams capable to throw them off their hot streak so we have to wait and see how deep this team can go!"
Hypoc
Hypoc is also tipping Nivera for big things
© Red Bull
Player to watch: Nivera (Team Liquid)
“Im most excited to see Nivera. He was able to demonstrate in his debut matches at LCQ how impactful he can be while also showing already how versatile he is with a wide range of agents."
Watch all the action from Red Bull Home Ground live on twitch.tv/redbull and YouTube between 4th-7th November. Stay tuned to our live page for all the latest from inside the venue.
