VALORANT Champions 2025 Group D preview: The group of death?

Only two days remain until Riot Games invites 16 of the best VCT teams to Paris to compete for VALORANT Champions 2025‘s $2.25m (~£1.66m) prize pool.

As part of Group D, G2 Esports, Dragon Ranger Gaming, T1 and Team Heretics will make their debut on September 12th. Packed with three high-class legacy teams and one feisty challenger, this group promises competitive matches but also an early exit to some of VCT’s most memorable names.

Before jumping into the Group D preview, don’t forget to check out Esports Insider’s previous deep dives into VALORANT Champions 2025 Groups A, B and C.

VALORANT Champions’ Group D is led by none other than back-to-back-to-back VCT Americas champion G2 Esports. With this team being one of the event favourites, alongside Paper Rex and Team Liquid, any contestant in the same group as G2 starts its Champs run one step closer to early elimination.

Ascending to VCT Americas in 2023, G2 has established itself at the very top of the region throughout the current season. The well-oiled machine is known for its ability to adapt to shifting metas and near-flawless team synergy.

While G2 avoids relying on the performance of a single player, its roster features notable individuals such as sentinel expert, Nathan ‘leaf’ Orf. Despite leaf’s absence for the majority of Stage 2, his team managed to seamlessly integrate temporary stand-in, Andrej ‘babybay Francisty, to win its third and final regional VCT trophy of the year.

Guided by high-fragging in-game leader (IGL), Jacob ‘valyn’ Batio, and stalwart Head Coach, Josh ‘JoshRT’ Lee, G2 will be hungry to defeat its first Group Stage opponent, Team Heretics, on September 13th, on the road to its first international title. 

The squad has come close to Masters trophies in Bangkok and Toronto this season, but failed to make it across the finish line at both events. The possibility of a third international disappointment looms over G2, giving its Group D rivals hope for upsets.

The second seed of Group D is another Ascension 2023 roster, this time, hailing from VCT China.

Dragon Ranger Gaming (DRG) surprised the VALORANT community with its underdog Stage 2 run, which could only be stopped by Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in the tournament’s Grand Final (1-3).

Although DRG was overshadowed by regional giants like BLG and EDward Gaming throughout 2024, the team showed first signs of promise at VCT China 2025 Kickoff with a fourth-place finish. 

During Stage 1, DRG’s early Playoffs elimination left viewers speculating whether its Kickoff result was just a fluke. The roster undoubtedly harboured promising talent, but seemed held back by the language barriers between Chinese-speaking members and Russian prodigy, Ilya ‘vo0kashu’ Ushakov. Stage 2, however, saw DRG dispel such doubts. 

Looking towards the team’s opening match on September 13th against T1, DRG fans will be cautiously hopeful. Are DRG’s recent improvements enough to topple a Masters winner on the global stage? The pressure is definitely on, as DRG must outperform fellow Chinese Ascension team, XLG Esports, at Champs to guarantee its regional VCT slot for another year.

Another point of concern is the uncertainty surrounding vo0kashu’s Champions attendance. One of the roster’s greatest assets might miss out on his international debut, which is why Maximilian ‘Demon1’ Mazanov has already been announced as a last-minute stand-in.

Can the 2023 VALORANT Champion fill the gap left behind by vo0kashu with so little preparation time? It seems like DRG’s survival in Group D will come down to how quickly Demon1 can adjust to his new role and how efficiently his new team can integrate the substitute player. G2 Esports has proven that such a feat is certainly possible.

VCT Pacific’s third seed, T1, has set its eyes on a second international title whilst looking to redeem itself for a year full of inconsistencies. 

For the 2025 season, the Korean organisation assembled a star roster, including Pacific legends Yu ‘BuZz’ Byung-chul and Kim ‘Meteor’ Tae-oh. At first, the strategy paid off, earning T1 a second-place finish at Kickoff and the Masters Bangkok trophy.

Stage 1, however, was a crucial turning point for the roster as T1 found itself struggling throughout the Group Stage and ultimately losing its two Playoffs matches. 

The shocking result prompted T1 to release a nearly two-hour-long documentary, revealing behind-the-scenes footage from its Stage 1 run. This sparked a public debate within the VALORANT community about T1 management and the roster’s glaring communication issues.

Although some might have thought this would be the downfall of T1, the Korean organisation had a surprisingly solid performance during Pacific’s Stage 2, securing fourth place and qualifying for Champions via VCT Points. Moreover, its new member, Kang ‘DH’ Dong-ho, has already proven himself as a hard-hitting smokes expert.

Matched against Group D’s formidable opponents, T1 is not expected to have an easy journey at Champs. That being said, the team wasn’t favoured in Bangkok either. Perhaps the previous setbacks are just what T1 needed to make the changes required for another surprising tournament run.

The final puzzle for Champions’ deadly Group D is Team Heretics. Just like G2, Heretics has never claimed a global VCT trophy. But unlike G2, the VCT EMEA representative suffered a bitter ending to this year’s regional VCT journey.

Historically, Heretics has consistently been among the best-performing organisations within EMEA. This trend continued throughout the majority of 2025, as the team barely missed a Masters Bangkok qualification and then came second in Stage 1.

With its iconic roster remaining the same across several seasons, so have its weaknesses. In theory, Team Heretics has all the necessary pieces for a Masters- or even a Champions-winning team. It is during higher-stakes games, however, where Team Heretics often slows down when it matters most.

For instance, after Stage 1, Heretics lost both Group Stage matches at Masters Toronto, resulting in the team’s early return to Europe. The Spanish organisation then went undefeated in the Stage 2 Group Stage, yet failed to survive in the Playoffs.

Given its recurring inconsistencies, Heretics fans never know what to expect from their team. It almost feels like a coin flip whether this roster will experience another demoralising international performance or deliver a glorious comeback. Fans will be hoping for the latter, and with Team Heretics’ firepower, there’s always a chance to cause a huge Group D shock.

Kicking off on September 12th, VALORANT Champions Paris 2025 will be broadcast across VCT’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.