One kiNgg and his four rookies. A winning formula in VCT 2026 and beyond

VALORANT Masters in London concluded on June 21 with an exciting five-map match between Pacific’s Paper Rex and VCT Americas’ Leviathan. But it wasn’t the event favourite, made up of VCT legends, who lifted the Masters London trophy in the end.

It was Leviatán who came out on top with an outstanding performance on the final map, Lotus. Not only is this the first Masters trophy for a LATAM team, the Argentine sports organization is also locked in this historic achievement with a list of four rookies who had never made it to the international stage before Masters London.

With an average age of 20 years and 5 days, Leviatán has become the youngest of all VALORANT world champion in history, less than three months after rookie team Nongshim RedForce won Masters Santiago. In an exclusive interview with Esports Insider, Leviatán Game Leader (IGL) Francisco “kiNgg” Aravena discussed the team’s journey to the Masters London crown and the strength of his four rookies.

It is expected that rookies will not perform well when they play for the first time in the world due to various factors. The cheers of the crowd drowned out the in-game sounds. Opponents from other regions bring new playing styles. Furthermore, the stakes and associated pressure have never been higher than at a world event.

Yet Leviatán has shown wonderful fitness at Masters London. Along with historical giants like FunPlus Phoenix and Fnatic, it is one of the few teams in VALORANT history to reach the global Grand Final with a full lower bracket run. A four-game winning streak with little time in between was needed to make this happen.

According to kiNgg, this lower bracket run has contributed greatly to the strength of the relegation roster. Notably, in the Grand Final against Paper Rex, Leviatán suffered a heavy 2-13 beating on the first map, Breakdown. But the team quickly got their revenge with a 13-6 win over Split to take the points.

“I feel like thanks to all the low runs, we’ve gained a lot of strength, a lot of experience and as a team,” explained KiNg. “After losing the first map, we say ‘Okay guys, okay.’ It’s the best of the five. It doesn’t matter if you won 3-0 [or] 3-2. In the end, the result is the same result, so we just withdraw it.”

Unlike his colleagues, kiNgg has come close to an international title. In Champions 2024, he missed out on a place in the Grand Final by losing to Team Heretics in the Lower Bracket Final. This time, Leviatán and kiNgg appeared to have their first trophy locked in a good start for Lotus.

However, just before the finish line, Paper Rex managed to regain momentum and cruised a few laps together.

When asked if this moment brings doubt in his mind, kiNgg confidently replied: “No, absolutely not. Even if I was the team that lost 11-1. The last thing I would lose is the hope of the game.”

He added: “Even if they were winning 11-1, I said to everybody, ‘Guys, we’re 0-0. Just look at each inning.’ Win[ning] it’s just a result. Not guaranteed. So, everyone was just silent, cold. And not at any time, I had doubts that we had to continue to play well to get the trophy.”

kiNgg is the most experienced player in his team. He is also a long-time member of Leviatán, having spent nearly five years with the organization. In his opinion as a veteran of the IGL and VCT, he showed the growth of his four players.

It starts with Bruno “Neon” Rodríguezyoungest member of the list and Masters London MVP. Coming out of Leviatán Academy, Neon was promoted to Tier 1 before the 2026 VCT season. But due to league age restrictions, he missed most of this year’s Kickoff before making his VCT debut at age 18.

As VCT’s top teams look to bolster their rosters with young prodigies, Leviatán wasn’t the only organization to make this calculated decision. EMEA’s Team Vitality has been tested Singer “Sayonara” Mîtcu all the way back in March, 2025 and waited almost a year to remove the small gun from its active list. For both Team Vitality and Leviatán, the risky move paid off. The former finished fourth at Masters London, while Leviatán saw his junior player crowned tournament MVP.

”Since he joined the team, I have been telling him that he is the best in the world. You are the opposite. You are amazing,” emphasized to Ngg. “He’s one of those players that you see at practice, and I say, ‘Wow, this guy is crazy.’ So, I’m proud of him for getting that MVP. You deserve him so much. You are my GOAT. You’re amazing.”

“We’re the greatest duo in the f****** world.” Those were the words Eduardo “Sato” Nagahama chose to describe himself and his five-year-old group, Rodrigo “spikeziN” Lombardi.

“Sato has grown a lot. I’ve known him since last year. He was a bit hotter type of player. I was hard on him last year. I was going to be hard on him this year,” reveal kiNgg about Leviatán’s man. “Now, after all the changes he’s had in this tournament, or since before, he feels like an experienced second baseman. He’s been helping me with other things. He’s made amazing calls. He’s grown a lot as a player. He was already a shooter, and now, he’s not just a shooter. He’s a very smart player.”

While Sato progressed in Tier 2 until he was old enough to join Leviatán for VCT Americas 2025 Stage 2, his duo from childhood had a complicated path to Tier 1. Despite winning Ascension 2024 with 2GAME Esports, spikeziN was not mature enough to compete in VCT until almost one year later in America. After the poor result of Phase 2 in 2025, the prodigy then moved on to Leviatán to prove himself regionally and on the international stage.

“spike[ziN]it’s just the flexibility you want to have on your team one hundred percent. Beez in the trap. Not only is he flexible in terms of the agent pool. You are versatile in everything. He can be the guy who can give you amazing comm. He can be that guy who just pops up,” featured kiNgg in our conversation. “He always helps you with everything. He’s amazing. I’m proud of him. And he can show that he’s not just playing Neon. He can play anything he wants.

“He just happens to be one of the best Neons in the world, so it’s not his fault. He’s just crazy.”

Guilherme “blowz” Oliveira he has been grinding Tier 3 since 2021 before his VALORANT esports career took off on the South American scene. Winning his first Challenger Cups as part of the free agent teams, Aim Only, Olimpo, and THE 7, earned him a spot at Leviatán Academy. Although blowz has only been in Tier 1 since the VCT 2026 Kickoff, kiNgg already sees a lot of potential in the rookie.

“blowz has grown into a second caller,” IGL revealed. “He has been helping me a lot in many situations. In the beginning, I was a guy who tried to say everything. And now, he is even a leading man many times, such as postal plants, to take situations again. […] I see him, soon, in IGL as well. You have the ability to be one. So, I am very thankful that I had him by my side.”

Leviatán’s victory at Masters London reminds us Nongshim RedForcewho lifted the Santiago Masters trophy with four players who had never entered the VCT world stage before.

However, there are significant differences between the journeys of these two rookie ranks, showing that individual explosiveness is not enough to remain at the top of VALORANT esports even in 2026’s micro-focused meta.

Like many of the less experienced teams attending Masters Santiago, including Gentle Mates and BBL Esports, Nongshim RedForce dropped significantly in regional performance following the event. Due to a combination of meta shifts and role issues within the lineup, the Korean organization failed to qualify for the second international VCT tournament of the year.

However, Leviatán has a strong chance of going to Stage 2 and beyond. In addition to good repair skills, its players are known for their behavior and flexibility in the workplace. With its run in the lower bracket, Leviatán once again proved its resilience and ability to adapt to its playbook when necessary.

If Leviatán continues its momentum in the final stages of VCT 2026, the organization could be a great example of roster building and management at the highest level of VALORANT competition. It’s not just raw firepower that’s writing these rookie success stories. It’s also an intimate support and training program that turns young guns into full-fledged professionals in a matter of weeks.