VALORANT - Champions 2025: RRQ, the VCT Pacific surprise (8/16)

This year’s Champions, VALORANT’s annual world championship, will take place in Paris from September 12 to October 5. In the lead-up to the tournament, Sheep Esports is introducing one of the 16 qualified teams each day. This Friday, the spotlight turns to Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ), the second seed from the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Pacific.

The surprise package of the VCT Pacific season, RRQ will be making their very first appearance at VALORANT Champions, after finally unlocking their international LAN debut earlier in 2025. Traditionally a mid-table squad, RRQ completely broke through in Stage 1, thanks in large part to the arrival of Ngô “crazyguy” Công Anh, who immediately took on the role of In-Game Leader and driving force for the team.

In Stage 2, RRQ reached the grand final against Paper Rex but fell short against the Masters Toronto champions. The series ended 3–1 in favor of the Singaporean powerhouse, giving PRX the first seed. RRQ had to settle for second, while T1 and DRX rounded out the four Pacific representatives heading to Paris.

The reintroduction of Bind into the competitive pool has not been kind to RRQ so far, as they dropped all four of their matches on the map in August alone. However, the team can take confidence in their performance on Haven, Sunset, and Corrode, where they have maintained solid win rates of 60%, 63%, and 60% respectively. Haven stands out in particular, as RRQ has played it nearly 15 times this year with consistent results.

On the flip side, the removal of Icebox—a map that had been their most reliable pick in 2025—could prove costly for them at Champions Paris. Ascent, their second-most played battleground behind Haven, has also been something of a stumbling block, with only a 42% win rate. Interestingly, it is also the map where RRQ experimented the most with strategies and agent lineups, fielding no fewer than six different compositions across the season.

Maksim “Jemkin” Batorov has undoubtedly been the face of RRQ’s success this year. With the exception of a quiet Masters Toronto run that ended in a swift 0–2 exit, Jemkin has consistently dominated the scoreboards. He frequently ranks among the very top in ACS across events, even finishing Stage 1 as the outright leader with a comfortable gap over his competition.

Originally known for his Jett and Raze play, Jemkin has transitioned into a more versatile role, splitting his time between Waylay and Yoru while maintaining his aggressive Duelist identity. Over his last 43 maps, he has locked in the Japanese agent 47% of the time and Waylay in nearly a third of his matches, proving his adaptability in the Pacific meta.