September 25, 2025
Raidiant Academy 203 showcased just how much young talent has progressed through the years since the first Academy tournament, which took place in 2024. Here are some of the standout events from the 2025 leg of Raidiant Academy.
Riot Games has already created many opportunities for woman and marginalized genders to showcase their talent across all scales. However, to reach those levels, players may need to hone their skills against those within their skillset. To solve this issue, Raidiant presented the Raidiant Academy in partnership with Riot, which does just that. The tournament is designed to accommodate aspiring pro players looking to gain exposure and experience with a side of a sweet prize pool.
This year’s Raidiant Academy 2025: 203 once again cemented the event’s reputation as a launchpad for rising Valorant talent, spotlighting fresh faces eager to break into the competitive scene. Held online across North America from August 2 to 3, the tournament featured 31 teams competing through a round-robin group stage and a 16-team single-elimination playoff bracket for a $2,000 prize pool. Ultimately, Truly Humble Under God claimed the title after a standout run that saw them outlast Shampoos Cats in the grand final, while BIG CATS and Gojo’s Ekittens shared third place.
Here’s everything highlight-worthy that went down at Raidiant Academy 203.
Raidiant Academy 203: Best plays
The grand final was packed with action, and while Shampoo Cats put up a good fight, Thugs were the better team that day. This was all thanks to players like Battison and May, who needed zero help to clutch out crucial rounds.
Thug’s Battison also popped off and grabbed all the action. Their Deadlock was on point, helping secure a crisp 4K that won the team their first map in the grand finals.
FLYQuest’s Evy was also a standout player, with a clean defense on Pearl. Their Chamber, they say, is still haunting the C site entrance.
It wasn’t just Evy who did it all by herself. She had plenty of support from askablair, who was exceptional at Bucky. On Bind, the duelist popped off with a Bucky 2K, shutting down Thug’s advances.
All of these plays made Raidiant Academy 203 worth watching, adding just the right amount of spice to the event. Besides these plays, the fan reaction was a big highlight. Viewers got a mix of flashy clutches, disciplined team play, and plenty of unexpected upsets that reminded everyone why Raidiant Academy has become a must-watch stop for emerging talent.