Top 5 Players That Will Dominate VCT Champions
This year's circuit of VCT Champions has brought the fans of Valorant highs and lows throught the Americas, EMEA and Pacific Season. There have been numerous players that have been superior forces and some new players on the scene that have proven their worth in the pro ecosystem. With that being said let's deep dive into some of the players looking to perform well at Champions.
Fnatic: Chronicle
Riot Games
Being one of the most historical players in all of VCT history with the most international wins, Chronicle and the rest of the Fnatic crew are looking to sweep the competition in a dominant fashion. At Masters Tokyo, he had a whopping 1.21 KDA, the 3rd highest in the entire event, and is most definitely looking to do even more damage at Champions.
Fnatic took the victory at the LOCK//IN São Paulo event back in March of this year, only losing 2 games to NA’s very own LOUD. They went on to take Masters Tokyo in June with an even more authoritative victory, only losing one map to Evil Geniuses in the Semi-Finals.
KRU: Keznit
Riot Games
In the previous years, KRU has been a team that doesn’t get much publicity when compared to the likes of teams like Fnatic or Sentinels. Despite qualifying to Champions 21, 22 and now 23, that might all change this year.
Throughout the Americas season KRU couldn't find a single win, that all changed at this years Last Chance Qualifier where they only dropped 3 games, all thanks to their duelist player Keznit. He had the highest stats in all of the Last Chance Qualifier outperforming top players. Showing the rest of the world that South America can be as powerful as the top North American organizations.
Paper Rex: something
Riot Games
Paper Rex is not new to being at the top of the Valorant pro scene and that is due to their powerful roster. At the forefront of their roster is Russia’s own something. With his insane Reyna oppression to his in-your-face Jett playstyle, something and the rest of the Paper Rex team have been the pioneers of non-textbook Valorant.
In Masters Tokyo, due to Visa issues, something was not able to attend and compete and was replaced by cgrs. This will be the first time the world has seen him compete since Grand Finals of the Pacific region. He is expected to trample on their opponents as per usual in Champions 2023.
EDG: ZmjjKK
Riot Games
ZmjjKK aka KangKang has been on EDG since September of 2021 and has made almost no noise the in pro Valorant scene until Masters Tokyo where they defeated the 2022 VCT Champions victors LOUD in an absolute masterclass in a 2 to 0. His operator makes his opponents absolutely fear him, many pro players have spoken on their genuine fear of facing his operator due to his natural ability to eliminate enemies with it.
EDG has only been to 3 international competitions — Champions 2022, LOCK//IN and Masters Tokyo, with KangKang being at each of these competitions. Going into their 4th international competition they are looking to establish their global dominance and to get the respect that they believe they deserve.
Zeta Division: SugarZ3ro
Riot Games
SugarZ3ro has alot of depth in the Valorant ecosystem, competing since 2020 he is looking to make a deep run in the 2023 Champions. Coming off of a strong victory in the Last Chance Qualifier for the Pacific region, he is looking to lead his team to an international medal. Being one of the top smokes players in all of the Pacific region he holds a lot of respect.
Zeta Division is a team that has been a team ruling Japan, showing teams like Crazy Racoon and Northeption why they are the superior squad and that they are a force to be reckoned with. If they can take the crown home on the worlds stage, this would be the first time any Pacific team has seen a Champions crown.
Written by David Hunter
This article was created as part of an internship collaboration with NACE
