Although VALORANT’s competitive scene is young, we already had some amazing moments in the VCT series. Lots of amazing plays, inhuman shots, and creative team comps and strats.
That being said, we have to look at the performances of individual players too.
Who are the best and why?
15. Jamppi (fragger)
Jampii VALORANT
Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen is a former Finnish CS:GO pro player that decided to pursue a career in VALORANT, after he got banned from Valve-sponsored events. So, all major events.
He got VAC banned in 2015 on one of his accounts, and that was enough for Valve to ban him from any and all CS:GO Majors. After he analyzed his situation he switched over to VALORANT, finding almost immediate success.
He currently plays for Team Liquid, and he has been described as being a prodigy. Amazing aim and amazing game sense, make him one of the most dangerous opponents to face in a LAN tournament or online.
His most recent achievement was reaching the semifinals of VALORANT Champions 2021. Cashing in $90.000 for his team.
You can watch highlights of him playing here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6RNkbyCmBQ
14. Hiko (support)
Hiko VALORANT
Spencer "Hiko" Martin or Hiko for short, needs no introduction. From unreal highlights in CS:GO, to absolutely insane clutches in VALORANT. He was a former CS:GO player, who gave us one of the most well-known highlights in esports history. Of course, I’m talking about the “inhuman reactions” clip. You can watch that clip here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnyRc6rbsK0
Besides that, he’s currently playing VALORANT for 100 Thieves, and he has had some early success. Most notably he and his team won the First Strike tournament back in 2020. Since then he and his roster had less success, not being able to qualify for VALORANT Champions 2021. But even so, his performances are nothing to scoff at. He still managed to get to third place on the NA Last Chance Qualifiers, winning $15.000 for his team.
You can watch more of Hiko’s insane plays here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyBnqbGjJN0
13. DubsteP (fragger)
DubsteP VALORANT
Jayvee "DubsteP" Paguirigan is a former Filipino CS:GO player that switched to VALORANT. Currently playing for Team Secret, he managed to qualify for VALORANT Champions 2021. Although his team’s performance wasn’t amazing, getting a 5th -8th finish, netting his team $40.000, he still managed to dominate the entire Southeast Asia region. This man is cracked. He can flick you from any angle, and he manages to do that whilst keeping his cool.
You see some of his amazing plays here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7LKphg9BdY
12. Heat (fragger)
Heat VALORANT
Heat is yet another player with an otherworldly aim. Give this man a Marshal and he has a pretty high chance to win the round just with that. He’s a Brazilian player that plays for Keyd Stars, and their performance in the Champions tournament was pretty underwhelming.
With that taken into account, we can’t judge a player’s performance based on how well their team did in one LAN. Heat is still an amazing player. He’s aggressive, flashy, fast, and everything else you’d want in a highlight machine. It feels like he’s playing for a crowd, so he’s really enjoyable to watch.
His team finished in the 13th -16th bracket, and that got his team $20.000.
You can watch an insane highlight he pulled off here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZPoIQYnr2Y
11. Nivera (support)
Nivera VALORANT
Yet another Team Liquid member, Nabil "Nivera" Benrlitom is one of the best support players in VALORANT. Besides knowing the ins and outs of agents like Sova and Viper, he can also click heads like there’s no tomorrow. He probably got that from his brother. Oh, I forgot to mention. Nivera is ScreaM’s brother. Yes, ScreaM, the “one-tap machine”.
With that in mind, he’s not “ScreaM’s little brother”. Nivera has the aim, the brain, and the same sense. You could say that he’s somewhat more versatile than ScreaM. His aim isn’t as good, but he can still hit some gnarly shots.
You can watch an insane 200IQ play he did here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwlIB6TG1pY
10. Crashies (support)
crashies VALORANT
At number 10 we have crashies. He’s currently playing for team Envy, and some would call him “the initiator God”. He has the brain, he has the aim, and he also has the style. He mainly plays Sova, and he’s damn good at it. He can keep his calm in tense situations, and that’s what makes him so deadly.
He helped Envy achieve some pretty good results. Getting second place at VCT Masters Berlin, and a more disappointing 9th -12th finish, at VALORANT Champions 2021. That being said, he’s still one of the best players in the world and has managed to shake up the NA scene with his team.
You can see the initiator God in action here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7WwBBIVtHc
9. Yay (fragger)
Yay VALORANT
It’s only fitting that on number 9 we have yay. Another former CS:GO player that switched to the VALORANT scene. Yay mains Jett, so obviously he has the aim. He’s aggressive, flashy, and just a pleasure to watch. He was even nicknamed “El Diablo” by people from NA because he’s just so scary to go up against on online servers.
We don’t know exactly how he’s able to abuse the online environment so well, but what we do know is that he can perform just as well on LAN.
Some would say that yay is the main reason for Envy’s success. So if you’re interested to see him in action, you can watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Jnc-MlVxM
8. Leaf (fragger)
Leaf VALORANT
Leaf is yet another American Jett main, that has the aim and the game sense. He was a former CS:GO player, and now is the star player of Cloud 9 Blue. As you’d expect, he’s an aggressive and stylish player that knows how to flick, entry, and snipe.
There’s not too much to say about him, besides the fact that Leaf has an ungodly aim. Besides that, his game sense is on point. At times it feels like he just knows where his opponents are. He doesn’t need to see them, he already knows where they are and where they could be.
Being part of Cloud 9 Blue, you’d think he hasn’t seen the best performances as a team. Or at least that’s what you’d think when you compare C9 to Envy and Sentinels, the other two big NA teams. On their own, they had some pretty impressive results. He helped his team get in 5th -8th place, gaining $20.000 for his team. The 5th -8th place finish is impressive, especially when considering that the team surpassed Sentinels and Envy with that performance.
You can see him in action here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvJpyf_w0IU
7. ScreaM (fragger)
ScreaM VALORANT
Thislist would not be complete without ScreaM. He’s one of the most well-known esports legends. He is a one-tap machine. He’s all aim, and that’s his biggest strength. In most instances, you’ll never win a 1v1 duel against him. And that’s what makes ScreaM so fun to watch, and so deadly. You watch his games just so you can see the satisfying kills he gets and the nasty flicks he can pull off.
A former CS:GO legend, turned into a current VALORANT titan, ScreaM continues to have impressive performances. Finishing 3rd -4th in VALORANT Champions 2021, and netting $90.000 for his team.
You can watch the one-tap machine here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Umh-2okJZs
6. Derke (fragger)
Derke VALORANT
Derke is another aim-God. The Finish-Russian pro player can do it all. He’s not only a sniper player, or another Jett main. He can also satchel into a site with Raze, causing havoc wherever he goes.
He’s a smart player, knowing how to play around his team, and he pairs especially well with Boaster on Astra. Together they make a perfect combo. He’s currently playing for Fnatic, and he managed to get to second place at VCT Masters Reykjavik, and a 5th -8th finish at Champions 2021, netting his team $40.000 for that one.
Although it’s not a first-place finish, they still had a really good performance in 2021.
You can watch Derke in all his glory here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rydwCs9EuM
5. TenZ (fragger)
TenZ VALORANT
We could not have a top 5 without TenZ. He’s just that good. He’s arguably the player with the best aim in the game. He’s so good, he can even make Yoru work! Because yes, he actually played him in a tournament. You could put TenZ on any agent, and he’d still probably top the charts.
Currently part of Sentinels, TenZ is the main reason Sentinels were so dominant until recently. According to some people at least.
He’s good with basically any gun, any agent, and any team composition. That being said, his team’s performance at VALORANT Champions was a bit lacking, since they were eliminated in the group stage.
That being said, you can still enjoy TenZ’s inhuman aim by watching this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib4ASAGUc_c
4. Chronicle (support)
Chronicle VALORANT
Chronicle is a Russian VALORANT player that’s currently playing for Gambit Esports. He has a big brain and really good aim. He knows how and when to use his utility effectively, he knows how to play with his team, he knows how to play alone. He’s just a really smart, consistent player. He is one of the reasons his team managed to beat Sentinels and Envy in VCT Masters Berlin 2021.
In short, he’s a really good supportive player who can also play alone. He can aim, take duels, and win clutches. Chronicles and Gambit won the VCT Masters Berlin and took second place at Champions 2021, getting a total of $375.000 for his team.
You can watch him in action here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFB5TQWkdGQ
3. Delz1k (support)
Delz1k VALORANT
Joaquín Ignacio "delz1k" Espinoza Soto is a Chilean VALORANT player that plays for KRU Esports. He’s mainly a support player or at least that’s what you’d think at first glance. I mean he plays Brimstone, Astra, and Viper. Generally supportive characters.
But he has that signature aggressive style that comes from Latin America. He’s cracked. His aim is on point, and his game sense is next level, and he was arguably the biggest reason for KRU’s miracle run at Champions 2021. Where they almost managed to eliminate Gambit. They didn’t, but they took 3rd -4th place and showed the entire world that you can’t really mess with Delz1k and his team.
You can see him clutching a round here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxd2tKaAqHo
2. nAts
nAts VALORANT
nAts is kinda like delz1k. He’s a “support” player. A support player that manages to kill your entire team in less than 5 seconds. A support player that gets almost all the kills, but also that doesn’t die. He’s just that good. He mainly plays Cypher and Viper, but even so, he tops the charts pretty consistently.
He’s the other reason why Gambit managed to win VCT Masters Berlin and to take second place in Champions 2021. But nAts, unlike delz1k, doesn't play that aggressive. He waits, he hides, he lurks, and when you least expect it, he strikes. That’s why he’s so scary. Just having him on the map means that you kinda have to dedicate a player to watch if he’s coming from behind or not. A thing that makes him worthy of being cataloged as the second-best player right now.
You can see him in action here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCtbIDB5s9E
1. cNed
cNed VALORANT
cNed is probably the best player right now. Not only because he won the 2021 Champions tournament. But because when he’s alive, you are forced to play around him. You can’t challenge him. The reason teams won against him in 2021, is because they would make strategies to avoid him.
He’s the bane of everyone’s existence. If cNed gets an Operator, you’re done. The game is done unless you find an answer to deal with him. The answer is usually avoiding him or using an ungodly amount of utility, just so you can clear spots he might be in.
I think any player that forces entire teams to find strategies to avoid him, is worthy of taking first place in a player ranking. But the fact that he won the biggest VALORANT tournament, netting $350.000 for his team also counts.
You can watch cNed being cracked and being an absolute monster here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTMW1PprAnM
Also be sure to read:
- [Top 5] Valorant Best Crosshairs (Used By The Best Players In The World)
- 25 Best Valorant Settings That Give You An Advantage
- Valorant Best Agents - Who To Pick
- Top 5 Valorant Best Agents To Unlock First
- [Top 5] Valorant Best Fraggers
- [TOP 10] Valorant Best Weapons
- [TOP 5] Valorant Best Beginner Agents
- Valorant Best Resolution - Which Should You Use?
- [TOP 3] Valorant Best Duelist
- [TOP 3] Valorant Best Flankers
- Valorant Best Aim Sensitivity Settings [Top 5]
- Valorant Best FPS Settings That Give You An Advantage
- [TOP 5] Valorant Best Agents for Solo
- [TOP 5] Valorant Best Agents for Sniping
- Valorant Best Brimstone Plays
