Here are the best VCT LOCK//IN players

Here are some of the best Valorant players at VCT LOCK//IN Sào Paulo based on event statistics, individual performances, and impact on the team.

The VCT LOCK//IN 2023 has reached the semifinals stage, with only four teams remaining in contention for the coveted trophy and a share of the $500,000 prize pool. The event has prominently witnessed the debut of India, the rise of new Asia Pacific dominance, and the customary overpowering performances by the reigning Valorant World Champions LOUD and Korean team DRX.

LOUD and DRX worked hard and overcame all obstacles to book their place in the semifinals from the Alpha Group. In the Omega Group, Natus Vincere and Fnatic dominated the competition to secure an all-European semifinal, guaranteeing the participation of at least one EMEA team in the title game.

Although every player in the league tried everything they had to stay alive against the intense competition, only a select few players were able to deliver consistently. The top names in the game performed excellently at the event, but who topped the leaderboard? Before the semifinal begins, let’s look at some of the top players from VCT LOCK/IN across crucial statistical categories like the kill, kill-death ratio, and combat score.

3.Less

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LOUD have been one of the VCT’s most consistent teams, utterly dominating the regional league and not allowing any domestic opponent to win a series against them in 2022. The Brazilian squad was declared world champions last year after defeating OpTic in the Valorant Champions 2022 grand final. Much of the team’s success was credited to its star player Felipe “Less” Basso.

After a completely dominant showing at VCT Champions, Less entered the Brazillian event in top form, where he has been the main source of LOUD’s firepower alongside his fellow teammate Erick “aspas” Santos. He is currently standing in the third position on the leaderboard with a total of 142 kills, only behind BuZz’s 148 and Crashie’s 147 kills.

The 17-year-old player has been a dominating force against all the teams that have gone against LOUD. On every map besides Split against NRG, he has consistently appeared on stage with double-digit kills, and on several occasions, he even reached the 25-kill threshold.

2. Buzz

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No top players list in Valorant would be complete with a representative from the Korean juggernauts DRX. The Korean team, a constant threat on the world stage, maintained its dominance at the international stage in 2023 after cruising to the semifinals of the LOCK//IN.

The most explosive player on the team, Byung-chul “BuZz” Yu, was a reliable performer for DRX and excelled in numerous statistical categories at Sào Paulo as well. BuZz has been a part of DRX’s winning formula, not only for his stats sheet appearances and flashy plays but also for his ability to come back from tough situations.

With a whopping 148 kills across nine maps he played at LOCK//IN, the Korean kill wizard presently holds the number one spot in the leaderboard. His performance against Cloud9 in particular was remarkable, though it’s always exciting to see his unconventional gameplay and witness him dismantle the enemy’s defense when others fail to do so.

He recorded a total of 44 kills in the three-map series against C9, which enabled his squad to eliminate Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker and his North American team from the event and forced them to evaluate their roster.

BuZz’s fellow teammate Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwanm, who went above and beyond to give the team’s top fragger solid backup and support even under the most challenging circumstances, is largely responsible for his success in the competition. Mako is currently in first place on the assists leaderboard with a total of 112 assists in nine maps.

1. Shao

No one was more essential to their respective team’s success than Andrey “Shao” Kiprsky, who has the kill-assist-survive-trade (KAST) ever recorded at an international competition (91%). He had the highest K:D ratio in the whole tournament at 2.29 and the 2nd highest average combat score at 252.3 and the third-highest clutch winning percentage.

Even though Shao has fewer kills than other aggressive players in the competition, his ability to survive in trying circumstances had a positive impact on the team. With only 42 deaths overall across 117 rounds, Shao holds the lowest deaths per round average of any player who has played this many rounds in the event.

Shao has been a great initiator and all-around player for NAVI, assisting the Ukrainian team in gaining a foothold in Valorant esports, similar to how they have dominated the CS:GO scene with the help of the undisputed GOAT Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev. Thanks to his all-around performance, NAVI has reached the semifinals of the event without dropping a single map in any of the three series they have played so far.

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