Top 5 Valorant players heading into VCT 2024

Here are our picks for the top VALORANT players heading into 2024 based on their performance throughout the year.

For Valorant Esports, this year was an incredible journey that culminated in a spectacular season finale when Evil Geniuses won the Champions trophy and delivered the game’s first world championship title to North America. With more spectators flocking to the esports and more players solidifying their status as elite competitors or making waves in the competition, this was yet another historic year for the Riot Games title.

A few players emerged from the scebe with performances that would make them iconic and propel them into the elite ranks of players. We’ve decided to take a look at a few of the top Valorant players ahead of the 2024 campaign. Two criteria emerged as being particularly important in identifying the world’s top players: consistent play potential and strong statistical performance. So who is better than the others?

1) Erick “Aspas” Santos 

Erick “Aspas” Santos continued to perform well for LOUD and was among the best Valorant players on Jett, Raze, and Chamber. In 2023, his big play potential continued to pose a threat to any server he played on. The Brazillian player has continued to position himself as the best Jett player in the world despite dealing with team changes and coaching changes with some exceptional performances at VCT LOCK//IN.

A standout player for LOUD throughout the season, Aspas even took home the VCT Americas MVP award. Fans, opponents, and analysts have all lauded him for his improvement in making micro decisions. At Valorant Champions 2023, LOUD managed to secure a top-4 position thanks to the exceptional performance from Aspas. He finished in the top five for ACS, K/D, KAST, and First Kill Per Round as he continued to put up strong results at the event.

2) Max “Demon1” Mazanov

The star player of Evil Geniuses had an amazing run at Valorant Champions 2023 following a rather quiet performance at VCT Americas. EG finished second in Tokyo despite not living up to expectations, and the team even took a map off a fast-rising Fnatic in the upper bracket finals. However, after Demon1 got comfortable on stage during his rookie season, he overcame any obstacle he needed to excel at the biggest Valorant event of the year, the Valorant World Championships.

At the end of the competition, he had the highest headshot %, kill/death ratio, kills per round, and VLR rating. He also ranked second in average damage per round and among the top five in average combat score. Demon1, who scored 101 kills over five maps versus LOUD, also set a record for the first over 100-kill series. He went from taking part in an open tryout to being a world champion in just three months. Demon1 also moved from being a rookie who spoke trash to becoming the most valuable player at the greatest Valorous tournament of the year.

3) Leo “Leo” Jannesson

With his incredible Initiator performance with his previous squad last year, Leo managed to establish himself at the top and carried that momentum into the current campaign. His game vision, calmness in pressure-filled situations, and frag contribution make him a player that any team would desire.

He was selected as the official Grand Finals MVP at VCT LOCK//IN 2023, demonstrating his status as one of the greatest VALORANT players. In addition to producing the most clutches overall—13—and the fifth-highest number of multi-kill rounds—five—he finished the tournament ranked third in K/D and sixth in KAST percentage—all while conceding the second-fewest deaths per round.  For most of the maps Fnatic played, particularly in their grand final victory over LOUD, he emerged as the standout player for the team.

4) Emir “Alfajer” Beder

Despite not having the most spectacular playstyle, the Turkish player consistently racks up numerous kills in a round, helping his team hold the sites better. Alfajer demonstrated his dominating and reliable performance in 2023 by finishing as the highest-rated player in two of the four competitions.

Even in a somewhat passive role like Sentinel, he ranked in the top five across many statistical categories throughout the regular season in VCT EMEA, showcasing his talents domestically. At VCT Masters Tokyo, Alfajer was among the top five statistically in terms of kills per round, kill/death ratio, and VLR rating. Alfajer maintained his position as the world’s greatest Sentinel player at Valorant Champions 2023, placing in the top five in terms of VRL rating, K/D, and Average damage per Round.

5) Ilya “something” Petrov

Ilya “something” When Petrov first started playing Jett, he became quite well-known for his ridiculous highlights, which included incredible flip shots and astounding athletic ability. His departure from Sengoku Gaming to join Paper Rex gave fans their first opportunity to witness him play at the top level. He made a fast impression on the Valorant Pacific LAN servers and was crucial to the team’s grand finals reverse sweep of DRX.

Unfortunately, the visa problems prevented him from attending Masters Tokyo. Fan, however, did not have to wait long as something made his international debut at Valorant Champions 2023, delivering an incredibly impressive display all through the competition.

Header: Riot Games