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VCT 2023 was an immense success for Valorant esports and broke numerous viewership records across the various tournaments over the course of the year. The best teams in the world featuring the crème de la crème of players showcased their talent on the world stage. Some of these players stood out more than their peers, which helped their teams make deep runs and, in some cases, even win world championships.
The Duelist role is the most exciting role in Valorant to follow as a viewer. It is also home to some of the greatest players the game has seen. Let us take a look at some of the best Duelists of VCT 2023 who stunned the audience with their incredible mechanics.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.
Demon1, Derke, and three more Duelists who stood out in VCT 2023
1) Demon1
Max "Demon1" Mazanov was the breakout star of VCT 2023. The primary Duelist for Evil Geniuses came under the spotlight soon after his debut in the regular season of VCT Americas. His top-notch performance during the regional playoffs run, and a strong international debut at Tokyo earned him many fans.
Valorant Champions 2023 was the tournament where Demon1 hit his peak form. Along with his signature Jett, he piloted Agents such as Brimstone and Astra, making him very valuable for Evil Geniuses. The team went on to win the tournament, where Demon1 also grabbed the MVP title, thanks to his incredible crisp aim and fragging potential.
2) Jinggg
While Wang "Jinggg" Jing Jie will be sorely missed in the VCT 2024 season, the Singaporean superstar had an incredible run in his final season for the foreseeable future. Paper Rex's Raze and Phoenix specialist continued to impress audiences with his hyper-aggressive and chaotic playstyle.
Jinggg constantly posted some of the highest Damage per round across various regional and international events. His penchant for breaking into sites and completely turning rounds into Paper Rex's favor made him stand out as one of the most loved Duelists in the scene and objectively one of the best Valorant Duelists of 2023.
3) something
Ilya "something" Petrov initially gained immense popularity for his absurd highlights featuring unbelievable flick shots and jaw-dropping movement on Jett. Fans finally got to see him perform at the tier-one level as he left Sengoku Gaming to join Paper Rex.
something quickly established his authority on the Valorant Pacific LAN servers and played an integral role in the team's reverse sweep against DRX in the grand finals. Unfortunately, the Russian was unable to attend Masters Tokyo due to visa issues.
The viewers did not have to wait long as something showed up massively in his international debut at Valorant Champions 2023, providing his usual highlight reel-worthy gameplay as well as an extremely strong performance throughout the event.
4) Derke
Derke is, without a doubt, the most consistent tier-one Duelist in VCT history. The Finnish player has been world-class for Fnatic since the very first international Valorant esports event and continues to be phenomenal. Derke is the quintessential Duelist that almost any team would want.
Derke showed this off in 2023 and was a crucial reason for Fnatic's multiple tournament wins over the course of the year. His killer instinct to break open sites and catch opponents off-guard made him a menace to play against for even the best teams in the world.
5) aspas
LOUD had a topsy-turvy VCT 2023, but one factor in the team remained constant. This was Erick "aspas" Santos, who kept delivering great performances. The Brazilian phenom has established himself as one of the most exciting and flashy Duelists in the world. While LOUD as a team had some consistency issues, aspas was able to frequently power his team to success.
The 2022 Valorant Champions winner excelled on his signature Jett and Raze, where he showcased his impeccable movement skills. Fans are highly excited to see how well aspas will fare in his new home, Leviatán.
