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Valorant has become a popular game in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre ever since its release back in June 2020. The title has shown its staying power when it comes to factors like relevance, innovation, spectacle, and pure enjoyability. It has won the hearts of players all around the world.
An important aspect of every multiplayer online game is developing its esports. A good competitive scene can help a title remain on top and even help grow its playerbase further. Valorant has proven itself in that aspect as well. It even won an award for Best Esports Game at The Game Awards 2022.
Valorant Champions Tour 2022 was as exciting as expected. There was a rise of talented players from all regions of the world. However, a few definitely stood out more than the others. Below is a list of the five best Valorant players of 2022.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
yay, Jinggg, and 3 other Valorant players who outperformed the rest in 2022
The rules for ranking the players are as follows:
- They should have played in at least one international tournament.
- Only one player per team.
- They should be currently a part of a team.
- No streamers or retired players.
5) Sacy
Gustavo "Sacy" Rossi is an esports player from Brazil who currently plays for the team, Sentinels. He has mostly fulfilled the role of an Initiator for his roster. Sova is his most-played Agent in the past year.
Sacy has had a long journey in Valorant. Him and his former team, LOUD, were considered to be Brazil's superteam. They were able to prove their caliber in international events as well.
Being a former League of Legends professional player, Sacy has also brought in a lot of experience for his team, especially when it comes to ability usage. His utility was always on point but he was also very capable of winning aim duels. He had a total of 70 kills, which was just behind the top fragger yay's 78 kills in the Grand Finals of Valorant Champions 2022, Istanbul.
4) stax
Kim "stax" Gu-taek is a South Korean esports player who plays for the team DRX. He mostly fulfills the role of an Initiator but has also played as the Sentinel Sage in the past. Skye is his most picked Agent in the past year.
DRX was a fearsome team, defeating everyone in their own region and holding the top position. Naturally, viewers expected the same results from them at international events as well. It took a while but they eventually showed the DRX everyone wanted to see by finishing 3rd place in Valorant Champions 2022, Istanbul.
stax was an absolute beast in 2022. He won all his aim duels and was able to clutch out some very crucial rounds for his team. He gave the audience one of the most memorable moments during their match against FPX (FunPlus Phoenix), which was the "mouse kiss."
3) ardiis
Ardis "ardiis" Svarenieks is an esports player from Latvia who currently plays for the team NRG Esports. He has proven himself to be very flexible as he plays different roles ranging from Sentinel to Duelist to even an Initiator. Chamber is his most-played Agent in the past year.
ardiis and his former team, FPX, were one of the strongest rosters in VCT 2022. They were able to dominate both regional as well as international sides with ease. FPX had one of the most insane lower bracket runs which led them to win it all in VCT Stage 2: Masters Copenhagen.
ardiis was at the forefront of this success. He'd quickly get first blood for his team and was able to make some insane plays with Chamber. His 1v3 clutch against DRX on Ascent made the crowd go wild, and it is easily the best in VCT history.
2) Jinggg
Jing Jie "Jinggg" Wang is a Singaporean esports player who plays for the team Paper Rex. He has mostly been the Duelist in the team but has also played as the Sentinel Sage when required. Raze is his most-played Agent in the past year.
Paper Rex is most famously known for their W-gaming strategy. They are a very 'in your face' type of team and do not shy away from taking any aim duels. Jinggg was one the most fearless and insane players when it came to aim. He came out on top in every one of his aim duels and made multi fragging look effortless.
Jinggg had one of the most insane aces while playing as Sage against FPX on Icebox in the Grand Finals of Valorant Champions 2022, Istanbul.
1) yay
Jaccob "yay" Whiteaker is an American esports player who currently plays for the team Cloud9. He has mostly fulfilled the role of the Sentinel, Chamber, but has also played as the Duelist Jett when needed. The former is his most-played Agent in the past year.
yay aka 'El Diablo' is one of the scariest opponents to go against. He won every one of his aim duels and was able to quickly turn unwinnable situations into winnable ones. He was OpTic Gaming's tip of the spear and his consistent performance was an important reason for their win in VCT Stage: 1 Masters Reykjavik, 2022.
yay is considered to be the best player in Valorant. Recently, he also won an award at The Game Awards 2022 for the Best Esports Athlete.
