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Valorant completed its first annual circuit of tournaments with the conclusion of the Valorant Champions Tour 2021.
With over 10,000 professional esports organizations competing in the series of events, fans all over the world witnessed athletes display their diverse set of skills.
Valorant is a game that relies on team-play. However, moments of individual finesse captures the quality that each player brings to the team. Listed below are 5 moments in professional Valorant in 2021, for Valorant enthusiasts to revisit as we progress into 2022.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.
5 Best Valorant pro plays (2021)
5) Nivera starts Valorant career with an Ace (EMEA LCQs)
Nabil "Nivera" Benrlitom is the younger brother of former CS: GO veteran and Valorant player, Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom. He joined Team Liquid's Valorant roster in September 2021, two weeks prior to the EMEA Last Chance Qualifiers, in an attempt to earn a last-minute ticket to the Valorant Champions 2021.
Nivera managed to make history by collecting an ace in his very first round of professional Valorant. After spending 6 months on the sidelines with Team Vitality in CS:GO, Nivera made his comeback in professional esports with a perfect start. He achieved this feat in their opening match of the series, against One Breath Gaming. The match ended with Liquid dominating OBG by a 13-0 scoreline.
4) Jamppi 3 second Ace (VCT Stage 2: Masters Reykjavik)
Team Liquid's IGL, Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen made a name for himself in Valorant's first ever major LAN tournament, the Valorant Champions Tour 2021 Stage 1: Masters Reykjavic.
In the 2nd round of Liquid's Lower Bracket fixture against Team Vikings, Jamppi proceeded to claim an outrageous ace for himself with the help of a Judge. He eliminated the entire Brazilian squad within a span of 3 seconds. Although not new to audacious plays on Jett, this bizarre feat with the heaviest weapon in the game is surely a play to remember.
3) Heat Marshall Ace (VCT Stage 3: Masters Berlin)
Olavo "heat" Marcelo made his first Masters appearance at the VCT Stage 3: Masters Berlin. In Vivo Keyd's group stage elimination fixture against Japanese side Zeta Divison, Heat pulled of a mind-boggling ace with the Marshall.
Breeze is a map renowned for being favorable to Jett and long-range weapons. Heat eliminated the entire enemy squad with minimal effort. Apart from the first kill, Heat took down all of his opponents with a few cheeky no-scopes. While Zeta Division's "eco" purchase may have hindered a retaliation, Heat's individual brilliance definitely garnered attention from various parts of the world.
2) nAts Ace (Valorant Champions 2021)
Valorant enthusiasts from around the world were waiting to witness Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin at the Valorant Champions 2021, after his game-changing performance at the Stage 3 Masters in Berlin. nAts is renowned for being a prolific lurker, and one of the most successful ones in Valorant's history.
At the Valorant Champions 2021, nAts managed to clutch a deciding round to eventually earn Gambit a valuable map win in their group's opening fixture against Team Secret on Bind. After deploying his ultimate, nAts topples Secret's attempts to lockdown A-site by destroying Killjoy's ultimate. He then went on to overturn the 3v5 scenario by individually eliminating each of his opponents.
1) keznit 6K Ace (Valorant Champions 2021)
Angelo "keznit" Mori is one of the most exciting players that fans witnessed at the Valorant Champions 2021. keznit's addition to KRU Esports strengthened the squad in their recent outings, especially at the Valorant Champions, where KRU managed to make a name for themselves with a top-4 finish.
keznit managed to collect 3 aces at Valorant Champions 2021, the most for any player at the tournament. His best individual display of skill was in their quarter-finals fixture against Fnatic on Icebox. After conceding the initial two rounds of the map, KRU was back on a full-buy. However, it took just one man to defeat the entire Fnatic squad, including the resurrected Derke.
The caster's reaction is priceless, as he exclaimed, "You didn't get the ace Derke, but baby I did" after the consecutive 1-taps from keznit.
