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Since the introduction of Valorant to the FPS gaming community, players from various different multiplayer titles have tried their hand at Valorant.
Noticeably, players have migrated from tactical shooters like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, team-based games like Overwatch, and Battle Royale titles like Fornite and Apex Legends.
Valorant's in-game mechanics make it convenient for professionals to make the switch and try their hand at Riot Games' take on tactical First-Person Shooters. Listed below are five Valorant players who enjoyed a career in Counter Strike: Global Offensive before making the switch in 2021.
Top 5 professional CS: GO players who shifted to Valorant in 2021
5) Timothy "autimatic" Ta
Timothy "autimatic" Ta is a former American CS: GO player who made the switch to Valorant in February 2021. autimatic has played for various CS: GO teams over the years, most notably North American favorites, Cloud9. The 25-year-old was an active member of the Cloud9 squad that won the ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018.
Autimatic was acquired by North American side T1 after they bought him out of his contract with Cloud9. He is currently contemplating a return to CS: GO and is expected to join Stewie2K at Evil Geniuses in 2022.
The player has a rich history in CS: GO, helping Cloud9 lift their only Majors while carrying out various different roles for the team.
Autimatic has spent most of his professional Valorant career as a Duelist, taking on roles of Jett and Raze, while occasionally filling in with Omen.
4) Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen
Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen is a retired Finnish CS: GO player. He decided to switch to Valorant in 2021 after having his CS: GO career hindered by a VAC-ban (Valve Anti-Cheat) he received at the age of 13. He is best known for his time with Finnish powerhouse, ENCE.
Jamppi replaced ec1s as the in-game leader for Team Liquid in February 2021. Since his arrival, he's made a considerable impact on Team Liquid's performance, leading them to a victory at the EMEA Last Chance Qualifiers in October, and a semi-final finish at the Valorant Champions 2021.
Jamppi is most effective while playing as Jett or Sova, or taking on a more defensive role with Astra or Killjoy on certain maps.
3) Nathan "leaf" Orf
Nathan "leaf" Orf is a retired American CS: GO who currently represents Cloud9 Blue's Valorant roster. The 18-year-old played for various teams in CS: GO and was inclined to pursue a career in Valorant after his former team, Chaos Esports Club disbanded on 1 January 2021.
leaf is often described by his teammates as one of the best Jett players in the world. He is an undeniably talented player who is capable of leading one of North America's top teams as their primary choice for a fragger.
The youngster was a member of the Cloud9 Blue squad that made it to the quarter-finals of the Valorant Champions 2021.
A versatile player in every aspect, leaf leads the attack as Jett in most scenarios. Recently at the Valorant Champions, however, he opted for Skye in half of their fixtures, letting Xeppaa take the reins as Raze.
2) Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev
Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev is a former professional Finnish-Russian CS: GO player who retired from the game at the young age of 18 to compete in professional Valorant. He signed for the CIS team CrowCrowd in Valorant before signing on to Fnatic.
Derke was one of the most impactful players at the Valorant Champions 2021, averaging 278 ACS, the highest in the tournament. While Fnatic finished in the top 8, Derke had a memorable experience at the tournament and continues to develop into one of the best players in the world.
Derke is most impactful as a Duelist and is the team's first choice for the role. While Jett is his favorite agent, he is also proficient with Raze and is occasionally seen playing as an Initiator as well.
1) Nabil "Nivera" Benrlitom
Nabil "Nivera" Benrlitom is a retired Belgian CS: GO player, and the younger brother of CS: GO and Valorant superstar ScreaM. He is famous for his time on Team Vitality's CS: GO squad, where he achieved success on their rotating roster.
However, with Valve forcing teams to cut down to 5-man squads, Nivera sought to join his brother in Team Liquid.
Nivera debuted for Team Liquid at the EMEA LCQs where he managed to collect an ace in his first round of professional Valorant. Since his debut, Nivera has gone on to earn titles at EMEA LCQs and Red Bull Home Ground #2, in addition to a top 4 finish at Valorant Champions 2021. The 20-year-old has been pivotal in Team Liquid's performance since his entry.
With only 14 professional matches to his name, Nivera is a promising young talent that we are yet to see the best of. Viper is noticeably his favorite agent to play. Depending on the map, he plays Sova, Killjoy and Cypher as well.
