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Esports has always provided fans with some of the most memorable moments in gaming, and Valorant is no exception. From an underdog team winning it all to an impossible clutch by a cracked player, it's got it all.
VCT 2022 was when Valorant truly became a global esport. We saw talent rise from every part of the world and take down some of the reputed goliaths on the scene. This gave rise to some incredible moments in Valorant's competitive history.
Here is a list of seven of the most iconic moments in VCT 2022.
7 most memorable moments in Valorant Champions Tour 2022 that made fans go wild
1) A new region is crowned the king
In the last two years of VCT, we have mostly seen two regions dominate all the teams - NA and EMEA. In VCT 2022: Stage 2 Masters - Copenhagen, Paper Rex, an APAC team, had an amazing run and made it to the Grand Finals but unfortunately lost to EMEA titans, FPX (FunPlus Phoenix).
It wasn't until VCT 2022: Champions - Istanbul that we saw a new region be crowned - LOUD from Brazil. The team had proven itself in all the international LANs in the past but fell just short of winning.
Their Grand Finals' match was against their arch nemesis, OpTic Gaming, who previously handed them a loss in the VCT 2022: Stage 1 Masters - Reykjavik Grand Finals, so they were looking for revenge. Ultimately, LOUD beat OpTic in a rather dominating fashion with a 3-1 scoreline to be crowned as the VCT Champions for 2022.
2) stax clutching and showing off his mouse in style
DRX are feared for their utility usage and calculated execution. They dominated every team in Korea but ended up having a rough time against international teams. It wasn't until VCT 2022: Champions - Istanbul when they truly showed up.
The team had the longest and toughest match against the EMEA roster, FPX, with both of them giving it their all. In round 35, however, fans got an amazing moment from stax in a 2v4 retake situation for DRX in Ascent.
He got a kill on site and dropped down from Rafters to spray-transfer two enemies with a Vandal, clutching the round for his team. Immediately after, he got up from his chair and kissed his mouse, looking over at the audience intensely. It was truly a glorious moment.
3) ardiis wins an insane 1v3 on Ascent
FPX had proven themselves as one of the top teams in the world. They won the Masters - Copenhagen by beating Paper Rex in the Grand Finals. So they definitely had a target on their backs when coming into Champions.
DRX gave them a run for their money. Their match on Ascent was one of the longest ever in VCT history, with a total of 36 rounds being played. In round 25, ardiis was left in a 1v3 scenario.
He managed to get the plant but got revealed. With his cracked aim, he killed the first two enemies and then the third one with just 1 HP. It was one of the best clutch moments ever, and shook the audience and casters in their seats.
4) PRX fOrsakeN gets the first ace on LAN with an audience
Paper Rex is one of the most popular teams in the Valorant esports scene. Their hyper-aggressive style has charmed a lot of viewers and the players themselves are insanely talented and entertaining to watch.
VCT Masters - Copenhagen was the first international LAN with an actual live audience. In their match against OpTic Gaming, Paper Rex showed that they were there to win. In round 10 of their attacking half, fOrsakeN got four quick kills on the A-site.
The audience wanted him to get an Ace and started chanting. The PRX team eventually baited themselves, causing fOrsakeN to get the first ever Ace on the international stage with an audience.
5) OpTic crashies' ace against BOOM Esports
OpTic Gaming is the top team from NA and one of the most consistent in the world. They were able to get into almost every international LAN in 2022 and even won the VCT 2022: Stage 1 Masters - Reykjavik against LOUD.
Their most memorable moment, however, was against BOOM Esports. In the 11th round of their defensive half on Fracture, the latter decided to take the rope from their spawn to the other side of the map. What they didn't know was that crashies was waiting there for them.
crashies shot down every enemy on the rope with his Vandal with ease, giving him one of the most hilarious aces in Valorant. Later on, both teams had a great laugh about it.
6) Boaster swims his way to the stage
VCT LANs have always had incredible production value. A couple of examples include big aesthetic screens showing the players' names, to the finisher being shown on the stage through AR (Augmented Reality). Yet the best part about these Valorant matches is a player's walkout.
Not all players have a fancy walkout, but there have been some ridiculous ones. PRX Benkai has always been on the top of the walkout game, and comes up with new costumes to wear every time.
In a match against 100 Thieves, however, Boaster surprised everyone. He arrived wearing a swimsuit and then proceeded to swim down the ramp. The viewers had a great laugh watching it happen.
7) ScreaM gets knifed
Adil 'ScreaM' Benrlitom is considered to be one of the best players when it comes to aim. In his CS:GO journey, he was famously known as "the headshot machine." After switching to Valorant, he was able to bring the same amount of skill to the new tactical FPS, and even made it to a bunch of international VCT LANs.
Unfortunately, during his match against OpTic Gaming on Ascent, ScreaM got eliminated in one of the most dishonorable ways in FPS games - a melee knife kill. In the fifth round of their defensive half, ScreaM was put in a 1v1 situation against OpTic's Victor.
Victor managed to plant the spike on B site and hid in market. ScreaM, as Phoenix, used his ultimate on the site but wasn't able to find him. Victor hid for a bit and then got behind ScreaM's ult-spawn and knifed him. The audience cheered and every Phoenix-main in Valorant was able to relate to the moment.
The VCT 2023 season will kick off in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with all the thirty franchised teams. It will be the biggest event held by Riot Games for Valorant, so viewers will surely get more iconic moments.
Valorant enthusiasts can tune into Sportskeeda for more regular updates on the VCT 2023 season.
