'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Valorant Champions is the final event in the official VCT circuit. For 2023, this event will be conducted in August and will see the top teams from all over the world compete on the big stage in Los Angeles. The teams have been decided through the long Regular season of their respective region's leagues and the Last Chance Qualifiers(LCQ). The only exception to this is China, as there is no franchise system in place for them yet.
2023 has seen some of the most competitive Valorant in a while. After the shakeup in rostermania, the new teams have gone above and beyond to show why they belong at the top. As such, there have been many players who have put up incredible stats in 2023.
Their performance has been stellar in the VCT events and could very well be a threat to others in Champions. Below is a list of five such Duelist players to look out for in Valorant Champions 2023.
Trending
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
ZmjjKK, Demon1, and three more Duelist players to look out for in Valorant Champions 2023
1) ZmjjKK
Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang is an esports player from China who plays for EDward Gaming. He has mainly fulfilled the role of a primary Duelist for his team but has also played as the Initiator Gekko when needed.
ZmjjKK made it to the international Valorant in Champions 2022. While his team didn't make it far into the event, ZmjjKK definitely got a lot of attention with his Chamber Operator plays. The LOCK//IN event 2023 also had a similar story as they were knocked out in their first match.
That said, VCT Masters Tokyo was where ZmjjKK truly exploded. EDward Gaming gave viewers one of the best-upset matches by defeating NAVI and was able to secure their first win in an international event. The team went on to qualify for the Playoffs as well, becoming the first Chinese Valorant team to ever make it this deep in a VCT event.
ZmjjKK was amazing throughout the event. He had an Average Combat Score (ACS) of 273.8, which was the highest in the entire event. His Operator skills were unmatched and quickly got him into the conversation for the best sniper players in the world. He was also to replicate these stats during the Champions China Qualifier, as he got the highest ACS score of 324.8.
2) Demon1
Max "Demon1" Mazanov is an American esports player who plays for the team Evil Geniuses. He has mainly played as the Duelist, Jett, for his team but has also filled in as the Controller, Brimstone, and Sentinel, Chamber when required.
Demon1 is one of the surprise players of 2023. He joined Evil Geniuses in 2023 in the midst of Regular Season through open tryouts. At the time, the decision was very much criticized, but when Demon1 started playing, everyone's opinion changed.
Demon1's entry into Evil Geniuses seemingly changed the course of the team. The squad was absolutely dominant and even qualified for Masters Tokyo. There they finished 2nd and solidified themselves as one of the top teams in the world. Demon1 had a phenomenal performance, as he got an ACS of 210.9. This will be his first time playing in Champions and can potentially be the moment where he and his team win it all.
3) keznit
Angelo "keznit" Mori is an esports player from Chile who currently plays for the team KRÜ Esports. He has mainly filled in as the primary Duelists, Raze and Jett, for his team.
keznit's Valorant journey took off when he joined KRÜ Esports back in May 2021. The team was a dominant force in LATAM and conquered the top place with ease. keznit was a key reason for this success, as his explosive plays and insane aim would help get quick entries to secure the round for the team.
After a rather disappointing 2022, the team has now seemingly made a return to international events. KRÜ Esports had one of the worst times in 2023 as they went without a win in the Regular Season. However, they flipped this script completely coming into the Last Chance Qualifiers as they defeated every single team and made it to Champions 2023.
keznit was at his best during the entire event. He got a total ACS of 274.7, making him one of the top players in the LCQ event. With him and his team back in form, KRÜ Esports are looking deadly going into Champions 2023.
4) something
Ilya “something” Petrov is a Russian esports player who plays for the team Paper Rex. He has mainly fulfilled the role of a primary Duelist by playing Jett and even Reyna but has even filled in as the Initiator Breach when needed.
something burst into the Valorant scene and made headlines with his famous record of 136 kills against FENNEL while playing with his former team, Sengoku Gaming. From there, he was picked up by Paper Rex and replaced Benkai in their starting lineup.
A team like Paper Rex was already cracked in their aim, and with the inclusion of something, the team reached newer heights. something was extremely quick and precise. He is also among the few players that play Reyna in a pro match and get results. something had an ACS of 230.6 in the VCT Pacific League.
Unfortunately, something missed out on Tokyo due to visa issues. But he has confirmed that he will be playing with his team going into Champions 2023. Viewers are definitely going to be treated with some of the best gameplay in Valorant with something on LAN.
5) Derke
Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev is an esports player from Finland. He competes with Fnatic in the EMEA region. He has mainly played as the Duelist for his team.
Derke has been a part of Fnatic for a very long time. The team could always stay at the top of the EMEA region and make it to almost every international event. In these events, Derke would unleash onto his opponents and create some of the most memorable moments in Valorant history.
Derke is easily one of the best Duelist players in VCT right now. In Tokyo, he only played as the Duelist, Raze, despite Jett being his best Agent and putting up monstrous stats on the board. With a total ACS of 247.3, Derke was one of the top players at the event. With two titles and currently the best team on his side, Derke will probably put up yet another show for viewers in Valorant Champions.
