Five players to watch at VCT Champions 2021 – Top 5 picks to follow
After a breakout year in esports, VALORANT’s 2021 competitive year all comes down to this one last tournament, VCT Champions. With everything on the line, each and every team will be leaving it all out on the table for what is likely to be a highly competitive tournament.
The first official VALORANT World Champion will be crowned in just a few weeks, and if each of the 16 teams wants a shot at that crown, they will need to rely on their biggest stars to be at their absolute best. These are the five players who you need to watch at Valorant Champions 2021.
Crashies, the Sova main setting Team Envy up for success
I actually believe this number one spot on the list could go to either Crashies or yay. That is why I have these two players together on this list as I believe they are a package duo to watch. Many lists featuring players to watch for VCT Champions will often showcase yay as the standout player for Team Envy, and rightfully so.
Throughout VCT Masters Berlin, yay was an absolute star on Jett. In 11 games, he posted a 176.9 ADR and was the X factor Team Envy needed to go from a 4th place NA team to 2nd at VCT Masters Berlin. yay is the star of the team, but Crashies is the one you need to watch. For Jett to have pop-off games, you need information. If you do not know where the enemy team is going to be, the crosshairs will be off. That is why I have chosen his teammate as the player to watch for Team Envy.
A lot of the team’s gameplay is reliant on Crashies’ firepower and information on Sova to help kickstart the round for yay to absolutely pop off. If one of these two things is not aligned, Team Envy will lose the round, and ultimately the game. Crashies’ Sova drones and intel will be integral for Team Envy’s strengths and playstyle. Without Crashies’ ability to seek information for his team, while also being a top performer, Team Envy enter VCT Champions as a legitimate contender to hoist the trophy. All of that pressure sits on Crashies to enable the team’s star yay and IGL FNS to take them there.
heat, Vivo Keyd’s star Jett player
Heat has played in 133 competitive matches, solely on Jett, and his mastery of the agent shows. Throughout VCT Masters Berlin, Heat stood alongside some of the best Jett players in the world, boasting a 170.8 ADR and a 280.3 ACS. Heat by far and away is the x-factor on Vivo Keyd, and even in their series losses’, he still found a way to outperform the winning team.
He outperformed everyone on Team Envy after losing to them 2-0. Stats via VLR.GG Given the recent Jett nerfs following VCT Masters Berlin, Vivo Keyd’s star player will be put to the test. It will be interesting to see if he either picked up new agents or learned to utilize Jett with these new changes. Either way, if Vivo Keyd has any hope of making it out of their group, it will be through Heat.
ShahZaM, Sentinels’ in-game leader
The Sentinels are entering VCT Champions looing for vengeance. After losing in the quarterfinals of VCT Masters Berlin to Team Envy, the VCT Masters Reykjavik champions finally acquired Rawkus to be the team’s first VALORANT coach. That exact reason is why Sentinels’ IGL ShahZaM is who you need to watch at VCT Champions. As of right now, ShahZaM is known as one of the best IGL’s in the world for his laissez-faire style of in-game leadership and fragging capabilities. Yet, one of the weaknesses of Sentinels’ centers around the team’s predictable map movements and reliance on talent.
Now that the team has a coach, It will be interesting to see exactly how Shahzam adapts to sharing the strategic responsibilities with Rakwus moving forward.
Boaster, Fnatic’s In-game leader
After missing out on VCT Masters Berlin, Fnatic made it to VCT Champions solely off of their 2nd place finish at VCT Masters Reykjavik. Now, they enter Champions as an unknown quantity.
One of the biggest advantages Fnatic will have going into VCT Champions is the element of mystery. Unlike Gambit Esports, there are not as many opportunities to review their current strategy.
For Fnatic, the pressures lie on IGL Boaster to showcase what they developed in that time. The charismatic Fnatic IGL is responsible for the team’s rise atop EMEA during their Reykjavik run. If he wants to replicate that same success, his leadership and tactics will need to be on point to stand up to the likes of Gambit and Sentinels.
nAts looks to lead Gambit Esports to VCT Champions title
After winning VCT Masters Berlin 2021, all eyes are on Gambit’s star player nAts. He is arguably the best lurker in VALORANT, consistently catching his opponents off guard across the entire map. However, VCT Champions will be a new challenge for the talented Viper/Cypher main.,
Many teams will actively be reviewing many of Gambit’s vods, with nAts Cypher/Viper play at the forefront. Still, Gambit are the favorites to win VCT Champions. And it will be up to nAts to innovate off his standout lurking abilities
VCT Champions 2021 will begin on December 1st and run all the way to December 12. At the event, 16 teams across 8 different regions will compete for the Champions title. Check with our Esports News for more VALORANT related articles throughout VCT Champions 2021.