If one thing is synonymous with the best duelist player in VALORANT, it is flashy plays. Alongside that, consistency ensures getting kills right from the get-go. Since the inaugural season of the VALORANT Champions Tour, we have seen some incredible duelists players within VALORANT Esports. Currently, over 50+ people within the VCT leagues are comfortable playing a map as the team’s primary duelist. But there can only be a few who are considered the best.
Image Credits: Riot Games
The first player on our list is Maksim “Jemkin’ Batorov from the team RRQ. Jemkin joined RRQ back in 2023. Before this, he was a part of Scarz, a Japanese team that played in VALORANT Challengers Japan. During the 2023 VCT season, he held Scarz qualify for VCT Ascension 2023. During this tournament, he was by far the best duelist. A significant reason for this is his mechanical aim. He got his team to the grand finals but sadly lost to Bleed Esports.
Following the first season of VCT Pacific, RRQ signed him up for a two-year contract. Since then, he has been a part of RRQ. His first season was quite hit and miss, but 2025 has been a crucial year for him. During VCT Pacific Kickoff, he was in top form. He ended the tournament as the player with the highest ACS and the most kills per round. RRQ went on to finish 7th in the event.
During VCT Pacific Stage One 2025, Jemkin continued his run of form. He helped RRQ finish first in their group during the group stage and got his team to the grand finals of the tournament as well. During this tournament, he has continued the trend of getting the most first kills per round by any player during the event. With RRQ qualifying for VALORANT Masters Toronto, their first international tournament ever, it will be interesting to note how they perform on the international stage.
Image Credits: Riot Games
The next player on our list may not be the best duelist player in VALORANT but he’s in the top 5. It is Arthur “Rarga” Churyumov from Xi Lai Gaming. This might be a hot take for some, but Rarga has been in top form in the 2025 season. Xi Lai Gaming signed him before the 2024 VCT season on a 3-year contract. For those who aren’t aware, Xi Lai Gaming is the team that qualified from VCT Ascension China during the 2024 season. Rarga was instrumental in his team’s success.
Similar to Jemkin, Rarga is all about hyper offence. His playstyle focuses primarily on getting the first kill of the round, which he does by thoroughly understanding the mechanics of each agent in the game. The interesting thing about Rarga is that he is comfortable playing multiple duelists based on his team’s needs. This year, he has also used agents like Chamber and Waylay to great success.
During VCT CN Stage One 2025, Rarga was the man to beat. He helped Xi Lai Gaming dominantly win the tournament. The team defeated Bilibili Gaming with a scoreline of 3-1 during the grand finals.
@Riot Games
In 4th place on our list of the best duelists in VALORANT is Dominykas “MiniBoo” Lukaševičius. Surprisingly, MiniBoo hasn’t won a trophy since he became a Team Heretics player. Since signing in 2023, he has reached multiple grand finals, including VALORANT Champions 2024, but failed to secure the trophy. One point to note is that following the 2025 VCT season, his contract with Team Heretics concludes. Thus, he will be a free agent that everyone will have their eyes on.
Following his incredible debut season in 2024, MinoBoo has kept up his form during VCT EMEA 2025. During VCT EMEA Kickoff 2025, his team finished in third place, missing out on VALORANT Masters Bangkok by an inch. During the tournament, he only played a handful of games, which were not some of his best performances. Things for MiniBoo immediately changed once VCT EMEA Stage One was on.
MiniBoo helped Team Heretics finish at the top of their group during the group stages. They won against BBL Esports to secure their spot in the upcoming VALORANT Masters Toronto. He has been one of the most exciting players to watch during this event. Let’s see if he can finally secure a regional or international trophy this year.
Image Credits: Riot Games
Erick “aspas” Santos, a name that is synonymous with VALORANT all over the world, is the best duelist player in VALORANT for many fans. But sadly, the last time Aspas won an international VALORANT trophy was during VALORANT Champions 2022. He has accomplished this feat with one of the best teams ever seen in VALORANT with LOUD. Sometimes you need more luck, while other times a better team may suffice, if you yourself are a star player.
But since then, he has played each year with a new team. In 2023, it was LOUD, 2024 was Leviatan Esports, and 2025 is MIBR. This is not common with some of the best players. Following the 2025 season, he again becomes a free agent with his contract expiring this year. His skill in the game is second to none, and his drive to be the best makes him stand apart. Last year, his team won VCT Americas Stage Two but finished 3rd during VALORANT Champions 2024.
Currently, in the 2025 season, the player has found his form. Prior to Aspas joining, many considered MIBR to be one of the worst teams in the VCT Americas League. And then comes Aspas to help them finish third in back-to-back VCT events. During VCT Americas Stage One 2025, he was crucial in them finishing third and securing a spot in the upcoming VCT Masters Toronto. Will 2025 be the year Aspas wins another international VALORANT event? Only time will tell!
Image Credits: Riot Games
When there are two players who are basically neck-and-neck in terms of skill, deciding which player will be the best is tough. T1 defeated G2 Esports in the grand finals of VALORANT Masters Bangkok, becoming the second Pacific team to win the event. But shockingly, they lost to PRX during the playoffs stage, failing to qualify for VALORANT Masters Toronto. Thus, in second place on our list of best duelist players in VALORANT, it will be Yu “BuZz” Byeong-cheo from T1.
BuZz joined T1 for the 2025 season after being in DRX since the launch of the VALORANT Champions Tour. On joining the team, he signed a 2-year contract. Since his arrival, he has made T1 one of the best teams in the world. During the VCT Pacific Kickoff, he helped his team secure a spot in the grand finals. What differentiates BuZz from other duelists is his play style.
Focused chaos, is how I’d explain how he plays. BuZz isn’t the flashiest duelist player because he focuses on doing as much damage as possible to a single target. He also doesn’t mind slowing his tempo to ensure he is alive for his team. This could be seen in him securing 100 first kills during the VCT Pacific Kickoff, while the player in second had just 66.
One could see the same during VALORANT Masters Bangkok. He ended the event with 78 first kills, the highest by any player during the tournament. He also had a clutch success rate of 20%, one of the highest among other duelists. While he won’t be playing in the Masters Toronto, we know that he will be one to watch as T1 tries to qualify for the Esports World Cup in Riyadh.
Image Credits: Riot Games
If BuZz is known for his focused chaos, then Alexander “jawgemo” Mor is known for the “Dawg” mentality. His performances in 2025 make him the current best duelist player in VALORANT. He has been a focal point for his team since signing the 2-year contract with G2 following the end of the 2024 season. This year, he has stood apart from the rest of the duelists.
During VCT Masters Bangkok, Jawgemo had an insanely high clutch success rate of 38%. And in the 2025 season, he helped G2 Esports win both VCT Americas Kickoff and Stage One, thus securing them a spot in the upcoming VALORANT Masters Toronto and VALORANT EWC tournament. During the grand finals of VCT Americas Stage One, he was one of the best players in the match. One key point about Jawgemo that should also be mentioned is his VALORANT Champions win with Evil Geniuses in 2023.
There is one moment that took place during VCT Masters Bangkok that made everyone a believer in him. It was the 18th round on the third map of the grand finals. Both teams had won one map apiece. G2 Esports was down with a score of 7-10. With 59 seconds left in the round to end, G2 Esports were four men down, and T1 had four players alive. He didn’t have the spike on him either. With the clock hitting 42 seconds, he secures the round with a sublime 1v4 ACE. Following this round, G2 evens the score to 11-11 and eventually wins the map.
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