The Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) begins in less than a week now, and there will be plenty of talented players to watch. Valorant officially released its “VCT First Class,” which includes a top player from each region that they expect to perform well. Here’s a little bit of information on each player chosen.
VCT First Class
Koji “Laz” Ushida: Laz is a Japanese player who led his team, Absolute JUPITER, to coming in first place in First Strike: Japan without dropping a single map. He generally plays Cypher and Killjoy and excels at trap placement and watching flanks for his teammates. It will certainly be fun to watch him develop and compete against players in other regions.
Leonardo “mwzera” Serrati: Mwzera represents Brazil in the VCT First Class. He plays for Gamelanders who won the First Strike Brazil tournament. He also won the MVP award for the tournament. He’s an exciting player to watch who plays multiple Agents. Gamelanders seem like clear favorites as of right now with him at the helm.
Oscar “mixwell” Cañellas Colocho: Mixwell was an icon in Counter-Strike for OpTic Gaming, and quickly rose to the top in Valorant when he made the switch. He quickly signed with G2 and won one of the first major Valorant tournaments, the Vitality European Open. Mixwell has proven that he deserves to be a part of the VCT First Class representing EU.
Sarindhorn “JinNy” Wanothayarnchai: JinNy gives women some representation on the list and represents the Southeast Asia region. On top of everything else, she’s also 29 years old, so she gives the older crowd some love. She plays for Attack All Around, who won the AfreecaTV Asia Invitational Winter. Be sure to keep an eye out for her during the VCT.
Mehmet “Turko” Özen: Turko represents Turkey and plays for Oxygen esports. While his team only came third place in First Strike Turkey, he has shown his skills as a player. He excels at playing Omen and Sage and posted great personal scores, even in losses. Team Oxygen should be a strong contender in the VCT.
Introducing the VCT First Class. The pros to watch in 2021, bringing their unique style as #VALORANTChallengers kicks off around the world. pic.twitter.com/lWPUYunafX
— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) January 22, 2021
Mikhail “Duno” Fokin: Duno comes from Russia and represents the CIS. His team, ROX TEAM, actually beat Turko’s Oxygen Esports to win the D2 Esports Valorant Showmatch. Duno plays Sova and Raze, and even some Skye, and should be an interesting player to check out if you want to see tactical gameplay.
Javier “RAINMAKER” Cruz: RAINMAKER is a 26-year-old from Guatemala who represents the LATAM region in the VCT First Class. He plays for Infinity Esports, who came in second place in the Latin America First Strike Tournament. He plays Initiators like Breach and Sova.
Goo “Rb” Sang-Min: Rb and his team Vision Strikers have been nothing short of dominant in the Korean Valorant scene. They have first-place finishes in every tournament they’ve competed in, including First Strike Korea. Rb and Vision Strikers will surely continue their dominance in the VCT.
Ayman “Tuna” Mosaad: Tuna is an Egyptian player for Anubis Gaming. Anubis finished second in First Strike Levant and Egypt. He generally plays smoke characters like Omen and Brimstone. While he doesn’t have a lot on his resume so far, he’s excelled in most of the tournaments he’s played in.
Peter “Asuna” Mazuryk: Despite only being 17, Asuna is already performing at a top-tier level. He won the First Strike North America tournament with 100 Thieves already, and he certainly has a bright future in Valorant ahead of him. He plays duelists and aims to frag out each map.
