Like any competitive discipline, Valorant gains a large portion of its popularity thanks to esports athletes. Professional players become idols for many fans, winning over the community with their high-level play and professionalism. Although Valorant is a young discipline, there has been a generational shift in the three years since its inception. The top players who dominated the first world championship are moving to the background, and their place is being taken by promising newcomers. Today, the Bo3.gg editorial team has created a selection of ten little-known players who will replace the current generation of Valorant stars in the future.
Kevin "xccurate" Susanto
The 25-year-old Indonesian player is not the youngest on our list, but he is just beginning his career in Valorant. Thanks to his achievements, he was noticed by the well-known Chinese club T1, for who xcurrate now plays. Interestingly, the Indonesian has every chance to break into the tier-1 Valorant scene thanks to the support of his brother - Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto. A professional player well-known in the entire Valorant community, he currently plays for Paper Rex, who achieved second place at the last world championship and is now a top team in its region.
Wang "whz" Haozhe
Currently playing for one of China’s best teams, Bilibili Gaming, 20-year-old whz became known after the end of Valorant Champions 2023. Having experience only in local Chinese tournaments, the Duelist performed excellently at the international championship and became one of the most productive representatives of his region. Our editorial office released a separate article about whz, in which we told why the Chinese player will become one of the best professionals in Valorant in the future.
Trent "habib" Cairns
The American player truly deserves the title of "promising newcomer". Starting his career with The Guard, Trent, alongside his team, earned a victory in the VCT 2023: Ascension Americas regional league of contenders, thanks to which he received a partnership from Riot Games and the opportunity to participate in the tier-1 league. Interestingly, according to the results, habib became the best player of the last tournament, taking first place among 30 other participants with an average combat score of 233.
Tomás "tomaszy" Machado
The young Portuguese started his career in 2022 and has since been rapidly climbing the professional ladder. Having gained recognition thanks to victories in many tier-3 tournaments, tomaszy proved that he could fight with professionals at a level, thanks to fourth place in the VCA 2023 EMEA League of Contenders. Although the player did not earn a victory as part of the SAW club, he became one of the most productive participants, so there is no doubt that in the future tomaszy will achieve significant success and possibly move to the tier-1 league.
Wailers "Wailers" Locart
The current member of Gentle Mates started his path in Valorant in 2023 and immediately received several significant victories. Both stages of Valorant Challengers 2023 France, and later the championship at VCT 2023: Ascension EMEA made Wailers one of the most promising newcomers in the European region. It would not be surprising if, thanks to a partnership from Riot, the esports athlete receives an invitation to one of the many top league teams.
Hildegard "Shiro" Arnaldo
The little-known Indonesian player made himself known to the Valorant community this year when he moved to BOOM Esports. Although he did not achieve particularly outstanding results, Shiro proved himself as a high-class Initiator. He was often at the top positions in the post-match table of his team.
Tyler "juicy" Aeria
The young Singaporean player, as part of Bleed Esports, unexpectedly won VCT 2023: Ascension Pacific and was among the top five players of the tournament with an average combat score of 240. The main problem with juicy is that he is only 17 years old, so he will not be able to participate in the highest competitive league of Valorant. But considering his results, there is no doubt that when the esports athlete reaches adulthood, the doors of many professional teams will open for him.
Luis "LEW" Hibbert
The British player, unlike other participants on this list, does not have any significant achievements behind him. But the reason he made it into our article is his individual play. Despite his team Bonkers failing the last major tournament, LEW was among the top three players of the event. The poor performance of the club is overshadowed by his excellent personal results, so it can be assumed that in the right team, LEW will fully reveal his potential.
Martin "marteen" Pátek
The 18-year-old Czech player is considered one of the best in the tier-3 scene. The player has prize places at both stages of the VALORANT Challengers 2023 Italy, and also received the MVP title at both tournaments. Although he failed to move up to the next league, he has every chance to become the most productive newcomer next year.
Ian "tex" Botsch
The American player, like the third participant on our list, played under the banner of The Guard in 2023. Having received an invitation to the partnership program, unlike his former teammates, he did not move to G2 but instead joined the ranks of the top Latin American team, Leviatan. At VCT 2023: Ascension Americas, Ian became the third-best player among 30 other participants and only lost to his former teammates in terms of results.
Now you know who, in the opinion of the Bo3.gg editorial staff, are the rising stars of Valorant. This group of ten has the best chance to replace the existing generation of stars in the professional scene and make history in the discipline in the upcoming season.
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