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With Valorant's first Riot Games sponsored esports tournament, FirstStrike's Regional Qualifiers for North America ending, we get a clear understanding of which players could have a major impact in the finals.
With teams like 100 Thieves, T1, Sentinels, and Team SOLOMID among others, making it into the group stages for the closed qualifiers of First Strike, there's a plethora of talent on display for the fans to behold.
Here are the top five Valorant players that everyone should keep an eye on during the upcoming FirstStrike closed qualifiers.
Top 5 Valorant players from North America
Tyson "TenZ" Ngo
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The Canadian player, who signed for Cloud9 in October 2019 as a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player, eventually went on to become the team's first player on their Valorant Roster.
At just 19 years old, TenZ became the first player from North America to reach the Valorant (later renamed to Radiant) Rank on 2nd May. Since then, TenZ has also managed to rack up a title after winning the NSG x FirstStrike Open Qualifiers, after defeating Team Envy in the finals.
Jay "sinatraa" Won
The former San Fransisco Shock player from the Overwatch League, Sinatraa joined Sentinels in April as a part of their official Valorant roster. The former Overwatch League MVP winner and Overwatch World Champion, managed to qualify for the closed qualifiers for First Strike, as the Sentinels finished in the 5th-8th position in the open qualifiers.
With a second placed finish against Team SOLOMID at the FaZe Clan Invitational, and a champion's spot finish at the Pop Flash tournament over Team Envy, the Sentinels look like a side capable of posting a major threat to other big names, especially with Sinatraa's talents on their side.
Spencer "Hiko" Martin
Arguably one of the most popular Valorant streamers, Hiko made his name with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, before switching over to Valorant in June 2020. Playing with 100 Thieves, Hiko is well known for his lurking plays and clutches as well as solo site plays.
Having qualified for the closed qualifiers of First Strike as 5th-8th placed, Hiko will be looking to make his way into the First Strike finals with 100 Thieves.
Braxton "brax" Pierce
Formerly known as "swag", Brax was a former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional player, who was handed a seven year ban on account of match-fixing. Considered to be one of the best upcoming players from North America, the ban came as huge hit to Brax's career early in his career in 2014.
However, with the introduction of Valorant, Brax had announced that he is retiring from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to sign with T1 as a professional Valorant player and content creator. Since then, Brax has managed to earn a 5th-8th spot in the open qualifiers for First Strike and will be looking to lead T1 into the finals through the closed qualifiers.
Matthew "Wardell" Yu
The former Counter-Strike Professional from Canada retired from the game in April 2020 to join Team SOLOMID as a Valorant professional. Having finished third in the open qualifiers after a win against Gen.G, Wardell will be looking to carry TSM into the finals through the closed qualifiers.
With multiple accolades under his belt with Team SOLOMID, the MVP of the FaZe Clan Invitational is definitely one to watch out from North America.
