5 best Controller players to look out for in Valorant Champions 2024

Valorant Champions 2024, this season's final official event, will take place in Seoul, South Korea, and will see a total of 16 teams from the four franchised leagues go head-to-head for the title of World Champion. Teams will first go through the Group Stage and then the Playoffs, both of which will follow a double-elimination format.

Controllers are perhaps the most crucial in a team. It's the one Agent role whose absence makes it almost impossible to form a functioning team composition. Those who play Controllers also find themselves in a much more unique situation wherein they can play both aggressively and passively. This makes them the X factor in any team.

Here are five Controller players fans should look out for in Valorant Champions 2024.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

The best Controller players to look out for in Valorant Champions 2024

1) TenZ

TenZ and Kyedae at VCT Masters Madrid (Image via Riot Games)

Tyson "TenZ" Ngo plays for Sentinels and mainly fulfills the role of the Controller Agent Omen. He has also played as the Initiator Agents KAY/O and Gekko when needed.

VCT 2024 has seen TenZ's return to form on the highest level of competition. With the new roster, he could win Kickoff and his second international trophy in VCT Masters Madrid. His aggressive playstyle fits perfectly with an Agent like Omen. However, the team has struggled to achieve their peak form since Madrid and will need to work to regain top-tier status.

TenZ has a big opportunity to win Valorant Champions 2024 and join the highly exclusive club of pros who have three international trophies to their name.

2) Karon

Karon at VCT Pacific Stage 2 (Image via Riot Games)

Kim "Karon" Won-tae plays for Gen.G. He fulfills the role of many Controller Agents like Astra, Brimstone, Viper, and Omen for his team. Before joining Gen.G, he also played as the Duelists Jett and Raze alongside the Sentinels Cypher and Killjoy.

Karon is among the breakout players of the 2024 season. After being scouted by Gen.G through the game's ranked mode, he has given some monstrous performances on the regional and international stages. His calm but sharp aim has resulted in many multi-kills and crucial clutches for his team.

In his first year of tier-one competition, Karon has already crossed 1000 kills in the Pacific scene and earned two regional titles and an international Masters title. In VCT Pacific Stage 2, Karon achieved an Average Combat Score (ACS) of 207.5. By winning Valorant Champions 2024, he has the chance to become the first tier-one rookie to win a Masters and Champions trophy.

3) valyn

valyn at VCT Americas Stage 2 (Image via Riot Games)

Jacob "valyn" Batio is the Controller for G2 Esports. Apart from the usual Agents like Brimstone and Omen, he plays the niche ones like Harbor for his team.

In VCT 2024, valyn finally returned to the tier-one scene after winning Americas Ascension. Under G2 Esports, the team struggled in the first half of the season but came back strong from Stage 1. valyn is an excellent in-game leader (IGL) who has shown incredible fragging skills on the international and regional stages. In VCT Americas Stage 2, he secured an ACS of 202.6.

By winning Valorant Champions 2024 he can prove that Ascension teams are just as good as tier one teams if they are given proper care and time.

4) Smoggy

Smoggy at VCT Masters Shanghai (Image via Riot Games)

Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao has been a pro player for EDward Gaming since 2022. He mainly plays as the Controller Agents Omen, Viper, and Brimstone but has also stepped in the shoes of the Duelist Agents Jett and Raze along with the Sentinel Agent Chamber.

Smoggy's precise aim and calm attitude have led to some of the most highlight-worthy moments in the VCT scene. His versatility has also allowed EDward Gaming to experiment with many different types of compositions. He had an ACS of 201.1 in VCT China Stage 2 while playing four different Agents for his team. He can get China its first international trophy by winning Valorant Champions 2024.

5) Boo

Boo at VCT EMEA Stage 2 (Image via Riot Games)

Ričardas "Boo" Lukaševičius is Team Heretics' IGL and mainly plays as the Controller Agents, Omen, Viper, Brimstone and even Astra on certain maps.

After a disappointing showing during 2023, Boo and the new roster of Team Heretics have taken the world by storm. So far, this team has achieved a minimum top-three finish in four out of the five events they played this year. Boo might not have the most frags on his team but he certainly steps in the most crucial situations.

There have been so many rounds this year where Boo has been able to get some impossible-looking clutches or multi-kills to pull his squad out of a terrible situation. Boo has led Team Heretics to become one of the best EMEA teams this year and could lead them to victory in Valorant Champions 2024.

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Edited by Angad Sharma