5 best Initiator players to look out for at Valorant Champions 2024

Valorant Champions 2024 is the final official VCT event of this season. It will see a total of 16 teams from the four franchise leagues go head-to-head against each other to win the title of World Champion. The rosters will first go through the Group Stage and the then Playoffs, both of which will be conducted in a double-elimination format.

An Initiator is the one who sets up their teammates with utility to either get information or enable them for duels. This role requires the player to be aggressive or passive depending on the situation. There have been many Initiator players who have looked impressive throughout this season. Below is a list of five such Initiator players to look out for at Valorant Champions 2024.

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

The best Initiator players to keep an eye on during Valorant Champions 2024

1) Mazino

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

Roberto "Mazino" Rivas is an esports player from Chile who plays for Leviatán. He mainly fulfills the role of Initiator Agents, Breach and KAY/O, but has also played as the Controller Agents, Brimstone and Harbor, alongside the Sentinel, Deadlock.

Leviatán formed a superteam for the 2024 season. This includes the world champions, aspas and C0M, with Ascension winner, tex, and the incredibly talented, kiNgg. Due to the stacked roster, many people were quick to doubt Mazino and discussed whether he would be able to match his team's caliber.

Mazino shut all of these doubts very quickly. At VCT Americas Stage 1, he was able to secure an ACS (Average Combat Score) of 209.6. Stage 2 was somehow even better as he ended up becoming one of the top three players at the event and got himself an ACS of 228.6. Mazino has certainly lived up to his team's potential and can even win Valorant Champions 2024 if he continues this level of performance.

2) Wo0t

Wo0t at VCT EMEA Stage 2 (Image via Riot Games)

Turkish esports player Mert "Wo0t" Alkan currently plays for Team Heretics. Apart from the role of an Initiator, he has also stepped in to play as the Duelist Agents, ISO and Jett, on certain maps.

Wo0t is one of the biggest breakout players of the VCT 2024 season. He is one of the youngest players and has quickly managed to level up to some of the best pros in the scene.

Wo0t's international debut in VCT Masters Shanghai was a magnificent one. Not only did he get himself and his team a second place finish, but he did all of that while shifting from an Initiator to a Duelist full time. Wo0t secured an ACS of 248 at this event. Now with his full core team, he has a good chance of winning Valorant Champions 2024.

3) f0rsakeN

f0rsaekN at VCT Pacific Stage 2 (Image via Riot Games)

Jason "f0rsakeN" Susanto is an Indonesian esports athlete who has been playing for Paper Rex since 2021. He has played multiple roles for his team throughout the years, ranging from Duelist Agents, Jett, Yoru, and Neon to Controller Agent, Harbor, alongside the Sentinel Agent, Cypher. In his recent matches, his most played have been the Initiators, Breach and KAY/O.

f0rsakeN is one of the most versatile players in the entirety of the Valorant esports scene. This flexibility has enabled Paper Rex to experiment with a number of unique team compositions. The most shocking part of this is how f0rsakeN manages to not only find impact with these Agents, but also deliver in terms of kill count.

At VCT Pacific Stage 2, he secured an ACS of 228.3 while playing eight different Agents. With the latest Agent meta and a new map, f0rsakeN has the potential to finally bring Paper Rex an international trophy by winning Valorant Champions 2024.

4) nobody

nobody at VCT Masters Shanghai (Image via Riot Games)

Chinese esports player, Wang "nobody" Senxu, has been a part of EDward Gaming's roster since 2021. Currently, he has been playing as the Initiator Agents, Gekko, Sova, Skye, and Fade for his team.

nobody has been an integral part of EDward Gaming's success in recent years. His ability to get frags during unexpected scenarios and perfect utility have made him one of the best Initiator players in the Chinese region.

At VCT China Stage 2, he was able to secure an ACS of 203.2. With this new iteration of EDward Gaming, nobody and his team have a decent chance of making a deeper run at Valorant Champions 2024 and maybe even earn the region its first international trophy.

5) Chronicle

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

Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov is a Russian esports player who plays for Fnatic. He has mainly fulfilled the role of Initiator Agents like Sova, Skye, and KAY/O, but has also switched to the Controller Agent, Viper, and even the Sentinel Agent, Deadlock, when needed.

As of now, Chronicle has won the most international trophies in Valorant. He is highly talented when it comes to his mechanics and is one of the most clutch players on his team. At VCT EMEA Stage 2, he had an ACS of 216.9 while playing four different Agents.

With the addition of the new pro, hiro, to the roster, Fnatic looks like its top-tier self again. Valorant Champions 2024 could be Chronicle's chance to get his fourth international trophy.

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Edited by Abu Amjad Khan