Top 5 Duelist players to look out for at VCT Masters Shanghai

VCT Masters Shanghai is the second international event of the 2024 season. Here, the 12 best teams from the four franchised leagues will compete for the final Masters trophy of the year. The event will start off with the Swiss Stage which will then be followed by the Playoffs that will help determine the winner.

Every international Valorant event leads to the best moments in VCT history. These are created by some very talented players who come from all over the world. Below is a list of five such Duelist players that viewers should look out for during VCT Masters Shanghai.

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

The best Duelist players to keep an eye on during VCT Masters Shanghai

1) Jinggg

Jinggg at Valorant Champions 2023 (Image via Riot Games)

Wang "Jinggg" Jie is an esports player from Singapore who plays for the team Paper Rex. He has mainly fulfilled the role of the Duelist, Raze for his team but also plays as the Sentinel, Sage on certain maps.

The return of Jinggg during VCT Pacific Stage 1 has been one of the biggest stories of Valorant esports. With it, Paper Rex has come back to form and was able to dominate their region. Jinggg ended up delivering a monstrous performance throughout the event and also became the MVP of the Grand Final matchup against Gen.G with 91 kills.

He secured a total Average Combat Score (ACS) of 234.3 in Stage 1 and could lead Paper Rex and Pacific to their first international trophy by winning VCT Masters Shanghai.

2) Cryocells

Cryocells at VCT Americas Stage 1 (Image via Riot Games)

The American esports player, Matthew "Cryocells" Panganiban plays for the team, 100 Thieves. He mainly fulfills the role of the Duelist, Jett for his team but has also stepped into the role of the Controller Agents, Brimstone and Astra alongside the Initiator, Gekko when needed.

Cryocells has always been talked about as one of the best Duelist players in the Americas. However, after a quiet performance last year, 2024 has seen a huge redemption for him.

With the new roster changes in 100 Thieves, Cryocells was able to play a lot more confidently against his opponents. He was able to outperform some of the best Duelist players from the Americas like Aspas and Zekken by having an incredible performance throughout Stage 1. Cryocells had a total ACS of 243.0 during this event and will most likely be a huge threat to every team during VCT Masters Shanghai.

3) ZmjjKK

ZmjjKK at VCT China Stage 1 (Image via Riot Games)

Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang is a Chinese esports player who plays for EDward Gaming. He is the primary Duelist for his team but has also stepped into the role of Initiator Agents like KAY/O and Gekko.

ZmjjKK is undoubtedly the best Valorant player from China. His passion fuels his aggressive playstyle which leads to some of the best moments of the event. During the China Stage 1 event, he was a force to be reckoned with as he ended up on the top of the leaderboard with an insane ACS of 282.7.

For VCT Masters Shanghai, ZmjjKK will have the home crowd's support which could push him to put up his absolute best and get China their first international trophy win.

4) aspas

aspas at VCT Americas Stage 1 (Image via Riot Games)

The Brazilian esports player, Ercik "aspas" Santos plays for the team, Leviatán. He is the primary Duelist for his team and is among the few pros who have also played as Phoenix in the recent event.

aspas is highly regarded as one of the top Duelist players in the world. After his move from LOUD to Leviatán, the community had doubts about whether or not he would be able to replicate the same level of performance again. Unsurprisingly, aspas was able to demolish his opponents with his new Leviatán teammates.

In Stage 1, he put up huge numbers on the scoreboard during many matches and was always good for multi-kills and clutches. aspas was the best player during this event with an ACS of 260.3 and could very well become that again in VCT Masters Shanghai.

5) Derke

Derke at VCT EMEA Stage 1 (Image via Riot Games)

Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev is an esports player from Finland who currently plays for Fnatic. He is the primary Duelist for his team and is among the many who have started to play as Yoru on certain maps.

Derke is considered as one of the top Duelist players in EMEA and the world. However, after an underwhelming performance during the Kickoff and missing out on Masters Madrid, many doubted his capabilities in the next event.

In Stage 1, Derke came back in full force as he put up amazing performances and looked like his 2023 self again. He got himself an ACS of 224.5 and was one of the key aspects to Fnatic's strong finish as the number one seed of EMEA for the second international event of 2024. He is among the few Duelist pros with a lot of experience coming into VCT Masters Shanghai.

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Edited by Ritoban "Veloxi" Paul