Top 5 players to look out for at VCT Masters Shanghai

With VCT Masters Shanghai on the horizon, the community is excited to see how the pros will perform in the prestigious Valorant tournament. The S-Tier tournament is all set to commence from May 23, 2024, to June 9, 2024. A total of 12 teams across the world, including four franchised leagues, will be participating for a shiny trophy and a $1,000,000 total prize pool.

With the fiery matches ahead, players will witness many ups and downs and nerve-wracking moments. While some players surpass others in terms of statistics, some will catch the community’s attention with their cerebral gameplay. With that in mind, this article will explore the top players who the community should look out for in the upcoming VCT Masters Shanghai.

Jingg, Derke, and three other players to look out for at VCT Masters Shanghai

1) Jinggg

Jinggg enjoying his moment during VCT 2023 (Image via Riot Games)

Hailing from Singapore, Wang “Jinggg” Jie is the secondary Duelist for the SEA organization Paper Rex. He’s well-known for his extraordinary movements and exceptional aim with Raze. However, he’s also quite experienced with the utilities of Sage in certain maps.

After his advent in the PRX roster following a long hiatus, Jinggg made it clear that he hasn’t lost his form. He mostly dominated the whole VCT Pacfic Stage 1 tournament with his exceptional Raze Plays. Moreover, he became one of the key factors for the SEA org to secure a spot in the VCT Shanghai Masters.

With an incredible ACS of 234.3, he also became the MVP against Gen.G Esports. After dominating the regional scene, he’s ready to show his true potential on the VCT international stage and will likely help PRX add the trophy to their cabinet.

2) Derke

Fnatic Derke during the VCT EMEA Stage 1 match (Image via Riot Games)

Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev is one of the well-known faces in the EMEA, as well as the International scene. He has been the primary Duelist for Fnatic for a long time, with agents like Jett and Raze his forte. Despite being popular as an aggressive duelist in the esports scene, he has failed to perform well in the EMEA Kickoff.

However, Nikita made an exceptional comeback during VCT EMEA Stage 1 and proved his naysayers wrong. Thanks to his incredible ACS of 224.5, Fnatic managed to win a trophy in Stage 1 and secured a spot in the VCT Masters Shanghai with a higher seed. With the prestigious tournament ahead, he’ll try to maintain his form and is likely to cement himself as one of the best Duelists internationally.

Read more: All qualified teams for VCT Masters Shanghai

3) t3xture

t3xture at VCT Pacific Stage 1 (Image via Liquipedia)

Kim “t3xture” Na-Ra is one of the promising aspects of Korea and is currently signed under Gen.G’s banner, playing the role of a primary Duelist. However, due to his flexibility, he also tends to play as a secondary Controller. Despite Gen.G’s second position in the competition, t3xture showed utter prowess throughout the tournament, helping Gen.G to showcase their capability to the Pacific audience.

With one of the highest ACS of 235.3, t3xture outperformed several renowned Duelists. Although they lost against PRX, his exceptional plays captured everyone’s hearts. t3xture and his team set out to showcase their true colors to the international audience and are one of the top contenders for VCT Masters Shanghai.

4) aspas

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

Erick “aspas” Santos is a Brazilian Valorant personality known for his cerebral plays in dire situations. He is currently playing for the Chilean organization Leviatan, fulfilling the role of a primary Duelist. He has already made a name for himself internationally with his exceptional aim and presence of mind.

Despite moving to a new team, his prowess helped Leviatan earn a spot in the VCT Masters Shanghai 2024 tournament. He also maintained the highest KD (1.51) and second-highest ACS of 260.3 in VCT Americas Stage 1. Now that the former VCT 2023 Americas League MVP has managed to dominate the Americas region, it’ll be interesting to see what he will bring to the table for Leviatan.

5) Boostio

Boostio at VCT Americas Stage 1 (Image via Liquipedia)

Hailing from America, Kelden "Boostio" Pupello is an esports professional playing under 100 Thieves’ banner. While he’s currently the IGL and primary Sentinel for the NA organization, he sometimes plays as an Initiator in certain maps. Boostio is also known for outplaying his adversaries while facing dire situations.

Despite some netizens questioning the potential of the NA IGL, 100T managed to win the VCT Americas Stage 1 and secured their spot for the VCT Masters Shanghai. Even if he hasn’t shown much of a fragging potential and only managed to maintain an ACS of 169.5, he’s easily one of the best IGLs of his era. The community is brimming with excitement as it’ll be interesting to watch whether Boostio can win another VCT tournament with this promising 100T squad.

Therefore, this sums up the top 5 players the Valorant community should look out for in VCT Masters Shanghai. If you’re interested in learning more about the upcoming S-Tier tournament, make sure to click on these links below:

Edited by Arundhoti Palit