'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABeAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABggQAAICAwACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABREGEiMxUQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABREAAwEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDEQAEEiH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMOajy2/q+1KtenGkrxufgRusn0W9gfYAjoBy42elks7K5M12VWlsSuVRVCgsxPAPzGMNtakXIm3kadzj6IvcmtOxtXKj6x3n//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Valorant's Knight Challengers League NA has finally begun with its next phase, Split 1, which will see 12 teams split into two groups competing against each other to make their way to the next stage, which is the Mid-Season Invitational. Further, the teams that end up in the bottom two positions of their respective group tables will be eliminated from the tournament.
Trending
The Valorant Challengers League is a tournament through which teams can make it to the franchise league. For Split 1, 6 teams were invited: The Guard, M80, G2 Esports, TSM, FaZe Clan, and Shopify Rebellion. The rest of the teams qualified through the Open Qualifiers or the Last Chance Qualifier.
The Valorant Challengers League looks very competitive, and several teams and players will put on a great show for the viewers. Below is a list of the five best players to look out for in Valorant Challengers League NA 2023 (Split 1)
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
trent, ShahZaM, and 3 more players to keep an eye on during Valorant Challengers League NA 2023 (Split 1).
1) trent
Trent "trent" Cairns is an American esports player who plays for the team, The Guard. He has mostly played the role of an Initiator for his team but was also seen playing the Duelist Raze very recently.
During the VCT (Valorant Champions Tour) 2022, Trent and his team, The Guard, took the world by storm as they were able to dominate almost every team in NA. They even qualified for an international event called VCT Stage 1: Masters Reykjavik.
Amidst this, trent became one of the most popular players in Valorant esports. For 2023, he decided to stay with The Guard and battle it through the Ascension league to become franchising.
2) ShahZaM
Shahzeb "ShahZaM" Khan is an American esports player who currently plays for G2 Esports. He has mostly fulfilled the role of an Initiator for his team but has also played as the Duelist Jett in the past.
ShahZaM and his former team, Sentinels, were amongst the top teams during VCT 2021. They were able to win their first international LAN event, VCT Stage 2: Master Reykjavik, without even dropping a single map. The same could not be said for their run in 2022, as they failed to qualify for all the international events.
After franchising, ShahZaM was released from his contract, which led him to join G2 Esports with his other teammate, dapr. G2 has a lot of incredible talent on their roster, and with ShahZaM leading the team, they can make it to the franchising league.
3) steel
Joshua "steel" Nissan is a Canadian esports player who currently plays for the team, Disguised. steel has played multiple roles with multiple characters for the team, ranging from Controller to Initiator to Sentinel, making him a very versatile player.
During the early years of VCT, steel was a part of the 100 Thieves' roster. Here, he was able to win Valorant's first official event, which was First Strike: North America. This roster saw a lot of success as later they even qualified for VCT Stage 3: Masters Berlin and finished in 3rd-4th place. Later in December 2021, steel joined T1, but he wasn't as successful as before.
In 2023, steel decided to join the streamer, Disguised Toast's Valorant team, Disguised. As a highly experienced player, steel brings a lot to the table of Disguised. The team had an incredible run in the Open Qualifiers, as they were able to qualify for Split 1 without losing a single match.
4) dicey
Quan "dicey" Tran is an American esports player who currently plays for FaZe Clan. dicey is a very flexible player who has played many roles for his team, ranging from Sentinel to Initiator to even a Duelist in his early days.
In the early phase of the Valorant esports scene in NA, dicey was able to find quick success with 100 Thieves as they won the First Strike: North America. Soon after, however, he was benched, after which he eventually left to join FaZe Clan. In FaZe, dicey again showed his caliber and became one of NA's most feared Chamber players.
For 2023, dicey has decided to stick with FaZe Clan, which has retained most of its roster and had a decent showing in VCT 2022.
5) Will
William "Will" Cheng is a Canadian esports player who plays for the team MAD Lions. He had mostly fulfilled the Duelist role but also played as the Sentinel Chamber when his team needed it.
Will was a part of the newly revamped roster of 100 Thieves during VCT 2022. This new team gelled well with each other and saw a lot of success. They even qualified for Valorant Champions 2022, Istanbul, by winning Champions Tour NA: Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ).
Unfortunately, once franchising was announced, Will was released from his contract, after which he joined the team Dark Ratio. The team qualified for Split 1 through the Open Qualifiers and was later picked up by the org MAD Lions. The team is filled with many skilled players and can certainly put up a great fight against the rest of the teams.
Split 1 of the Challengers League will be an actual test for Valorant as it will show if and how the Ascension League is competitive. The NA region is filled with a lot of talent that can certainly make Ascension a lot more interesting to watch.
