Top 3 Valorant Teams of VCT 2023 Season

Here are the best Valorant teams we have seen this year in the top level of competition 

What makes a team in Valorant Esports one of the best? The answer is simply consistency. For example, OpTic Gaming and LOUD were the two best teams of the 2022 VCT Season, as they were able to secure consistent wins on global stages and achieved the biggest trophies. This year, we have seen domination from a number of teams, many of them rising from their underdog status to dominate the world. After reviewing the records and the wins, here are our top 3 Valorant teams of the VCT 2023 season –

3. Paper Rex

• Jason “f0rsakeN” Susanto
• Khalish “d4v41” Rusyaidee
• Aaron “mindfreak” Leonhart
• Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie
• Ilya “something” Petrov 
• Alexandre “alecks” Sallé (Head Coach)

Last year, Paper Rex’s most significant achievement was securing the finalist spot for Masters Copenhagen, and their fast and explosive playstyle quickly garnered a lot of praise and following. In 2023, this Singaporean roster was able to go beyond their record accomplishment.

Credit: Riot Games

Ace Up Their Sleeves

PRX’s year started with a disappointing loss at LOCK//IN, and since it was a single elimination bracket tournament, they were out after the very first series against North American squad Cloud9. At this time, the Singaporeans were utilizing their old roster, and the arrival of a new superstar would change the course of their journey soon.

VCT Pacific, Valorant’s regional league event that brought together all APAC squads, was the event where we saw massive improvements in Paper Rex’s gameplay. For the first two weeks of the Regular Season, PRX played with Benedict “Benkai” Tan and then decided to bring in their sub, who was going to dominate the world of Valorant.

With something on the roster, Paper Rex looked like a different beast in the Regular Season, only losing to two teams. Going into the Playoffs, DRX stood as their toughest enemy, as they were never able to defeat the South Koreans before. PRX went on to conquer DRX twice, including the excellent reverse sweep in the Grand Final. 

Great Records on Global Stages

After a great run at the Pacific League, it was a shame that something wasn’t able to attend Masters Tokyo due to visa issues. In his place, Paper Rex had to play with Patiphan “CigaretteS” Posri, so expectations were low on the Singaporeans’ side.

Even with such a disadvantage, this roster was able to secure the third spot at Masters Tokyo, showing the excellent coaching ability of alecks to get a new member to settle in during one of the biggest Valorant tournaments.

Fast forward to Champions 2023, Paper Rex have their starting roster ready with star rookie player something attending the event. The expectations were high considering their past achievements, and they delivered! The Singaporeans secured the Grand Final from the Upper Bracket, and even though they failed to hold the trophy, 2023 became the best year for this APAC roster. 

2. Evil Geniuses

• Kelden “Boostio” Pupello (IGL)
• Ethan “Ethan” Arnold
• Alexander “jawgemo” Mor
• Corbin “C0M” Lee
• Max “Demon1” Mazanov 
• Christine “potter” Chi (Head Coach)

Evil Geniuses wrote the best Cinderella story of Valorant with their run in 2023, as they were able to go from being one of the worst teams in the Americas to winning the biggest event of the year. 

Credit: Riot Games

Miracle to Secure Masters

After the disappointing performance and a 13-0 loss in the first few weeks of VCT Americas, Evil Geniuses were being considered the worst North American squad, and it was rightfully so. However, similar to Paper Rex, EG had an ace up their sleeves. 

After doing well in the first few matches in the Regular Season as part of his “open tryout,” Demon1 became a permanent member of the team, and through his incredible domination and some luck, the team was able to secure a spot at the Masters.

Dominating Global Performance

Arriving on the Masters Tokyo stage, Evil Geniuses were a team with no experience playing in events of this caliber, and the expectations were low as this squad barely made it there. The North Americans quickly rose from their underdog status by securing the Grand Final of their first Masters tournament. 

Fast forward to the Champions, EG were not an underdog roster anymore. Instead, they were one of the favorites to win the entire event, so they did, writing an incredible history by winning the biggest tournament of the year. This team has enjoyed a very significant improvement this year, making them our second pick for the best team in the world.

1. Fnatic

• Jake “Boaster” Howlett (IGL)
• Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev
• Emir “Alfajer” Beder 
• Leo “Leo” Jannesson 
• Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov
• Jacob “mini” Harris (Head Coach)

Even though they did not win the biggest tournament of this year, Fnatic still remain the best Valorant team of 2023, thanks to their incredible journey. This EMEA squad won two global events this year and enjoyed the longest VCT win streaks in 2023. Let’s recap their run.

Credit: Riot Games

Dominant Start to 2023

LOCK//IN, the opening event to kick off the 2023 VCT Season, was Fnatic’s dream come true, as they swept through the single elimination matches to the Grand Final, winning the entire event in an incredible reverse sweep. The astonishing Fnatic vs LOUD Bo5 became one of the best Valorant matches ever, if not the best. This was just the beginning of Fnatic’s dominating year, and what better way to start than wielding the first international trophy?

Long Win Streak at VCT EMEA

Before entering the EMEA League, Fnatic were coming from a 5-match win streak from LOCK//IN in 2023, and they continued to win every single match up until the Grand Final. Even though they were put to rest by Team Liquid, Fantic’s 16-match win streak and dominating form signaled their prowess at the upcoming Masters event.

Winning Their Second LAN

Fnatic were the favorites to win Masters Tokyo, and they did so without losing a single match. Throughout the tournament, the kings of EMEA only lost one map and won every single series. This was their second trophy of the year, and they had already done what any other team couldn’t do. 

Even though Fnatic couldn’t do much at Champions, losing their chance to hold the biggest trophy of the year, they were still the team that had achieved the impossible. Such a lengthy streak of wins had its end, but it was magnificent while it lasted. 

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