VALORANT Champions 2023 represents the final mountain to climb for professional teams this year, with the sweetest of all rewards awaiting at the summit: a world championship. Sixteen teams will come to Los Angeles this month, but only one will leave with the illustrious trophy.
Fans of pro VALORANT can expect to see some thrilling plays, at least two marathon overtime maps, and a ton of familiar agents that they’ve seen across the entire VCT calendar. Killjoy will be the primary sentinel anchor, Jett and Raze will fly around, Skye will be the quick-hit initiator, and Viper will paint the broadcast green.
But what if the niche agent picks were the ones that punctuated a playoff run to the championship? I’ve looked at the data and there are three agents that have hardly been picked all year but in the right hands could be key to a team that wins Champions 2023.
Reyna
It’s so strange how one of the most overwhelmingly popular agents from ranked is hardly used at all at the pro level. But if you remember that the players in VCT are in the absolute highest echelon of talent, it makes a bit more sense as Reyna comes off as an agent that doesn’t provide any utility to her team. She also has one of the weakest blinds of any agent.
Still, in the hands of the best aimers when they’re at their most confident, Reyna has the potential to snowball and take over a map. Paper Rex managed to claim the VCT Pacific title with their superstar something playing Reyna, relying on his pure aim ability to string together multikills and leave opponents shaking in fear. Will it pan out in Champions? Well, something has sky-high expectations for someone making their international debut, and the best teams in the world are probably more equipped to handle Reyna. But we’ve all played a match or two where a Reyna on a hot streak has taken over, and there’s not much you can do to stop it.
Related: All teams qualified for VALORANT Champions 2023
Chamber
The following statement was released today by Chamber, through Dot Esports, in response to questions about his place in the meta: “I’m back.”
OK, that might be us projecting. Maybe he’s not at the meta-defining level he was at in 2022, but there’s been a rumbling regarding Chamber getting some more playing time. Even after all his nerfs, he still generates value with his ability to get opening kills without getting traded, and he can still stabilize a team’s economy with his Headhunter and Tour de Force.
In critical matches as part of their LCQ run, ZETA DIVISION put Laz back on Chamber, and he delivered in both the winners final and grand final, the latter of which featured an excellent performance on Bind where he won six of his seven opening duel attempts.
Gekko
Well since we’re in L.A., maybe the hometown kid can help a team win a championship. Gekko is such an interesting case. On one hand, the majority of his ability kit can be destroyed by gunfire. On the other, though, he has the potential to be a meticulous space creator, and Wingman plants are an underappreciated tool. Wingman planting allows teams to get into deeper post-plant angles faster, and he gives a team that’s retaking a site better odds to get a successful defuse in smoke.
Unsurprisingly, it’s Paper Rex again who have found the most success with him, winning four out of seven tries with him at Masters Tokyo across Bind and Lotus. EDward Gaming has also been successful, most notably on Bind during the China Last Chance Qualifier, after taking a Bind game off NAVI in Tokyo.
While we’re not expecting these three agents to rocket up to the top of the pick rate charts at Champions 2023, we do feel they have the potential to swing some critical maps during the tournament. Whether it’s a team that’s already found success or someone breaking them out for the first time, keep an eye on these sleeper agents when Champions starts on Aug. 6.
