Do headshots matter? These VALORANT stats are perfect motivation for your next ranked game

VALORANT, like most competitive tac shooters, is all about pin-point accuracy and game sense, but which one of them plays a bigger role? While most would tell you that headshot percentage determines the kind of VALORANT player you are, one Diamond player’s “funny” stats will tell you a different story.

In a Reddit post dated Sept. 7, a player named kyleli shared a screenshot of their “funny” VALORANT statistics, asking the community to judge their skills based on it. After 33 matches in Episode Seven, Act Two, they are currently Diamond Two with 1.03 KD and an admirable 66.7 percent win rate. What’s strange is their headshot percentage, which sits at just 9.2 percent.

The accuracy breakdown section further confirmed that they are more susceptible to hitting body shots (76.5 percent) and leg shots (13.6 percent) than headshots. And Diamond Elo isn’t a joke; if you aren’t accurate enough with crosshair placement and more prone to body or leg shots, you’re most likely to get one shot on the head from the other side. At least, that’s what we were told all this while.

The player also revealed that they prefer using Odin, Phantom, and Classic, which largely explains the high body shot percentage. 

As if these stats weren’t weird enough, Tracker Network’s analysis indicated the player belongs to the top five percent of the player base according to their win rate, but their headshot percentage is as good as the bottom five percent. Do you still believe in your headshot percentage?

Of course, it’s an uncommon stat page and isn’t going to convince those who firmly believe in headshot supremacy. It’s also rare for high Elo players to have such a low headshot percentage, although it’s worth noting that 33 matches may not be a big enough pool to make assumptions. The player’s headshot percentage and win rate are likely going to change as they play more games. 

But the discussion certainly begs the question, should headshot percentage be factored in when measuring a player’s VALORANT performance? 

While headshot percentage does matter, it really is the game sense that plays a bigger role in high Elo. The way you use agent utility, your crosshair placement when blind spraying through smokes, and knowing how to play around teammates and capitalize on their utility—all of these determine your match outcome.

So, rather than just focusing on building and sharpening your mechanical skills in VALORANT, try some map reading and getting creative with your favorite agent’s kit for a change. And don’t frown if you have a low headshot percentage; hop into that ranked game and focus on utilizing your knowledge of the game.