Valorant
Initiators are among the four roles that Agents in Valorant are divided into. The Agents' abilities in this role focus on initiating area attacks, forcing enemies out of cover and corners to help the team rush into battle.
Valorant tournaments are in full swing, and of course, you want to know who is worth keeping an eye on in the cybersports arena.
We will analyze the characteristics and skills of players shown at recent Valorant events to bring you an up-to-date list of the best Valorant players in the initiator role.
Highlights
- Information about the best Initiator players in Valorant right now
- Details on game features, rewards, and player notoriety
Leo
Leo "Leo" Jennesson
Leo "Leo" Jennesson is a cybersports player from Sweden who plays for Fnatic. He participates in Valorant esports in the EMEA region. In addition to his role as Initiator, Leo has played Sentinel, Sage, Controller, and Omen.
Leo has been a part of Guild Esports. The team was ranked in the top ten in the region and even qualified for an international event. However, Leo had to leave and joined the Fnatic roster in 2022.
With the new team, he performed better than ever before. His utility has always been impressive. The team has won two international trophies and can win a third. Leo is easily among the best initiator players in the world.
As part of the team, Leo won VCT 2023: Masters Tokyo, VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo. The team also finished second at the VCT 2023: EMEA League. Leo had his best game at the Brazilian LAN, acting as the Initiator, and won the MVP award from vlr.gg. At the Masters Tokyo, "Leo" was the second-best player in the tournament.
Sacy
Gustavo "Seisi" Rossi
Brazilian esports player Gustavo "Seisi" Rossi plays for Sentinels.
He has mostly played the role of Initiator but has also occasionally played as an Omen Controller and Jett Duelist.
After constant role reversals last year, the player retained his role as a full Initiator for his team. It's made a very noticeable difference in his
confidence and productivity.
Even though the Sentinels had a rough game overall, Sassy remains the best Initiator.
Earlier last year, the Sentinels had an apparent conflict with their lineup, and despite having many high-profile and successful individual names, the team ultimately failed to qualify for the 2023 VCT Americas League playoffs and then Masters Tokyo.
Since Sentinel's lineup was fixed for the late stages of 2023, they had a decent offseason and, hopefully, a great season in 2024 where Sacy can showcase his actual skills.
The team has already won first place in VCT 2024: Americas Kickoff, so it will only get more interesting from here on out.
crashies
Austin "crashies" Roberts
The next player in our TOP is from America. He is currently playing for the NRG team.
Long before joining NRG, Austin "crashies" Roberts rose to fame on the OpTic Gaming team. He became one of the best initiators in this club while playing Sova.
In 2023, Austin decided to continue his ascent as an Initiator with NRG, making him a precious player for the club.
His awareness has made him one of the best players.
The eSports player perfectly understands when to use abilities, attack, kill, and other actions on the map. As a bonus - crashies is the second Sova player who rarely misses with Ultimate. If he applies the Sova's ult, expect him to make one or even two kills immediately.
He helped OpTic Gaming win VCT 2022: Stage 1 Maters Reykjavik and finished second in Valorant Champions 2022.
The eSports player won the award for best Initiator in 2024 at VCT 2023: Americas League.
C0M
Corbin "C0M" Lee
One of the best Initiator players in Valorant is Corbin "C0M" Lee, a world champion who has recently joined Leviatán. His expertise in the Initiator role is highly regarded, making him a key player to watch in the 2024 Valorant Champions Tournaments.
As a reminder, the player's past team, Evil Geniuses, won the 2023 Valorant World Championship. However, this would not have been possible without the incredible contributions of Corbin "C0M" Lee.
C0M is one of two initiates in the lineup. The second such player is Ethan "Ethan" Arnold, but he mostly plays for Skye, while C0M showcases his skills mainly on Sova.
Evil Geniuses selected Sova at Champions Tour 2023: Masters Tokyo. And it happened on the Fracture map. It was an extremely unconventional choice, as this was the first professional team that had played this Agent on this map.
However, it was this decision that made them unbeatable back then.
C0M's distinctive skill in playing with Sova is his competent use of the ultimatum ability, which he rarely misses. This shows how well he can "read" the map and his opponents' movements.
d4v41
Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee
Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee is a Malaysian eSports player playing for Paper Rex. He competes in Valorant eSports in the Pacific region. Aside from his role as an Initiator, he has acted as a Controller of Agents Viper and Omen, along with Agents Sentinels - Sage and Chamber, on specific maps.
This makes him a versatile and flexible player. Given Paper Rex's aggressive play style, he has always been a calmer and more collected teammate.
d4v41 has been a part of Paper Rex for a very long time. The team has played overseas many times and is now considered one of the best.
Over the years, d4v41 has become one of the most prolific Initiator players in the world.
Paper Rex placed second at the VALORANT Champions 2023 and AfreecaTV VALORANT LEAGUE. Also placed first at the VCT 2023: Pacific League and Valorant India Invitational.
At VCT 2023: Pacific League, d4v41 won the award for best player-initiator.
nobody
Want "nobody" Senku
Want "nobody" Senku is a Chinese eSports player from Edward Gaming.
In addition to Initiator Agents, he acted as a Sentinel and played as a Cypher. He has also been a Controller, playing for Omen and Viper.
He played with many Initiator Agents but chose Skye most of the time.
Nobody and Edward Gaming have come a long way to achieving the best Valorant results. The Tokyo VCT Masters tournament allowed Edward Gaming to showcase their skills.
Their meteoric rise showed that they had a lot to show on stage. Nobody contributed considerably to the team that qualified for the VCT Masters in Madrid and scored an ACS of 213.2.
The player can consistently score multiple kills and is never afraid to go into a duel. He will be a massive threat to many teams going up against him.
cauanzin
Cauan "cauanzin" Pereira
Cauan "cauanzin" Pereira is a Brazilian eSports player who plays for LOUD.
After an extraordinary performance in his debut at level 1 last year, the player could maintain that level in 2024. He has become a lethal player capable of single-handedly dealing blows to his team.
His perfectly timed utility and flawless aim have made him one of the best players.
LOUD is looking good on the cybersports scene, and the performance at VCT Masters Madrid may be the first international trophy for cauanzin.
The team finished third at the VALORANT Champions 2023.
N4RRATE
Marshall "N4RRATE" Massey
Marshall "N4RRATE" Massey is an American cyber athlete who plays for Karmine Corp. He primarily plays the role of Initiator but also steps into the shoes of Duelist Agents such as Raze and Reina when needed.
N4RRATE's rise to the top of EMEA was a stunning sight at the beginning of VCT 2024. This player will be interesting to watch.
With a team entirely of rookies and an experienced coach, he was able to reach his full potential. His perfect use of utilities makes him one of the strongest grok initiates.
Summary
Also, to know who to look out for in the cybersports scene and to avoid getting lost in the thick of things, read our article TOP 10 teams in Valorant at the beginning of 2024.
To successfully bet on the matches, read the article about betting in cybersports.
