Edward Gaming emerged as the champions of VALORANT Champions 2024, thus becoming the first Asian team to do so in Seoul. From breathtaking moments to shocking statistics, the tournament was full of surprises. Here are five of the most shocking facts from this year’s championship—just the thing for your next VALORANT pub quiz.
5) Ascent: The Least Picked Map of the Tournament
Ascent, which many consider as VALORANT’s “home turf,” was chosen the least number of times in VALORANT Champions 2024. Right behind Ascent in the map bans was Haven. This may seem rather strange, especially when considering how famous these maps are, but it is quite logical when one looks at the meta.
As for Ascent, teams banned it since it is more effective for some teams with specific strategies, while others did not pick it at all, which resulted in a low pick rate. We even observed some unique team formations during the tournament like Clove and Phoenix. Another familiar duo was Cypher and Deadlock, who were famous for their skills that do not depend on the range.
Notably, fans expect Vyse to be the next character to follow this trend because her ArcRose and Razorvine skills affect the entire map. To provide a comparison, Lotus was the most selected map while Bind was the second most selected map.
4) Reyna: The Only Agent Not Used in VALORANT Champions 2024
Here’s something unexpected: of the 24 agents that are currently in VALORANT, 23 were featured in the Champions tournament. The only one missing? Reyna. This is a feat that is not easily achieved in the world of competitive gaming, especially when there are so many characters to balance, making VALORANT’s agent roster even more impressive.
Not even the most specialized agents were left out. Iso, for example, had a great performance on Haven, and they won both games where they were selected. Riot Games is still tweaking the agent and map meta, but Reyna’s absence was missed, especially for Paper Rex, one of the few teams that utilized her throughout the VCT 2024 season.
At the same time, Omen was the agent with the highest pick rate, as he is popular on maps such as Lotus and Haven, and was selected 100% of the time on these maps.
3) Kangkang Breaks Records for First Kills and Total Kills in a VALORANT Champions Grand Final
Kangkang was undoubtedly the MVP of the Grand Finals, and he played a stellar performance that will be remembered in VALORANT history. He set a new record for the number of kills in a Best-of-5 (Bo5) VALORANT Champions series with 115 kills. His accuracy and ability to clutch helped Edward Gaming stay relevant and competitive, especially when the tide seemed to turn against them.
The previous record was 105 kills in a single series by t3xture. Kangkang not only surpassed this but did so in the final fight of his career, the biggest fight of his life. This was evident in the Bo5 where one needs to be mentally strong to withstand the pressure and come out a winner.
Some notable players who held this record before Kangkang include:
- Zekken: 101 kills
- Demon1: 101 kills
- Aspas: 101 kills
- Valyn: 101 kills
2) Neon Has the Highest Win Rate Among All the Agents
In a tournament with a lot of agent variety, Neon was the most dominant with the highest win rate among the agents selected for more than 35 rounds with a 62% win rate. In the 37 rounds she was used, her teams emerged the winner in 23 of them. This stat may come as a surprise, especially since Neon is not considered one of the best duelists in the game compared to Raze or Jett, for example.
Here’s a breakdown of agents with the most picks in their respective roles:
- Controller: Omen, played 107 maps, 52% win rate
- Sentinel: Cypher, played 73 maps, 47% win rate
- Duelist: Raze, played 70 maps, 46% win rate
- Initiator: Sova, played 90 maps, 52% win rate
The distribution of win rates among the agents shows how equal the competition has become. Unlike other games where there is a ‘pick-ban’ phase and one agent is considered superior to the others, there is no such thing in matches, and that makes the game interesting.
1) Kangkang’s Record-Breaking First Kills in the Grand Finals
Rounding up this list is another highlight of Kangkang in the VALORANT Champions Grand Final – first kills. The dynamic duelist achieved 26 first kills in the series, which is a new record, as the previous one was 22. For instance, the first kills that his entire team got in total were only 27 throughout the match!
One of the highlights was when it appeared that Edward Gaming was on the back foot, especially after Team Heretics had won five maps in a row. Kangkang, with a Guardian, charged into the fight and got four consecutive headshots, which changed the outcome of the game. This play proved his excellent game sense and basic accuracy, making him one of the best entry fraggers in the game.
By the end of the tournament, Kangkang not only became the first-ever MVP of VALORANT Champions but also created records that will be hard to break.
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