After an incredible VALORANT season, the cream of the crop in the Americas has risen up above the rest of the competition. Multiple teams have proven their mettle, and players have etched their names in the history books of this growing scene across 2023, from domestic play to international greatness.
For the first iteration of the VCT Americas Awards, only a few specific teams stood out among their peers, represented by some of the best players and coaches that the region has to offer. Each top role had a player from LOUD, Evil Geniuses, or NRG Esports, exemplifying each team’s path to the top of the league.
All 2023 VCT Awards for Americas
Most Valuable Player
- LOUD’s Erick “aspas” Santos
Coach of the Year
- Evil Geniuses’ Christine “potter” Chi
Duelist of the Year
- LOUD’s Erick “aspas” Santos
Initiator of the Year
- NRG Esports’ Austin “crashies” Roberts
In-Game Leader of the Year
- LOUD’s Matias “Saadhak” Delipetro
Sentinel of the Year
- Evil Geniuses’ Kelden “Boostio” Pupello
Controller of the Year
- NRG Esports’ Sam “s0m” Oh
Although LOUD couldn’t defend their throne at VALORANT Champions 2023, the team’s superstar duelist, Aspas, continued to burn a bright path through the scene with some of the most impressive performances we have seen from one individual player. The Brazilian squad might have stumbled quite a bit throughout the various international events they attended, but the 20-year-old star carried them to multiple wins through sheer mechanical brilliance.
Evil Geniuses, on the other hand, are still fighting to bring home a championship to North America at Champions 2023, and plenty of it has to do with the excellent leadership that Potter brings as head coach. The veteran helped the team rise from a sixth-place finish during the regular season of the Americas League to becoming one of the best teams in the world in the span of a year.
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The 36-year-old leader was once criticized for Evil Geniuses’ lack of success, and at one point, fans called for her removal. Now, she has proven that she has been the right person for the job all along, and now, she can smile at everyone who doubted her along the way.
Meanwhile, NRG has always been a top contender for Americas since the start of the year. In the first half, they would flounder in the LOCK//IN tournament before running into LOUD’s best form during the Americas League finals. Afterward, they’d drop to Paper Rex at Masters Tokyo before inexplicably losing to Bilibili Gaming at Champions 2023, sending them home early despite the hype.
Although they have had disappointing seasons, s0m and crashies put up impressive performances that have warranted recognition. Hopefully, this year will help incentivize them to level up their own play to bring some hardware home for their trophy cases in 2024.
