Best Valorant Controller Players in 2023

Check out the most effective Controller gamers of the 2023 season of Valorant

Controllers in Valorant usually don’t come into the limelight resulting from their supportive and passive function, primarily centered on staying alive to deploy smokes for his or her teammates. This cautious method continuously locations them in clutch conditions, and it is exactly in these moments that Controllers have the chance to actually shine.

The 2023 VCT season has drawn to an in depth, and we now discover ourselves within the low season, eagerly anticipating the upcoming VCT 2024. Quite a few gamers showcased distinctive abilities and performances of their respective roles this yr. As we await the beginning of the brand new yr, let’s flip our consideration to the Controller gamers who dominated the 2023 season.

Credit score: Riot Video games

5. Cahya “Monyet” Nugraha

• VLR Ranking: 1.13
• Common Fight Rating (ACS): 219.1
• Kill-Demise Ratio: 1.13
• Kill/Help/Survided/Traded: 75%
• Common Injury Per Spherical: 142.4
• Headshot Proportion: 24%

Monyet has been the speak of the neighborhood for a number of weeks now, significantly because the announcement of the Indonesian prodigy’s inclusion within the SEA super-team Paper Rex. Nonetheless, this is not the primary occasion the place the 18-year-old has captured the highlight and made waves in the neighborhood. Monyet beforehand garnered consideration for his extraordinary Controller abilities whereas enjoying for International Esports.

Monyet joined GE in October 2022 when the Indian franchised group was assembling its crew for the Pacific League. Initially a part of a seven-man roster, it did not take lengthy for Monyet to ascertain himself within the lineup completely. Whereas GE was constantly on the backfoot all through the season, Monyet at all times delivered standout performances in almost each match. 

Monyet’s excellent efficiency all through the season is underscored by his spectacular ranking of 1.13, marking him because the second-highest-rated Controller participant within the league, trailing solely behind MaKo.

4. Jake “Boaster” Howlett

• VLR Ranking: 1.02
• Common Fight Rating (ACS): 170.2
• Kill-Demise Ratio: 0.94
• Kill/Help/Survided/Traded: 76%
• Common Injury Per Spherical: 105.1
• Headshot Proportion: 19%

Boaster has earned the repute of being the most effective IGL within the franchised leagues, largely resulting from FNATIC’s dominance within the 2023 season, the place they clinched two worldwide trophies. Along with being the crew chief on the server, he shoulders the function of the Controller for his crew. From what we’ve seen from him for the previous three seasons that he has been with FNATIC, though he might not possess the identical degree of mechanical prowess as others on this record, it’s his profound sport sense that units him aside.

Boaster is ready to play all 4 Smoke brokers adeptly. His playstyle is a bit safer, a pure consequence of his function as a Controller throughout all maps. Nonetheless, his gameplay additionally boasts innovation, as seen by his unconventional function as a secondary OP-er for his crew on the Assault facet. This unorthodox method, though uncommon, has confirmed remarkably efficient on quite a few events, showcasing Boaster’s means to push the boundaries and discover distinctive methods to contribute to his crew’s success.

3. Sam “s0m” Oh

• VLR Ranking: 1.12
• Common Fight Rating (ACS): 204.9
• Kill-Demise Ratio: 1.16
• Kill/Help/Survided/Traded: 77%
• Common Injury Per Spherical: 130.9
• Headshot Proportion: 25%

s0m underwent a outstanding transformation, transitioning from a duelist extraordinaire to establishing himself as some of the gifted Controller gamers within the NA area. The 21-year-old American was the one participant NRG retained from their pre-franchised crew. With the addition of s0m to the NRG core and European celebrity ardiis, they crafted some of the formidable rosters of the VCT 2023 season. 

Within the new roster, s0m took the function of Controller, and there have been appreciable doubts relating to how properly he may carry out. The doubts had been dispelled quickly sufficient after the beginning of the VCT Leagues. Regardless of NRG’s sluggish begin to the season, s0m emerged as their most reliable performer proper from the outset. At the same time as NRG regained their kind, it was s0m and his impeccable Controller gameplay that arguably exerted probably the most important affect on the crew’s success all through the season. 

2. Marco “Melser” Machuca

• VLR Ranking: 0.97
• Common Fight Rating (ACS): 183.9
• Kill-Demise Ratio: 0.93
• Kill/Help/Survided/Traded: 73%
• Common Injury Per Spherical: 119.9
• Headshot Proportion: 30%

Melser left Leviathan and joined KRU Esports for the VCT 2023 season. KRU is notorious for being probably the most unpredictable crew on the planet. In a single occasion, they could end on the backside of the rankings, and within the subsequent one, they might emerge as champions. That mentioned, Melser, throughout his time with the Latin American crew, has been their most constant performer each throughout the crew’s highs and lows. The present season serves as probably the most compelling proof of that.

KRU began the season on a dismal notice with 10 losses in a row. The crew positioned final within the Americas League, and expectations had been exceedingly low as they entered the Americas LCQ. Nonetheless, in a outstanding flip of occasions, Melser and his teammates defied all odds by embarking on a sensational profitable streak that culminated in them clinching victory in the LCQ and securing a spot within the Valorant Champions 2023. 

Melser performed an instrumental function in KRU’s Cinderella run, delivering an distinctive efficiency because the Controller-main for the crew. Regardless of KRU’s general outcome, Melser has certainly cemented himself as probably the greatest Controller gamers on the planet together with his efficiency this season.

1. Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwanqq

• VLR Ranking: 1.15
• Common Fight Rating (ACS): 211.3
• Kill-Demise Ratio: 1.11
• Kill/Help/Survided/Traded: 76%
• Common Injury Per Spherical: 136.4
• Headshot Proportion: 18%

MaKo’s consistency has been unmatched for some time now.  He launched into his Valorant journey with Imaginative and prescient Strikers (now DRX) in 2021 and instantly established himself as the most effective Controller participant within the sport. This standing has remained unaltered for the previous two years. Each time discussions come up concerning the season’s prime Controller gamers, MaKo has at all times been within the dialog. For instance, it was Marved, pancada, and MaKo final yr, whereas this yr, it’s between MaKo and Melser.

The 2023 season noticed DRX embark on a mission to place an finish to their worldwide trophy drought, nevertheless it in the end yielded a well-known narrative. The Korean powerhouse got here near clinching the trophy however fell brief by the slim margins. But, no blame may be attributed to MaKo, because the 21-year-old continued to shine as probably the most impactful performer on his crew. His outstanding clutch potential and the flexibility to safe essential rounds for his crew had been nothing in need of unbelievable.