Cloud9 streamer TenZ becomes first Valorant ranked player in NA

Olivia Richman Published 03/05/2020

The Valorant closed beta added a ranked mode just a few days ago, but retired Conter-Strike: Global offensive player Tyson “TenZ” Ngo sprinted his way to becoming the first North American player to reach its highest rank. 

The Cloud9 streamer is one of many competitive CSGO players to turn to Valorant, Riot’s new FPS. They have been dominating the Valorant scene already, finding a variety of tips and tricks with each agents’ abilities. Despite some Overwatch players’ initial suspicions that CSGO players wouldn’t be able to adapt to ability combos and strategies, it seems that CSGO players are thriving in this new title. 

So how did TenZ get there so fast? Well, by being really damn good at the game.

There are eight ranks total, each with three subcategories. The ranks progress similarly to League of Legends, starting with Bronze, Silver and Gold, then moving up to Platinum and Diamond. After that, there’s two new ranks: Immortal and Valorant rank. Valorant rank was not discovered in the intial leak of the game’s ranks by data miners. Riot has revealed that winning matches carries the most weight when it comes to ranking up in Valorant, meaning TenZ must have won a lot of games over a very short amount of time. 

Cloud9’s TenZ dominates Valorant’s new ranked mode

To take part in Valorant’s new ranked mode, players have to compete in 20 matches. Their initial rank is determined by the amount of games won and individual performance during those 20 games. 

Once ranked mode is available, players climb the ladder by winning games. Personal performance will also play a part, as well as the margin of victory or loss in each match. 

While TenZ has definitely proven himself as a great Valorant player and a dominant force in the closed beta scene, many more players will soon join him in Valorant tier. There’s no denying that reaching the summit first is a huge achievement for the young player. 

“Not surprising. Big W. Congrats,” said fellow Cloud9 streamer, Keeoh. 

Former CSGO pro turned Valorant player Lex, called the accomplishment “hype.” Team Liquid streamer POACH gave the classic, “Pog.” 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile

Read Also

Kick

Kick Surpasses 1M Average Live Viewers, Claims 35% Market Share Khizar Mundia Kick co-founder Bijan Tehrani has celebrated Kick crossing another major milestone, joking on X that “more people watch Kick than flying on a plane every night.” The platform has increased its market share by 10 percentage points in 2026 while surpassing 1 million average live viewers. It’s not a secret that Eddie Craven and Bijan Tehrani initially launched Kick in 2022 in large part as a direct competitor to Twitch. ...

Dota 2

Dota 2’s new Tidehunter Arcana is mind-blowing, but prepare to spend $200+ to get it Michael Hassall Night owls in North America and early risers in Europe woke up to a brand new Dota 2 Arcana, the first new release of Dota’s rarest and most-coveted cosmetics since 2024. The recipient? Tidehunter, whose Maw of the Megladon Arcana transforms the already selachian sea-dweller into a full-blown shark. But while Arcana’s have traditionally been part of big events in Dota 2, either the now-discontinued Battle Passes, or most recently, ...

Movies & TV

Oscars 2027 — Will the Odyssey Earn the Most Nominations? Zachary Roberts The Odyssey came out in July, and it somehow delivered on all the hype and anticipation that Christopher Nolan's latest film had. Will that translate to Oscars? It can be impossible to predict how a body of voters will lean after an entire year of film releases. However, Polymarket traders think this year will be pretty easy win for Nolan and leading man Matt Damon. The Odyssey was a massive ...

Esports Betting

LeBron James will earn more from prediction markets than basketball this year Michael Hassall Superstar basketball player Lebron James will earn more from prediction markets this year than from playing ball thanks to his mind-blowing 15 million dollar Polymarket sponsorship. The deal has highlighted both the contentious issue of prediction markets and sport (and the true market value of a 41-year-old player) as one of the NBA’s biggest stars now clearly has more cultural cache off the court than the value of a teammate ...

Esports Betting

Polymarket bank failure predictions could force UK intervention Michael Hassall Crypto-based prediction market Polymarket has drawn the ire of the United Kingdom's (UK) establishment after several markets emerged predicting the downfall of British high street banks HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group. The prediction market, which also has markets tracking the downfall of the likes of JP Morgan, US Bank, and BNP Paribas, also included markets predicting the failure of several UK banking institutions. The markets, mainly “Which banks will fail ...

Twitch

What Is Twitch Spendable Balance and How To Use It? Khizar Mundia Twitch is adding another way for viewers to manage their subscriptions, with recurring subscriptions now available through Spendable Balance. But what exactly is Twitch Spendable Balance, and how can creators use it? Here’s what you need to know. Many creators livestream on platforms such as Kick and Twitch full-time and rely on their earnings to pay for basic necessities. This was recently seen on Kick, when the platform’s KPP glitched ...

Kick

Eddie Craven: Kick Remains Creator-Focused As Ads Contribute Little Revenue Khizar Mundia Kick initially prioritized the viewing experience and didn’t add ads to its content, which is why it was a major surprise when the platform finally started showing adverts. CEO Eddie Craven has addressed some of the criticism, revealing that ads are a minor revenue source for Kick, and reiterated that the platform remains creator-first in its approach. Ads initially appeared on Kick in May 2026, which sparked a backlash from ...