Former CSGO pros are winning most Valorant tournaments

By Nick Johnson

|

Sep 28, 2020

Reading time: 4 min

Former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro players have won almost all of Valorant’s cash prizes since the game’s esports debut.

Counter-Strike players that have switched from Valve’s shooter to Valorant esports make up 88% of the game’s top prize winners. The top ten teams in prize money for Riot’s ability-based tactical shooter are enjoying the skills of CSGO’s deep talent pool, with 44 out 50 players on those teams having started their careers in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Leading the list is G2 Esports, whose roster has won $94,373 since playing in its first Valorant tournament on July 12.

Team SoloMid has won $73,000 and is currently in second place all-time thanks to another Valorant roster comprised of former CSGO pro players. TSM’s young stars Yassine “Subroza” Taoufik and Matthew “Wardell” Yu are supported by three Counter-Strike veterans, most notably James “hazed” Cobb, who has played Counter-Strike professionally since 2007.

Which games do Valorant’s top players come from?

While CSGO is overwhelmingly the first stop for organizations looking to pick up fresh talent for Valorant’s quickly growing esports scene, Overwatch and Fortnite are also represented in the list. Overwatch has four former pro players among Valorant’s ten winningest teams, followed by Fortnite with two. 

  • G2 Esports – $94,373
    • David “Davidp” Prins (CSGO)
    • Ardis ardiis Svarenieks (CSGO)
    • Oscar “mixwell” Cañellas (CSGO)
    • Patryk “paTiTek” Fabrowski (CSGO)
    • Jacob “pyth” Mourujärvi (CSGO)
  • TSM -$73,000
    • Yassine “Subroza” Taoufik (CSGO)
    • Matthew “Wardell” Yu (CSGO)
    • Taylor “drone” Johnson (CSGO)
    • James “hazed” Cobb (CSGO)
    • Stephen “reltuC” Cutler (CSGO)
  • Sentinels – $54,000
    • Shahzeeb “ShahZaM” Khan (CSGO)
    • Hunter “SicK” Mims (CSGO)
    • Michael “dapr” Gulino (CSGO)
    • Jay “sinatraa” Won (Overwatch)
    • Jared “zombs” Gitlin (Overwatch, Apex)

Blog post image

  • Absolute JUPITER – $52,000
    • Koji “Laz” Ushida (CSGO)
    • Oshiro “Reita” Ryu (CSGO)
    • Ryo “barce” Takebayashi (CSGO)
    • Tomoaki “crow” Maruoka (CSGO)
    • Takemori “takej” Shogo (CSGO)
  • Vision Strikers – $36,819
    • Goo “Rb” Sang-Min (CSGO)
    • Kim “Zest” Gi-seok (CSGO)
    • Kim glow Min-soo (CSGO)
    • Lee “k1Ng” Seung-won (CSGO)
    • Kim “stax” Gu-taek (CSGO)
  • Gen.G Esports – $36,500
    • Michael “MkaeL” De Luca (CSGO)
    • Keven “PLAYER1” Champagne (CSGO)
    • Loic “effys” Sauvageau (CSGO)
    • Anthony “gMd” Guimond (CSGO)
    • Danny “huynh” Huynh (CSGO)
  • MAJKL – $25,000
    • Annie “Annie” Roberts (Ranked in Overwatch’s Top-50 Tank Players)
    • Jazzyk1ns (CSGO)
    • Alexis “alexis” Guarrasi (CSGO)
    • katsumi (CSGO)
    • Melanie “meL” Capone (CSGO)
  • FunPlus Phoenix – $21,934
    • Kirill “ANGE1” Karasiow (CSGO)
    • Johan “Meddo” Renbjörk (CSGO)
    • Tobias “shadow” Flodström (CSGO)
    • Andrey “Shao” Kiprsky (Fortnite)
    • Pontus “Zyppan” Eek (Fortnite)
  • Cloud9 – $20,500
    • Skyler “Relyks” Weaver (CSGO)
    • Tyson “TenZ” Ngo (CSGO)
    • Mitch “mitch” Semago (CSGO)
    • Josh “shinobi” Abastado (CSGO)
    • Daniel “vice” Kim (CSGO)

Blog post image

10. Ninjas in Pyjamas – $17,377

    • Charles “CREA” Beauvois (CSGO)
    • Charles “CREA” Beauvois (CSGO)
    • Damien “HyP” Souville (Overwatch)
    • Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel (CSGO)
    • Niels “luckeRRR” Jasiek (CSGO)

Valorant’s exploding esports scene is the next big thing

The deeper fans look into the who organizations are signing their Valorant rosters, they will find names that made CSGO esports famous. This is especially true for teams such as 100 Thieves, who is slowly building a roster based on CSGO’s veteran talent before it enters competitive play. Currently, 100 Thieves has signed a combined 23 years worth of CSGO experience in Spencer “Hiko” Martin, Nick “nitr0” Cannella, and Joshua “steel” Nissan.

While fans can’t know whether or not their favorite CSGO player will switch games or not, G2 Esports founder Carlos “ocelote” Santiago recently weighed in on G2’s early success in Riot’s first-person shooter in addition to giving his thoughts whether or not he thinks Valve and CSGO can keep pace with Valorant’s exploding popularity. G2 has won seven tournaments in a row, proving that a tweet from former Overwatch pro Félix “xQc” Lengyel slamming CSGO players transitioning between the two games might have been a little hasty.

After Riot announced Valorant’s open beta, xQc took to Twitter in all capital letters to say that CSGO pros wouldn’t find much success in the shooter.

It turns out that xQc’s Valorant “hot take” was dead wrong.

Where can you learn more about Valorant?

Valorant’s gunplay and mechanics are very similar to those found in CSGO. Players should check out WIN.gg’s continued coverage of Valorant, CSGO, and everything in between. From statistical data that shows just how one-sided Valorant’s maps really are to the latest roster news coming out of T1’s lineup, there’s something for everyone. Players who want to improve should head on over to our list of the best plant spots on Ascent, while CSGO players thinking about trying out Riot’s shooter should definitely give our spray pattern analysis a good read before hopping into the game.

Blog post image

Recommended

How to sign up for Marvel Rivals early access

Here’s how to sign up for closed alpha.

By Fariha Bhatti

|

Mar 28, 2024

How long is Elden Ring?

You’re gonna be here a while. Well, unless you’re a speed runner.

By Olivia Richman

|

Mar 28, 2024

What does Prototype look like in Poppy Playtime

The biggest mystery in Poppy Playtime.

By Fariha Bhatti

|

Mar 27, 2024