Five players to watch at VALORANT Champions Shanghai: New talent and rising veterans take center stage

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Champions Shanghai is right around the corner, and new talent is gearing up to clash with the veterans on stage. Before setting foot in Shanghai, players had a full year to prove their worth both regionally and internationally. While a few superstars dominated all season, a select group of dark horses has only recently started stealing the spotlight for varying reasons.

Here are five players you need to keep your eye on when Champs kicks off.

GSR

Right after VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Stage 2, Team Liquid made a very unexpected move and switched a player on their roster. Seymon "purp0" Borchev was put on the bench and Ognjen "GSR" Bondžić took his place. GSR has been a part of the Team Liquid Academy roster since 2025 and has mainly played in Tier 3 and Tier 2. On the Academy team, GSR had a flex role, playing many different agents. Taking purp0’s role, we might see GSR step in as the main Duelist for TL.

Joining the main Liquid roster is a huge opportunity for GSR, and he will make his VCT debut on the biggest stage once Champions Shanghai sets off. However, when Liquid decided to bench purp0 ahead of the biggest event of the year, it got a lot of attention and criticism on social media. While many wondered why they would take the risk right before a big tournament, others showed appreciation for the bold move since it could well make Liquid stronger.

The move has ultimately put a lot of pressure on the 18-year-old prospect, who needs to find his place on the squad and perform well at the highest level right off the bat.

SiuFatBB

Another player to keep an eye on is Pong "SiuFatBB" Ka Hei on TYLOO. At VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Masters Toronto 2025, SiuFatBB and his squad on Wolves Esports had a Cinderella run, making it all the way to the lower bracket final as underdogs. Masters Toronto put SiuFatBB’s name on the map, and he made himself known as a great in-game leader and showman.

In 2026, he joined TYLOO and started leading yet another squad to victory. After TYLOO joined the VCT in China in 2024, they were never able to make it further than 5th place regionally. But after SiuFatBB joined in June of 2026, things quickly started looking up for TYLOO.

At VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - China Stage 2, they beat the biggest teams in their region and were crowned regional Champions. It’s hard to miss that the success came almost immediately after SiuFatBB joined. If he continues to lead his team like he did in Stage 2, he is definitely a player who should have considerable impact at Champs.

Dambi

In the beginning of 2026, one player created chaos on the servers at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026. Lee "Dambi" Hyuk-kyu, from Nongshim RedForce, dominated on Neon and helped his team secure the Masters title. Since then, Nongshim has had a hard time repeating that success, missing out on Masters London after a weak showing at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Pacific Stage 1.

During Stage 1, Neon got nerfed, and Dambi shied away from the agent, opting to play Phoenix instead. When that didn’t produce good results, Dambi went back to Neon and Waylay in VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Pacific Stage 2.

Once again feeling himself on his best agent, Dambi helped Nongshim climb their way back to the top of their region. While Global Esports took the trophy home, Nongshim will be glad to have finished in second place regionally, putting them in a good position for Champs. With Dambi back in form, Nongshim’s aggressive comp will be a problem for regions with a slower, more controlled playstyle.

Asuna

The Americas region was turned on its head when 100 Thieves bested the top teams and claimed the crown. While 100T is stacked with fraggers like Timothée "Timotino" Lavigne Dupont and veteran stars like Matthew "Cryocells" Dylan Panganiban, the player who has had the most impact recently is Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk on Phoenix.

In VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 2, Asuna finished with the highest rating (1.22) on the squad and was the third best player in the region overall. As late as VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 1, Asuna was still a solid flex player, playing all kinds of agents. His move to Phoenix was solidified at EWC - Esports World Cup 2026 and has continued since. His continuous positive K/D on the agent makes him a real threat at Champs and gives the team a real chance at another global trophy this year.

While 100T had been quiet for quite some time regionally, they have now secured both the EWC and Stage 2 trophies in the span of roughly two months. The question is whether Asuna and his team can continue to ride on this momentum or burn out before the finish line.

luk xo

Another player from the Americas who was on the top 10 players leaderboard for Stage 2 was Lucca "luk xo" Travaioli from LOUD. The Brazilian team has recently found their groove with an almost completely new team. The only player who stayed from the 2025 roster into 2026 was luk xo, and he has been setting the tone for all of his new teammates.

At the beginning of the year, luk xo was often seen on Controller or Sentinel, but with Sebastián "Darker" Cicuamia on the roster filling his old role on Viper, he switched to almost exclusively playing Chamber. The switch proved to be the right one, as luk xo dominated Americas teams with his snipers.

Since pivoting to Chamber, luk xo hasn’t gotten a negative K/D in a single match, and he brings that firepower over to Champs now. LOUD finished in second place in the Americas and impressed everyone with their aggressive, organized play. Luk xo on LOUD is definitely a player to watch out for on the global stage.

Many more to watch

While this list consists mainly of players who have recently seen an upswing in their performance, there are many more players ready to give it their all on the stage. For example, Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang is playing in front of his home crowd, hoping to once again be crowned a VALORANT Champion. With some of the very best VALORANT players in the world set to clash in China, make sure you don't miss out on the action once Champs starts on 24 September!

For more VCT news and interviews, stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG.

Featured image source: Riot Games.