Ice cold: The most clutch players at VCT Masters Bangkok so far

After a weekend of explosive competition at VCT 2025 - Masters Bangkok 2025, the playoffs matchups have been decided and the best players have been left standing. There have been some electric performances throughout the event, and some incredible clutch moments that have set the crowd ablaze at the Emsphere and around the world. Here are some of the players who have been the most clutch at the tournament.

Ice cold assassin in the clutch

Looking at the numbers, Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev from Team Vitality is the most-clutch player at Masters Bangkok, having won 43 percent of the 1vX situations he’s found himself in at the event. Granted, he has only been in seven of these situations before and has won three of them, but he is still one of the best players in the world and has shown how cool he can remain in the face of an intense moment.

Derke also has 31 multikills throughout the tournament, averages just over a kill per round, and has the highest ACS of any player in Bangkok, just showing the quality of player that most people know he is. Team Vitality is one of the best teams at the tournament as well, and will rely on his absolute firepower as they battle through the opening round of the playoffs.

In terms of quantity, Zhang "Smoggy" Zhao from EDward Gaming has been placed in 15 of those moments, and has won 33 percent of those situations, which is a lower percent than Derke, but he has won five clutch situations for EDG. However, if you look at the performance of his entire team, they’ve been in 1vX situations a grand total of 62 times over 125 rounds played.

Surprisingly, EDG’s superstar duelist Zheng "ZmjjKK" Yongkang has found himself in 11 clutch situations and has not converted a single one. This is shocking considering he is known as one of the best players in the world, with some of the best aim of any players we’ve seen. He also has 26 multikills and the second-highest ACS in the event, averaging just under a kill per round, so he is not a stranger to fragging out.

The bright lights of the big stage can be blinding

Out of the remaining players in the tournament, there are multiple players who haven’t successfully converted a clutch situation. Kangkang might be the most prominent player on that list, but there are other stars that have a zero percent win rate when it comes to 1vX situations. Team Vitality’s Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko hasn’t won any of the 13 1vX moments he’s been faced with, while T1’s Ko "Sylvan" Young-sub has had two chances to win a clutch situation only to fail both times.

On the professional stage, facing off in a clutch situation might be one of the hardest feats to accomplish. Not only are you feeling the pressure of being on-stage, but you’re also fighting against multiple players from a well-coordinated roster. You must rely on your own game sense and aim to prevail, which is why someone like Derke, whose game sense and aim is proven to be unreal, has succeeded so often. You must have ice running through your veins to snatch a round from the hands of defeat.

Make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE as we continue to inform you on Masters Bangkok and other VALORANT esports events throughout the VCT season.