Welcome back to DDenied's 2024: EMEA 10, a countdown of the top 10 players in the EMEA region for 2024. For fans of other regions, don’t worry—each International League has its own list, and there’s also a combined Global 20 for the year.
Disclaimer: All stats are sourced from VLR.gg, and any rating mentioned refers to VLR Rating 2.0. It's important to note that events held in China were not fully tracked by VLR, leading to missing statistics. As a result, the average ratings for each player are calculated only from events where VLR data is available, which excludes all events in China. This skews the yearly averages, particularly for players in the China league.
Sayf: EMEA’s Journeyman Duelist
EMEA Number: 8
Global Number: N/A
Average Rating: 1.13
Age: 23
Nationality: Swedish
After a standout 2023 with Team Liquid, where he was a beacon of consistency on a turbulent roster, Sayf made a high-profile move to Team Vitality, signalling the team's ambition for the 2024 season. A seasoned veteran of the Valorant scene since its inception, the Swede brought his heavy-hitting playstyle and adaptability to Vitality’s revamped lineup.
Although many expected Sayf to take on the duelist role, the team instead placed their trust in rookie runneR, with Sayf embracing a more flexible approach. He became the backbone of Vitality with his diverse agent pool, primarily as a sentinel. Despite Vitality narrowly missing out on the playoffs during the EMEA Kickoff and Stage 1, Sayf's performances were far from disappointing. He posted a 1.17 rating in the EMEA Kickoff and followed up with a solid 1.10 rating in Stage 1, consistently placing him among the top 10 players at both events.
Stage 2 marked a pivotal shift as Sayf returned to his preferred duelist role, coinciding with the late-season surge of fellow teammate trexx. This dynamic duo led Vitality to a 6-4 regular-season record and a strong 2nd place finish in the playoffs, securing a spot at Masters Shanghai.
While the Champions tournament ended in disappointment for Vitality, with the team narrowly missing the second qualification spot in their group to Trace Esports, Sayf continued to deliver high-calibre performances. His consistent excellence throughout the year has earned him the 8th spot on the EMEA 10, as one of the elite players in EMEA.
Links
EMEA Number 9
EMEA Number 7
Americas Number 8
China Number 8
Pacific Number 8
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