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.
Derke: A Season of Highs and Lows for Fnatic’s Star Duelist
EMEA Number: 10
Global Number: N/A
Rating: 1.07
Age: 21
Nationality: Finnish/Russian
Entering 2024, Fnatic had lofty expectations, keeping their roster intact after securing two international trophies the previous year. However, for Derke, the season turned out to be a dramatic rollercoaster, marked by significant highs and lows. Both he and the team started slowly but steadily improved as the year progressed.
As is often the case with duelists, Derke’s performance mirrored his team’s struggles. The year began on a sour note, with Fnatic failing to qualify for Masters Madrid and Derke frequently finding himself at the bottom of the scoreboard. Stage 1 was similarly underwhelming, as Fnatic barely scraped into the playoffs after a 3-3 group stage finish, needing tiebreakers to advance. Even though Fnatic eventually clinched the Stage 1 domestic trophy, Derke's contributions during the playoffs were far from his best.
The narrative began to change at Masters Shanghai. Despite Fnatic’s disappointing 0-2 record, Derke started showing signs of a resurgence. His standout performance in the elimination match against FUT, where he racked up 60 kills—nearly double that of his closest teammate—hinted at a return to form.
Stage 2 saw a stronger Fnatic, as they secured back-to-back domestic championships and qualified for Champions. Derke’s rating improved to 1.15, making him the second-highest rated player on his team during this stage.
Derke's resurgence reached its peak at Champions, where Fnatic finished 5th-6th. His impressive rating of 1.22 was the second-highest at the event and the best among players who advanced beyond the group stage. Despite his exceptional late-season form, Derke’s early struggles kept him at number 10 on the EMEA 10.
Links
EMEA Honourable Mentions
EMEA Number 9
Americas Number 10
China Number 10
Pacific Number 10
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