Theory-crafting trades for the top 10 teams

HYPOTHETICAL
Something I was thinking about the other day, what if every team in the NA top 10 (according to VLR rankings) made a roster move with the opposite team in the top 10? (eg. 1 trade with 10, 2 trade with 9 etc.) These are designed to help boost the lower ranked team, and see if the top could still be up there with a different player, I will also include a small comment about the players. I'm not saying that these moves should happen, just a bit of fun to imagine "what if?"

*EDIT: Sorry for the formatting, tried to fix but no luck :(

Top 10 NA teams (https://www.vlr.gg/rankings/north-america)

1. Cloud 9
2. OpTic Gaming
3. Sentinels
4. XSET
5. Version1
6. 100 Thieves
7. Knights
8. The Guard
9. NRG
10. RISE
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Trade 1: C9 & RISE (#BrickedUp) | leaf & Shanks
    • "leaf" is consistently a top performer on a stellar Cloud 9 roster, displaying mastery of any duellist he's put on. However, seeing him paired with the skilled play of "Derrek" + the frag power of "neptune", I think RISE could really be taken to new heights.

• "Shanks" on the other hand, could be argued as the most inconsistent player on RISE, especially after their results on the open qualifier for VCT. Being a very confidence driven player, having him play under the structure of "Vanity" + C9 coaches, could see the best come out in him, seeing him potentially have more space to play around with.

Trade 2: OpTic Gaming & NRG | yay & s0m

• When "yay" first joined the Envy core, there was an instant shift for the team, from being a consistent 4th/5th team, to beating SEN and coming second in Berlin. "yay" being such an explosive player and all-star on Jett, can help bring some more carry potential to a bubbling NRG roster

• "s0m" isn't a bad player by any means, you just have to tune into a stream to see no end of highlights on most duellist picks, however, NRG haven't been able to get the most out of him for a while, but with the guidance of "FNS" and star Sova "crashies" he could have more room to work and bring back those high-impact games on Jett as well as a great Chamber which was showcased in the most recent weeks of VCT.

Trade 3: Sentinels & The Guard | dapr & neT

• "dapr" has historically been an exception sentinel player for SEN since their inception, always bringing crucial & high-impact frags when needed. His high skill ceiling + tenure at the top of the game combine to bring a veteran presence to a young team on the rise. While his Chamber may not be as strong as "neT", his other agents (particularly Cypher) are world class, and it's only a matter of time before he catches up on Chamber as well.

• "neT" had been on the come up for a long time, before being trialled by ANDBOX, and eventually picked up as the first piece of The Guards puzzle. He could learn a lot as a young player under the SEN core, also bringing an exceptional Chamber which "dapr" cannot yet match. While he may be a bit weaker at the other agents, I believe the sky is the limit for this young talent.

Trade 4: XSET & Knights | zekken & XXiF

• zekken has emerged as a top tier flex player, playing the Skye, KAY/0, and most notably, Raze for an ever-present XSET. Moving him to a team with another promising talent in "ban" + the support of Immortals alumni "genghsta", he could really do some damage and take games some of the teams listed above.

• XXiF has been on the Knights team for a long team, dealing with a sometimes revolving door of players. having a stronger IGL in "dephh" and deadly partner in crime in "Cryocells". With flexibility to boot, he could provide the support the teams needs to back up their already outstanding firepower.

Trade 5: Version1 & 100 Thieves | zander & jcStani

• Not many were sure if the IGL hole could be filled again properly after the departure of "Vanity" at the end of 2021, they tried with "oderus" but something just didn't seem to be clicking. "zander" came into the team riding the success of a SoaR roster that he lead to tier 2 dominance, and he brought that same resolve to his new home, that have since dominated tier 2, and have gone undefeated in their group for VCT. Giving "zander" the keys to such talent as "Asuna" & "Ethan" could solve a lot of potential problems with 100 Thieves, giving them a certified IGL, as supposed to shoehorning "Ethan" into it.

• "jcStani" has been a staple of NA Valorant, moving between tier 2 teams, but never having his skill questioned by most of the community. Being one of the most flexible player in NA, it would bring more options for Version1, as well as another competent IGL who has led a successful team before. I think "jcStani" on this team would be one of the most interesting to watch if it was to ever happen

This is amazing

thanks for writing but i ain't reading all of this. can someone summarise and tell what he's talking about

Ethan is the IGL for 100T, no?

W post

cool post but why are all the player names in double quotes? idk it just bothers me a little lol

Zander going to 100T seemed like the most obvious move in the off-season.

I can't possibly understand why they passed on him for ec1s.

Could've had a team with:
Hiko - Sentinel
Ethan - Initiator
Asuna - Flex or 2nd duelist
Zander - Smokes
Seven/Cryo/literally any other cracked jett main - main duelist

As for V1 in this hypothetical, I think they'd be fucked. jcStani has expressed that he dislikes IGL-ing, despite him being IMO pretty solid.