The Stars: Best Valorant Operator Players - 2022 Strafe Edition

To commemorate the Valorant Competitive 2022 year, Strafe Writers Ganesh and Zen compiled a list of the top player in specific roles. The roles considered were Flex, IGL, Entry, Site Anchor, OPer, Recon, and Controller.

With the Chamber on top of the Valorant Agent pick rates, the year was one for the operator players. The stars in any team, Operator players are the Snipers in any team, controlling and crushing down attacks and defense from a distance. The primary job of any player in the Operator role is to wield the strongest Valorant gun "Operator." In 2022, with Chamber, the operator players and play rose to the top of the Valorant world. Chamber's abilities to pick off and teleport out made op'ing very effective and oppressive, making the operator players the stars of the teams or the stars of the team the Operator players.

The top five Operator players in Valorant 2022 are as follows:

1. Yay:

Jacob "Yay" Whiteaker, or El Diablo, rose to his name. This was yay's year through and through on Optic as a Chamber main. Yay perfected the Chamber playstyle. He played out of his mind, putting insane numbers all around the year and topping the charts in the numbers departments. Yay's Chamber brought home Optic their first International trophy at the VCT Masters Reykjavik 2022. The domination continued LAN after LAN, and his Chamber did not seem to stop. His consistency made a case for him as the best Operator player and the Best Player of 2022.

[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i3giBrqKOI"]

2. f0rsaken:

One-half of Paper Rex's deadly Duo, Jason "F0rsaken" Susantoo, wielded operator on multiple agents, Chamber, Jett, and Yoru, and made it work on all of them. His dexterity with the gun helped his team to assert APAC domination. f0rsaken is one of the best mechanically talented players in Valorant. His operator helped Paper Rex finish second place and fourth place at the International events.

[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S-xcv7zg_Y"]

3. Ardiis

Ardis "Ardiis" Svareneiks helped FPX win some unbelievable rounds, but he shone the most with an operator. Famously known as the escape artist, Ardiis was consistently getting picks and getting away, making it hard for the opposition to deal with him. Ardiis, Shoa, and Suygetsu's trio helped FPX clinch the VCT Masters Copenhagen 2022 trophy. He was named the MVP for FPX at the event. Now playing with NRG, Ardiis will be among the world's top players.

[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euDcfXnX7eY"]

4. Jamppi: 

Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen and Team Liquid were known for the running operator on Off-meta agents with the Chamber in the meta. Jamppi finally found his agent while letting Scream be the primary duelist. Jamppi's operator skills shone on the agent, and he constantly caused trouble for the opposition with the big gun. With Jamppi's Operator, team liquid won their second LCQ in a row to secure a spot at the Valorant Champions 2022.

[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgaK7UvR4xU"]

5. Tacolilla: 

Leviatan came out of nowhere in LATAM and dominated the region in Stage 2. Vicente "Tacolilla" Compagnon and his operator were a big part of it. Tacolilla's Chamber pushed the agent's limits, playing it aggressively and catching people by surprise. Tacolilla and Leviatan had one of the best runs in the event, upset many significant teams, and almost beat Fnatic at The VCT Masters Copenhagen 2022. Tacolilla and his operator were a big part of the run, and he is one of the most talented players from LATAM.

[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekijkSJBEZM"]

Honorable Mention - LAZ

Zeta division's IGL Ushida "LAZ" Koji led the team from the front as the operator for the team. The team's insane run at the VCT Masters Reykjavik put Japan on the map. LAZ and his operator were front and center of this run.

This concludes our top five Valorant Operator players 2022 list. Stay tuned for more top five for other roles. 

Credits: VCT Twitter