As Valorant’s esports scene continues to snowball in 2021, players from all different FPS titles are flocking to score some Valorant glory. Here’s are some of the best Overwatch League players who have already jumped ship to Riot’s FPS.
Right from the get-go, Valorant has been constantly been compared to FPS titans Overwatch and CS:GO. With the abilities and character design reminiscent of Blizzard’s champion title and the weaponry and gunplay tactics more like CS:GO, Valorant is the perfect blend of the two.
It’s hardly a surprise that the Future Earth shooter has a blossoming esports scene, whose first global event kicks off this year in the form of the Valorant Champions Tour.
We’ve seen a whole host of CS:GO pros up and leave the scene and resettle in Valorant, but the Overwatch League has seen a similar exodus. Here are all the notable players who have made the switch.
Shane ‘Rawkus’ Flaherty
Formerly of the Houston Outlaws, the flex support player certainly made an impact. A part of the World Cup-winning squad of 2019, Houston have become one of OWL fans’ favorite organizations.
Clearly, though, FaZe Clan went shopping for OWL pros for their Valorant roster. Rawkus made the switch to Riot’s FPS last year, and has joined two other OWL superstars on the FaZe roster. A legendary Sova and Jett player, Rawkus is dominating on Future Earth one game at a time.
Andrej ‘babybay’ Francisty
Known by many as ‘The King’, former Atlanta Reign Hitscan DPS Babybay had a pretty decent career with the OWL icons. Finishing in the upper half of the results tables consistently, Atlanta certainly developed a pretty scary reputation.
Middle of the pack though, wasn’t good enough for the Overwatch pro, who admitted that “my heart is just not in it anymore” when it came to Blizzard’s title. Instead, he’s joined Rawkus on FaZe’s dominant Valorant roster, where his fragging skills have made him one of the many contenders for the Valorant NA throne.
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Damien ‘HyP’ Souville
Hailing from the iconic Paris Eternal, HyP was one of Overwatch’s most impressive flex supports. The team’s pretty disappointing record, however, is likely the reason that the French FPS star decided to jump onto the Valorant ship.
Since leaving OWL behind the player has successfully remodeled himself in the Valorant image. Having played for Swedish FPS goliaths Ninjas In Pyjamas during the Blast Invitational, the player’s ability to flex between Duelist and Initiator Agents make him one to watch.
Corey ‘Corey’ Nigra
Last but not least is Corey, the current captain of FaZe’s Valorant roster. The former OWL captain, who guided Washington Justice to an Overwatch World Cup win hung up his OWL jersey last year to pursue a career in Valorant.
Now in charge of FaZe Clan’s star-studded Valorant roster, he’s taken his team to the North American leg of First Strike and earned a silver medal at the JBL Quantum Cup. We can’t wait to see where the iconic organization end up in the Valorant Champions Tour this year with Corey at the helm.
So that’s it for our list of OWL players who have made the transfer over to Valorant. Of course we couldn’t compile a list like this without shouting out FaZe’s Zachary ‘ZachaREEE’ Lombardo, or Cloud9 Korea’s Byeon ‘Munchkin‘ Sang-beom.
As the game’s esports scene continues to develop we can’t wait to see if any other players are added to this list, and if they’ll be wearing a jersey that isn’t a FaZe one!
