If you've been following the VCT Stage 1 Challengers (and especially last week), you already knew who our Player of the Month for February would be. So yes, Penny from Version1 it is!
The VCT Challengers are going strong and are full of exciting matches. However, many of you probably watch just the "most important" matches – you know, the ones with the big names and established esports organizations. It's understandable, but that's also an easy way to overlook talented players like Erik "penny" Penny from Version1, to whom we will devote an entire article today. With what he has presented so far, we think every enthusiast of the Valorant esports scene should become familiar with his name.
"penny" (like many of the current Valorant pros) started his esports adventure in CS:GO. Although he hasn't scored a single major win, he has appeared at high-profile tournaments organized by Dreamhack and ESL. penny joined Version1's Valorant roster in February last year and since then, this organization has started to shine on the scene. First of all, the team qualified for a Masters tournament on their first try, and that doesn't happen every day. Second, our current Player of the Month was named Day 2 MVP of the entire tournament, even though no one knew this squad well yet, and they finished at 5th place, losing 0:3 to Fnatic, it was already clear that this was definitely not their last major.
In the entire VCT 2021 Circuit, Version1's squad finished in 4th place, just behind 100 Thieves, but unfortunately, that wasn't enough to make it to Champions. But still, they are on their way to return to Reykjavik, as after two weeks of Stage 1 Challengers, they hold first place in their group by defeating Rise and Knights.
- And who will they face next?: VCT Challengers Stage 1 Group Stage: Groups, Scores & Full Schedule
Why is penny our Player of the Month?
Our choice is driven by his performance during the first two weeks of the NA VCT Stage 1 Challengers – we kind of had no choice. A total KDA of 1.45 playing Jett and Chamber, and it was done in such a style that could make stars like "TenZ" and "cNed" feel a little uncomfortable. Think we're exaggerating? See for yourself:
.@penny9o makes it look easy. pic.twitter.com/wGCGMxGFS5
— Version1 (@version1gg) February 20, 2022
Not enough? Then we encourage you to check out the Version1 vs Rise match, where he scored a clean 46/22:
It's been exactly one year since he joined Version1, and to see how this organization has stepped up to the next level and become one of the better Valorant teams out there is just beyond imagination. By making him our Player of the Month, we want you to pay some attention to him, because any moment now, he may take the title of "best sniper on the professional Valorant scene". Or maybe he already is, we just haven't seen him in action enough.