Nikita Sirmitev: Team Vitality's Jett Player at Champions Shanghai

Record

The FNATIC years built the name. He reached the Masters Reykjavík final in 2021, then won two international events in 2023 and both EMEA league stages in 2024. Vitality have not yet matched that, but they started well, winning the 2025 EMEA Kickoff.

The best Champions finish in his career is fourth, with FNATIC in 2023. In Shanghai, Vitality beat Global Esports 2–1 (Abyss 13–10, Ascent 9–13, Summit 13–11) and then LOUD 2–0, winning Ascent 13–7 and an overtime Summit 19–17 in which he finished with 29 kills.

What is known about Derke

He is a first-contact player. On Jett over the last 90 days VLR.gg records 47 first kills against 39 first deaths in 11 maps, with an average combat score of 225.7 and a rating of 1.07. That is the job: take the first fight, win it more often than not, and open the site for the rest.

His pool goes beyond one agent. Neon on seven maps, then Yoru, Chamber, Raze and Waylay. Vitality can move him off Jett when a map suits another duelist.

The rating swings with the result. In the Shanghai group stage his map ratings ran from 0.73 to 1.18; in the Stage 2 playoff exit against Fire Flux Esports they ran from 0.60 to 1.25. When his first duels fail, Vitality rarely have another way into a site.

Vitality's 2026 was uneven. Second in EMEA Stage 1 and fourth at Masters London, then out at 7th–8th in Stage 2 after two 1–2 defeats, to Enterprise Esports and to Fire Flux. They qualified for Shanghai on championship points, fourth in EMEA.

Valorant Champions 2026: chances and why

Our estimate: Team Vitality win the event 10% of the time, a fair price of about 10.0 in decimal odds. It is our opinion of the probability, not a bookmaker price, and it exists so you can tell whether a quoted price is generous or thin.

1. Their group was the cleanest of any EMEA side. Two series wins, including a sweep of LOUD, who knocked NRG out of the Americas Stage 2 playoffs.
2. The roster has big-stage experience. Captain Jamppi, Chronicle, Sayonara and PROFEK play alongside him, coached by PAL, and the side reached the last four in London.
3. The September form was poor. Two playoff defeats in Stage 2 to teams that did not reach Champions are hard to ignore.
4. The opener is cross-region. Nongshim RedForce were second in Pacific Stage 2; the two sides do not meet in league play, so there is less to go on.
5. Upper bracket matters. Win on 8 October and Vitality buy a second chance for the rest of the bracket.

How to bet on Derke and Team Vitality

A duelist is the player most bookmakers build props around, so there are more markets for him than for a support player.

• Series winner against Nongshim RedForce. Run any price through the odds calculator before comparing it with our 10% title figure.
• Map handicap. Vitality +1.5 wins if they take at least one map; -1.5 needs a sweep. The handicap guide covers both.
• Kills over or under. Lines on duelists are set high. A Jett player who opens rounds can top the chart in an overtime map and fall well short in a 13–7 loss.
• First blood props. If a site prices first kill of a map or a round, his 47–39 opening record is the number to weigh against the price.
• In-play. Pistol rounds and the first gun round shape a half; our live betting guide explains timing.

Where to watch

Every playoff match is shown by Riot on the official VALORANT Esports channels, in English on Twitch and YouTube and in many other languages on regional channels. Some betting sites also stream selected matches to logged-in customers; we have picked out sites that offer this, though the match list changes from one to the next.

More on the Champions playoffs

The full draw, venues and format are on the Valorant Champions 2026 Shanghai bracket page. The other two profiles in this set: NRG captain Ethan and Paper Rex's f0rsakeN. For agents, veto and markets in general, see Valorant betting, and for other games go to the esports section.

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