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Articles by Blake Van Poucke
The Valorant VCT Lock//IN Sao Paulo schedule and matchup release
January 17, 2023#News The matchups and schedule have dropped for the opening season Valorant VCT Lock//in event starting on Feb. 13. The long-awaited 30-team, single elimination bracket has been released for the Valorant VCT Lock//IN event in Sao Paulo. The event, taking place on Feb. 13, will include two additional Chinese teams to expand the bracket to a balanced 32 teams.
G2 wippie on roster potential: “I don’t want to jinx us, but it feels like we can make franchising, easily”
Days after the G2 VALORANT roster announcement, wippie sat down with esports.gg to talk about his new teammates and switching over to Smokes. A new era begins for G2 in the form of a region and roster shakeup. After missing on a franchise spot, G2 has pivoted and committed to building a roster capable of jumping from Challengers to the VCT — this time in North America.
KOI Esports sign European VALORANT core for VCT 2023
Spanish League of Legends organization, KOI Esports, has made the move to Valorant. Signing a list of the best available European free agents for the upcoming 2023 VCT season. KOI Esports is one of the final partnered teams to announce a full roster for the upcoming VCT season starting in March 2023. They’ve been rumored around ostensibly every big-name free agent in Europe, but now we have official confirmation.
S1mple: “We are losing our confidence because of individual performances”
NAVI’s S1mple shares his thoughts on the team’s performance, the recent changes to the AWP and M4 and more. The BLAST Premier World Finals is the final event of the year and features some of the best CS: GO tams in the world. For many of these players, this event marks the end of the season before they head into a break ahead of the new year. For NAVI, however, this season was a tough one.
Pansy Wins Play-by-Play Caster of the Year at the 2022 Esports Awards
The iconic Valorant, PUBG, and Counter-Strike caster, Lauren “Pansy” Scott, wins her first play-by-play caster of the year at the 2022 Esports Awards. Pansy’s legacy as a play-by-play caster is cemented in the minds of every first-person shooter fan involved in esports. Her reach spans many years, audiences, and many different games, culminating in her award-winning work on the VCT in 2022. It’s unprecedented to have fans willing to watch a new game solely for a caster, but Pansy has that power.
Hungrybox wins 2022 Content Creator of the Year at the Esports Awards: “When you don’t have a big brother pushing you, sometimes you have to do it yourself” - Esports | Esports.gg
Juan “Hungrybox” Debidma wins Content Creator at the 2022 Esports Awards. The Melee legend and Team Liquid owner takes home the coveted streamer award. For Smash Melee fans, Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma raising a trophy is a familiar sight. In his 15-year career, Hungrybox has electrified crowds with unbelievable skill using his patented Jigglypuff. He’s won the most prize money of all time of any Melee player. Now, he’s winning a different type of prize.
Na’vi’s B1ad3 wins Coach of the Year at the 2022 Esports Awards
Andrii “B1ad3” Horodenskyi wins Esports Coach of the Year at the 2022 Esports Awards. The Na’vi head coach helped the team overcome the unimaginable difficulties of dealing with a war on home soil while delivering world-class results in the Counter-Strike server. Since B1ad3 was brought over from Gambit in the winter of 2019 to coach Na’vi, the Ukrainian-based organization has had its longest stretch of success dating back to the CS 1.6 days.
How DRX are tapping into VALORANT mania in Japan to build a world-class Game Changers team
VALORANT in Japan is booming and DRX are building a Japanese-based Game Changers roster. DRX Dori is the first piece of the puzzle. Success in VALORANT is nothing new to DRX. Their South Korean Valorant roster placed third in the VCT Champions 2022, and were responsible for eliminating two fan favorites; Fnatic and Team Liquid. However, with the new season comes a new project: Game Changers. The org has already recruited their first player, DRX Dori, but they are in no rush to complete it.
NRG adds another former OpTic Gaming superstar by signing Victor
Victor “Victor” Wong is set to compete alongside some familiar faces as he joins NRG for the 2023 Valorant Champions Tour. NRG has been slowly revealing its roster members for the upcoming VCT season. As of now, many of those members have one thing in common. They were all part of the epic OpTic Gaming roster that placed top three in every single 2022 international tournament. NRG continues that theme with the addition of Victor “Victor” Wong.
Team Liquid say goodbye to ScreaM and Nivera in roster rebuild
Team Liquid announced on twitter a mutual parting of ways with stars Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom’ and Nabil “Nivera” Benrlitom. The French brothers were a staple to the Team Liquid identity. Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom was ostensibly the face of the EMEA franchise. Starting with the team back when the initial rosters were being signed in 2020, ScreaM was one of the biggest name players on the market. His tenure lasted nearly three years, with countless victories and triumphs.
NRG bolster roster with former VCT Masters champion crashies
The NRG roster construction is nearly complete with the signing of 2022 VCT Masters Reykjavik Champion, Austin “Crashies” Roberts, going official The former OpTic Gaming star, known for his play on Sova, has officially signed on as an Initiator for NRG. With 33 total VCT games played (23 in 2022 alone), Austin “Crashies” Roberts is certainly one of the most experienced free agents available. He’ll be a key piece for NRG and joins a number of his former teammates.
NRG Valorant roster adds FNS, another piece of the OpTic puzzle
NRG Valorant roster adds FNS, another piece of the OpTic puzzle Published: Nov 8, 2022 4:12 pm Updated: Nov 8, 2022 4:14 pm One player announced. Four more to go! NRG has announced FNS as its first Valorant player. One of the few franchised orgs in North America, NRG started off its roster unveil with coach Chet and is now slowly unveiling its entire roster over the course of the week. The first player joining NRG Valorant is the former OpTic Valorant IGL, Pujan “FNS” Mehta.
Dallas Fuel earn franchise first Grand Finals berth, winning 70% of Team fights over Houston Outlaws
The Dallas Fuel earned their first trip to the Overwatch League Grand Finals, beating the Houston Outlaws, 3-1, and winning 70% of the team fights. The Dallas Fuel streak of destruction continues in the Upper Finals of the Overwatch League Playoffs. In a 3-1 victory, the Fuel utterly dismantled the Houston Outlaws. Fuel ended up winning an astonishing 70% of the team fights and taking 68% of the first bloods.
Dallas Fuel Fearless on Seoul Dynasty 3-0: “We carried out our plan perfectly and played how we played in scrims”
The Dallas Fuel and main tank Fearless swept the Seoul Dynasty, 3-0, to move onto a Winners Finals matchup with rival the Houston Outlaws The Dallas Fuel are on an unbelievable heater going all the way back to the Summer Showdown. In their last 18 games, the Fuel have a 17-1 record, with an astounding +37 in map differential. It’s been an incredible streak, matching dominant teams of yesteryear (Shock 2019 & 2020, Dragons 2021) and obliterating opponents.
Spark Teru on AlphaYi benching: “We did see AlphaYi towards the end mainly because the main character in any sort of story appears towards the end”
The Hangzhou Spark eliminated the Toronto Defiant with Shy and Teru stealing the show in the map five playoff victory In the battle of talented teams that underperformed in the regular season, the Hangzhou Spark, fresh off the heels of a sweep at the hands of the Dallas Fuel, pulled out a map five victory over the Toronto Defiant. The win avoided a quick elimination and sent the eleventh seeded Defiant home with an 0-2 playoff record.
TaToH wins Redbull Wololo Legacy: The biggest Age of Empires II tournament
In the halls of the Heidelberg Castle in Germany, the 32 year old Spainaird, Roberto “TaToH” Jimenez, took home the largest cash prize in Age of Empire II history at the Redbull Wololo: Legacy event. With $60,000 on the line, and in front of a raucous live crowd – TaToH conquered his demons by taking out a tournament favorite in 20 year old, Austrian born player Kai “Liereyy” Kallinger, 4-2. The win marks the first S-tier championship for TaToH and effectively doubles his career earnings.
Sean Gares steps down as 100 Thieves Valorant Head Coach, MikesHD takes over
100 Thieves VALORANT have announced that head coach Sean Gares will step down to pursue content creation, with assistant coach Michael “Mikes” Hockom set to take over his role. In what amounts to a shocking announcement after a successful 2022 campaign, Sean Gares, a former VALORANT caster and professional CS:GO player, will be taking a step back as 100 Thieves head coach and relinquishing his role to MikesHD.
G2 release full VALORANT after missing VCT partnership
G2 Esports have decided to part ways with their VALORANT roster after missing out on the Riot partnership, due to the Carlos situation. The G2 Esports story around Riot’s partnerships is a tragic one. A storied esports organization, with roots dating back to beta, missed partnership after the CEO derailed their chances. In light of reports that C9 took their spot in the Americas league, G2 have decided to release their roster into free agency.
Sentinels Sign Two World Champions in Sacy and pancada
North America’s most clouted VALORANT organization Sentinels have acquired the rights to two Brazilian World Champions from LOUD, Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi and Bryan “pancada” Luna. The LOUD duo of Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi and Bryan “pancada” Luna is the final two pieces of the Sentinels’ rebuild. After bringing in star Duelist Zachary “Zekken” Patrone, in-game leader Rory “dephh” Jackson, former XSET head coach Dan “Sykko” Muir, and Ghost Gaming coach Adam Kaplan.
Riot upgrading VALORANT post-match win and loss screens
Riot is planning to roll out significant changes to the VALORANT post-match win and loss screens for patch 5.08 In an effort to upgrade VALORANT’s existing user experience and interface, Riot is planning to roll out significant changes to the post-game win and loss screens for patch 5.08. “Show off your team’s MVP and your team composition while reinforcing the emotional narrative coming out of your most recent game—win or lose,” said Tea Chang, UX design manager for VALORANT at Riot.
Sentienls sign top Free agent Zekken to begin rebuild
Sentinels have signed a cornerstone piece and kicked off their rebuild with former XSET Duelist Zackary “Zekken” Patrone After Sentinels signed Zekken’s former head coach, Dan “Syyko” Muir, and analyst Adam Kaplan, the first roster domino has fallen and it’s one of the most sought-after talents in the free agent market. Syyko, who undoubtedly has a say in the Sentinels roster construction, reunites with a player he helped develop into a perennial star.
Cryocells joins 100 Thieves Valorant roster
The NA Franchised org has let go of William “Will” Cheng. 100 Thieves has officially signed Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban to its Valorant roster, the org announced today. As Valorant fans eagerly await the outcome of the current roster signings, 100 Thieves has made the first move. The LA-based org has announced the signing of the former XSET star as we head into the Valorant 2023 season. Earlier today, Riot also unveiled 25 VCT off-season events.
Riot Announces 25 Offseason Valorant Events across all regions
Riot has announced the official events and dates for the VALORANT OFF//SEASON, allowing tournament organizers to experiment with format. After the season concluded with LOUD taking the World Championship back to Brazil, the attention quickly turned to the offseason. With a five-month break and massive roster changes with the partnership system incoming, fans were left wondering if Riot would finally announce the third-party events that have been teased since 2021.
Riot reintroduces popular Night Market back into VALORANT
VALORANT fans, rejoice. The Night Market is back, providing players an alternative to skin bundles with six additional skins available for collectors and skin aficionados. After a brief hiatus, Riot is reintroducing the popular feature, Night Market, back into the game. The Night Market offers a direct alternative and a more personalized option to the standard VALORANT store. With a random selection of gun skins, it is yet another opportunity for players to find the skin they want and purchase it.
OpTic FNS: “I’ve been saying it since the beginning of the year, every time we’ve done this. It’s always come back stories for us and today was no different” - Esports | Esports.gg
OpTic cements their legacy as VALORANT’s most consistent team by reaching Grand Finals a record-breaking three times after winning over DRX. LOUD and OpTic are on a crash course with destiny. For the record-breaking sixth time in 2022, OpTic will face one of the greatest esports teams in Brazil’s history with a World Championship on the line.
DRX vs OpTic Preview: Will OpTic “re-enact Iceland” or will DRX be “creating their own destiny”?
It’s crunch time for OpTic Gaming and DRX, who face off for a chance at redemption against LOUD in the Grand Finals of the VCT CHampions. (Featured Image: @staxVLRT) It is all on the line today (September 17th 2022) for DRX (KR) vs OpTic (NA) as the two teams face off for a VCT Champs finals slot against LOUD (BR). For both teams this is a chance of achieving greatness for their regions and proving these regions can stand up to the challenge of the LOUD powerhouse.
LOUD Sacy after beating OpTic: “It’s not over yet. History can repeat itself, so I’m working to make sure it doesn’t happen. I want the trophy this time” - Esports | Esports.gg
LOUD Sacy speaks on his team achieving a feat only two other teams have accomplished in the past, reaching their second Masters Grand Finals LOUD and OpTic is the rivalry that will define the 2022 VCT season. Since their first meeting in Upper FInals at Master Reyjavik, the two sides have played four times. More than any two teams have played at Masters events in the short history of VALORANT.
XSET confirms the team did not ask for replayed round on the controversial turret bug ruling
The players chime in with their opinions on the bug and Riot’s competitive ruling In what would have been an otherwise innocuous, yet thrilling finish to FPX beating XSET 2-1, Riot admins ruled that the final round on Ascent would need to be replayed due to an in-game bug involving the Killjoy turret. As the production crew, crowd and players were exiting the venue, Riot dragged them back on stage to play out the final rounds, much to the chagrin of the players and staff.
XSET dephh on team success: “We recruited some of the brightest talents in the NA region. Every day we as a team work on supporting them to their maximum ability.” - Esports | Esports.gg
In an interview with the XSET roster, the team discussed finding that comfort level on stage and beating Europe’s best teams at VALORANT Champions XSET is going through a resurgence at VALORANT Champions, proving to the world the talent runs deep on this roster. With a 3-1 record, and wins over EMEA titans Fnatic and FPX, XSET has catapulted up the rankings.
OpTic FNS on the tech pauses: “We don’t need to cheat to win.”
OpTic FNS on the tech pauses after beating XSET and advancing into Upper Finals against LOUD: “We don’t need to cheat to win.” OpTic Gaming has been the symbol of consistency in VALORANT Champions Tour. Finishing the top three at every Masters event in 2022 and reaching Upper Finals twice during that span is unprecedented. No team has experienced the same longevity of success that OpTic has this year.
DRX after win over FPX: “We’ve been able to play in front of fans in Korea but not abroad so it was a dream come true.”
Confirmed to be the longest international map ever played, the marathon Ascent went to six overtimes before DRX finally overcame their demons and defeated the Masters Copenhagen champs FPX. With Ascent being the FPX map pick, DRX needed to close out on their map pick Breeze to conclude the series and get their biggest win to date. Heading into the second half up 9-3 on Breeze, it was all a matter of sticking to their game plan and closing the huge lead.
Valorant patch 5.05: Riot introduces minor social and gameplay system updates
Valorant patch 5.05 sees many social updates along with minor gameplay fixes. Amongst the hype that is VCT Champions 2022, the engineers at Riot Games are still hard at work polishing Valorant. While it would not be the smartest decision to make significant changes to the game during Valorants biggest tournament of the year, there is still work that needs to be done.
LOUD qualify for VALORANT Champions sending ZETA Division home
In the rematch for the second seed in group B at VALORANT Champions, LOUD handled ZETA Division, ending the dream for Japan’s best team. Brazil’s LOUD has qualified for the VALORANT Champions playoffs after dispensing Japan’s ZETA Division in a swift 2-0 fashion. The win advanced LOUD into the playoffs where they will face the group A winner Leviatan. For ZETA, it’s a bitter pill to swallow as their Championship dreams come to a forceful halt after an overall successful 2022 campaign.
XSET BcJ after the win over XSET: “You got to be tough mentally as a team and I think we’re probably the toughest out of any team at this tournament so that’s why” - Esports | Esports.gg
XSET BcJ after the win over XSET: “You got to be tough mentally as a team and I think we’re probably the toughest out of any team at this tournament so that’s why” Published: Sep 6, 2022 2:35 am Updated: Sep 6, 2022 2:50 am XSET spoke to the media in a press conference after the major upset over Masters Copenhagen champs FPX on winning the group and looking ahead to the playoffs North America’s XSET were one of two teams to end Masters Copenhagen 0-2 and fall out of playoffs immediately.
XSET BcJ after the win over FPX: “You got to be tough mentally as a team and I think we’re probably the toughest out of any team at this tournament so that’s why” - Esports | Esports.gg
XSET BcJ after the win over FPX: “You got to be tough mentally as a team and I think we’re probably the toughest out of any team at this tournament so that’s why” Published: Sep 6, 2022 2:35 am Updated: Sep 6, 2022 6:12 am XSET spoke to the media in a press conference after the major upset over Masters Copenhagen champs FPX. They talked about winning the group and looking ahead to the playoffs.
LOUD Less on Pearl loss: “Whoever figures out how to apply the best game to the map fastest is the one that is going to have the upper hand, and at the end of the day, they were faster than us” - Esports | Esports.gg
LOUD Less spoke after the 2-1 loss to Optic Gaming. He spoke on playing Pearl, facing Optic four times in 2022, and his performance Three Masters level events in 2022. Four matchups between the Brazillian super team LOUD and the Masters Reyjavik Champions OpTic Gaming. The budding international rivalry continues with OpTic getting their third consecutive win over LOUD, sending them to the lower bracket of group B at VALORANT Champions.
“On every single map, in every single scenario we’re confident that we are able to close out these matches & get the win” says DRX’s BuZz after win against 100Thieves - Esports | Esports.gg
DRX’s mental fortitude was on display once more at Champions 2022 as they overcame 100Thieves to secure their spot in the Playoffs. DRX beat 100Thieves 2 – 0 in the Group D Winners match at Champions 2022 in Istanbul. With this win DRX have managed to secure their spot in the Champions 2022 Playoffs by finishing at the top of Group D.
XSET win over XERXIA Keeps North America’s undefeated streak alive at Valorant Champions
XSET win their opening match in group C of Valorant Champions over XERXIA 2-0 with huge performances from Zekken and Cryocells XSET’s first appearance on the Masters Stage ended in disappointment. The young, inexperienced roster entered the Copenhagen playoffs cold and faced the Stage 1 champions Optic and then later the dangerous Leviatan team. In the grand scheme of the VCT, it was a learning experience for XSET. Now entering Valorant Champions, the team has a renewed focus.
100 Thieves Will: “Playing good for me is just playing confident. When I play very confident and I kind of take over in the game with my comms and everything. I can take over games just like that”
The current 100 Thieves hot streak rolls on after beating the European favorites Fnatic 2-1 in Group D of VALORANT Champions 2022. It’s been nearly an entire year since 100 Thieves played on the Master’s stage. The former roster paved the way for North American VALORANT in early 2021. However, the current roster is looking to take the next step forward. Combined, the former and current roster, have an unblemished record (3-0) against what many consider to be the best region in VALORANT, Europe.
OpTic FNS on rivalry with LOUD: “I think it’s one of those things that will definitely be a battle. Both teams are going to go in really wanting to win […] they want to beat us and get revenge.” - Esports | Esports.gg
OpTic FNS on rivalry with LOUD: “I think it’s one of those things that will definitely be a battle. Both teams are going to go in really wanting to win […] they want to beat us and get revenge.” Published: Sep 2, 2022 11:44 am Updated: Sep 2, 2022 11:49 am OpTic Gaming and LOUD will once again lock horns as they bid to be the next team to qualify for the playoffs. This OpTic Gaming roster is back for their second consecutive Valorant Champions, this time under the banner of the GREENWALL.
BOOM Esports’ blaZek1ng on Crashies ACE: “crashies pushed and it was like ‘free ace’ and we’re just screaming ‘go, go, go, go!’ It’s very fun, of course, we have fun” - Esports | Esports.gg
In a post-match interview, BOOM Esports’ blaZek1ng spoke on the teams confidence level, taking a map off Optic, and the crashies BOOM Esports is the premier Indonesian Valorant team, but that success domestically never translated to the APAC region until Last Chance Qualifiers. After an impressive 4-0 run at LCQ, BOOM qualified for their first International LAN and as fate would have it, faced one of the world’s premier teams in Optic right out of the gate.
Leviatán dismantle Team Liquid in opening round of Valorant Champions
Chilean-based Leviatán quickly answered any doubts about repeating their Masters Copenhagen performance with a dominant 2-0 win over Europe’s Team Liquid in the first round of VALORANT Champions. Leviatán were the breakout team of Masters Copenhagen finishing top 6 in the international tournament. The dark horse squad took out LATAM rivals KRU in the regional finals and North American champ XSET during playoffs.
Paper Rex Benkai sets the VALORANT Champions stage with sandwiches
Valorant Champions stars Benkai, yay, Tacolilla, and Boaster spoke the media ahead of the start of group play on Wednesday “I appreciate if everyone asking the questions could go a bit slower because I don’t have enough time (to make sandwiches). I’ve only made one for Boaster so far” In three International events, Paper Rex’s eccentric IGL, Benedict “Benkai” Tan, has established himself as the pre-eminent class clown of VALORANT.
Valorant phenom nAts enters free agency, leaving M3C
The 2021 VCT Masters 3: Berlin Most Valuable Player, Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin, has announced his departure from M3C as a free agent M3C, formerly under the Gambit name, defined the early portion of VALORANT’s competitive landscape. The win at Masters 3 established this roster as world-class and capable of taking the ultimate prize at VCT Champions. Despite falling one map short against Acend in the Champions Grand Finals, most analysts considered the Russian side the best team of 2021.
Riot Games to expand VALORANT Challengers in 2023
Riot is committing to the tier-two scene with the introduction of 21 regional circuits and a new event series labeled Ascension The VALORANT Champions Tour landscape is set to drastically change in 2023 through the introduction of a partnered system, and fans and players alike turned have their attention to the tier-two scene.
100 Thieves Asuna: “Us beating them 3-0 and them banning our two best maps, or what they think are our two best maps, is kind of a statement”
After three grueling days straight of matches, including two wins in best-of-fives, 100 Thieves will join Optic and XSET in Istanbul as the NA LCQ champion. In a miraculous run through North America’s Last Chance Qualifiers Lower bracket, 100 Thieves sent Sentinels, Cloud9, Faze Clan, and The Guard home empty-handed.
The Guard Valyn on his calling: “I feel like I’ve been calling the best I’ve ever had right now and I just know how the other team is trying to counter us and I know what they’re trying to do.” - Esports | Esports.gg
The Guard and IGL Vlayn decimate the NA LCQ Favorites Faze Clan in a 2-0 win, securing their spot in Grand Finals and moving one win away from Champs. The Guard has once again entered as the underdog and completely taken the VCT by storm. In a 2-0 stomp of the LCQ favorite Faze Clan, the Stage One champs reestablished themselves as the team to beat.
JonahP’s Valorant crosshair and video settings
JonahP’s Valorant crosshair and video settings Published: Aug 12, 2022 4:10 pm Updated: Aug 12, 2022 1:46 pm Here are JonahP’s Valorant settings. Are they enough to help you rank up in your pubs? After OpTic, The Guard is one of the best Valorant teams in North America. The team won 2022 Challengers 1 after bootcamping for several months. Their hard work and perseverance paid off as they won the Challengers. However, the team could not put up a strong performance during Masters.
100 Thieves end the Sentinels NA LCQ run with Shroud
In an effort to prove the countless doubters wrong, Sentinels end their LCQ run with a record of 1-2 but show the potential of this newly formed roster. In short order, we saw glimpses of the formulation of a new core. In a breath of fresh air, Tyson “TenZ” Ngo show signs of life with his first match eclipsing the 225 ACS mark since May 13th in the Challengers Stage 2 group stages.
NRG’s young star, Sam “s0m” Oh, spoke on the win over Evil Geniuses, overcoming Pistol rounds, and what it will take to qualify. The rarity of a team winning handily in the VCT NA region are slim. NRG, with some bumpiness at the end of Icebox, showed up and played relatively mistake-free Valorant in the win. Clean, efficient Valorant, Sweeping EG and eliminating them from the NA LCQ in the process.
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