Mainly outside of Val it's League and Wild Rift :) But I watch a CS2 match sometimes, when there's nothing else to consume LMAO

I kinda see that as maybe a potential upgrade that could also make working on the replay system easier for them because of the lighting system in UE5, and maybe a bit of compression on some assets so that size would potentially be smaller (even though I wouldn't expect that to be a lot). They did mention updates would download faster though, which would also be welcome given how painful updating is sometimes LMAO

For same reason as OP I agree that franchising definitely is good, at least viewer-wise and for some clarity in how things work overall. But it just hurts me to see all of the Tier 2 leagues in all regions struggle just to look barely alive. And it's not just a franchising issue, if you kind of follow Val since its esports start, you'll know that everything was horrible even pre-franchising.

It's just about the realisation that we can't just juggle the same players all around between teams in T1, some of them will go and retire or have some issues or you name it. And that's why we need T2 circuits, for new players to realise themselves and to just get reps in, get some reference material for orgs, but there's no way it can be self-funded. The money needs to come from somewhere and the game as an esport also needs to stay attractive for players and orgs.

I wish man. Mondays are horrible and sleep is non-existent :(

Welp, almost got it. Benjy did drop 50 at least, but seriously, how did KOI take a map away? Also a wide observation, TH doesn't play bad, but I don't see the same amount of insaneness they had with paTiTek on the roster. Could be a thing of time though, they didn't get that much pracc time with MiniBoo.

TH 2-0 KOI. Benjy drops +50 across both maps.

I unfortunately saw LOL I'm gonna have to eat my words, gg for me...

From what I vaguely remember from Split one, they didn't entirely have bad moments. I don't think they're a great team rn by any means, just think they could make it at least a little bit interesting. If my mind gets changes in a couple hours then I'll shush LOL

Tough to call but probably DRX 2-1 ZETA. I love both teams and both are promising, but historically DRX has been better at ironing out technical stuff faster.

That is a fair enough point, and to be honest it's something I also reached in my thoughts when I gave a bit more time. Maybe I should've extended my original post but I felt like I was talking too much LOL But I have a feeling that what FNC is going through is precisely what you're mentioning here. Catching up to the meta, rebuilding the whole thing from the ground up, which is what I meant when I said they need time. But so far they haven't really shown that they're fast enough, which pains me as a fan since the start, so I hope the boys can pull themselves back up. I haven't analysed them enough to know what exactly they should catch up on, but overall I get the idea.

Nah, that is such a bad take. While FNC have been looking rough, it's not specifically on Boaster or Elmapuddy. You're forgetting that this is still the team that managed to hold out in so many hardcore matches, a team that managed to pull one of the most insane comebacks against one of the most insane teams. Having an adjustment period with a new coach is normal, and FNC basically has to go through a whole stratbook rebuild to keep up to date. Besides, when you're stressed out as an IGL, your focus goes everywhere else but on aim duels - they are a big part, yes, but in Valorant keeping your team in sync goes over getting your 30 frags. You've got different people to do that. Shit just happens and FNC needs time.

NGL feels to me like PRX chose G2 for freelo and saving energy for later, harder matches. G2 isn't bad, but I think they're most likely to get caught off guard by PRX's random W gaming playstyle - what they've seen lately is just mainly gameplay and good timings, but finding timings against PRX is honestly kind of a feat.

Final prediction:

PRX 2-0 G2, maybe 2-1 if G2 has a really good day