EDG for the org and almost burning the hell out of their players during the off season

Just to finish it off

China:
W Orgs - JDG, Titan, FPX
L Orgs - EDG, Tyloo,

Bleed need to learn from Loud. Loud have one of the best viper players in the world in Less and they make it work by building a composition around the viper, even on maps where viper is arguable weaker. Bleed have one of the best chamber players in the world in yay, they need to make it work by building a composition around the chamber, even on maps where chamber is arguably weaker.

that or just dont put your world class chamber player on viper???????

also because different countries have different laws surrounding minors signing contracts, so Riot just plays it safe and keeps the age to play 18

A big contributing factor to them not looking as good is mostly because there is actual competition in their region now. EDG although are still the best team in the region, its not as easy as it was before. However I would also like to say that the sheer amount of off-season games they played/burnout has negatively affected the team.

I'm so jealous I won't be able to watch alot of EMEA this year cause of time difference, its the only region that is massively inconvenient to watch for me (like 2am - 5/6am).

I feel like you can say that for a lot of teams though. The only teams where i can confidently say that international lan experience will help them is LOUD, PRX and EDG. The other teams rather dont have that experience (KC, Heretics, FPX), or it has been so long since their last appearance (sentinels, geng) that I don't know whether they will be comfortable again just yet

I have genuinely no idea what to think about the teams in this region atm. I feel like most people would still say that Fnatic is the best team, but even as a fan myself, its kinda hard to say that atm when they only played 2 games and lost one. Heretics and KC look insane as well, but is this a case of a good team, or just an insane run? FUT and Giants I thought were good teams but both just got decimated in their group. Liquid I also had decent expectations for but lost to a team that was formed a week before kick-off (granted they beat them earlier but that just leaves more questions). Most regions I can look at and see a storyline coming up on who is going to do well and who isn't, but EMEA I still have so many questions

It's not like people were saying they were shit, but i dont feel like these players are getting enough attention

I'm very excited to see this team in the splits. This team looks severely underrated. Looks very reminiscent of last year where they pick up a bunch of players who everyone overlooks and although the look rough from the outside, give this team time and it will thrive

wouldnt work well with 11 teams

Can you recommend a better format for kickoff with 11 teams thats as fair as possible?

3 games in one day is the usual for most regions, but as soon as americas has to do 3 games its a marathon and after game 2, the casters, production and even the crowd just gave up. i dont mind funny comments and such during casting, but it got old so quick. the game was actually really cool and close, but the shitty casting and shitty production made it seem like a joke and that neither side was trying. also everyone acting as if the game was taking them to their bedtime, IT'S 9PM IN LA WHEN THE LAST GAME FINISHED. games finish at midnight regularly in pacific and china.

it better be holy shit

also if what yay said was true about him not being able to see properly during his game, the lighting could be a MASSIVE issue

The new venue just screams BUDGET, the lighting is also awful i hate how dark it is

Ranking

1. CN stage
2. Americas stage
3. EMEA stage
4. Pacific stage

Am I wrong?

I thought alot of people were sleeping on this team, they should def make play ins and I think they have a good shot at making it to kickoff playoffs

Very rocky start for him, hit some nice shots/kills but also had some pretty bad whiffs

I feel like its definately possible, especially the zeta ge game, all the players waiting to play must be exhausted. would be unfair to make them play

from what i remember, its even harder to get a work visa there

Me

Genuine question, what game is happening first, GE vs Zeta or Loud vs Sentinels

tbh i feel bad for the players in the upcoming games, they are probs gonna actually fall asleep in the practice room

why is there a game in my tech pause

ah ok lol im stupid

obviously but thats like comparing dog shit to cat shit

im very interested to see if with the recent buffs we see yay chamber again (the recent buffs are in the game right?)

I can see NRG and SEN putting up a decent fight against FNC, still favour FNC but will be good matches to watch none the less. I still have my reservations about LEV mostly just due to their issues with the initiator role and some inside drama regarding swapping out nozwer for c0m last minute.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2fW1q3e7jiCe9l55PlIcNE?si=4SjhAwWaQUmDhqUUaVnqIg

Found this band on my spotify discover weekly a while ago and haven't been able to stop listening to them since. Seriously underrated

I feel like this has to be something internal based. Thief is now a free-agent, so its not a trade deal/not going to another team (for now) and he is one of the teams best players so why would they drop him????

Find a new team

Tenz does lack in modern valorant game sense in some ways. However it is undeniable that he is still one of the most mechanically gifted players in the game. But you also have to think of it from an org/business standpoint kinda. Tenz brings sentinels a SHIT ton of fans and revenue. If he isn't necessarily throwing or losing games in spectacular fashion, why would you get rid of him? Plus there are alot of signs atm of him improving. I forgot where I heard this (most likely Sideshow or someone else on Plat Chat), but Tenz being on a flex role, learning new agents, gives him the ability to adapt to and learn alot more game sense that he lacks compared to others.

It's unfortunately just how this aspect of esport teams work, especially in games with lots of strategy like valorant. There is no doubt in my mind that Pancada is still a world class player, however it just so happens that Zellsis is popping the fuck off atm, so why as a coach would you not play him. I look at this the same way that EG started playing Demon1. Everyone complains because they were taking off a really good player in BCJ for a substitute. Now granted, not many people knew who Demon1 was at the time, but people were so quick to make judgements before they saw the potential of the change. BCJ, although now playing in tier 2, is still considered a very good player, not much has changed. Imagine Potter listened to the fan feedback and took Demon1 off and put him back on the bench after 2 games. I doubt they would have made Tokyo and I doubt they would've become world champions.

Although I'm not sure any of this matters, because from what I've heard in rumours, Pancada is still going to be starting during the regular season. Everyone needs to remember that Zellsis said HIMSELF when he was signed that he joined Sentinels as a 6th man so that he could still occasionally fulfil his competitive urge, but he would be able to have a focus on streaming/content creation. Most likely, they are using this off-season to give him the playtime he needs/wants.

I don't think this is the case at all. There are way more transfer success stories than transfer fail stories. But everyone just likes to focus on the fail stories cause "y0y funny haha"

best staged content ever

Probability I give that these events will happen:

Yay will make a major comeback (6/10) - Who knows, just depends on how well he gels with his team, his aggressive playstyle should do well in pacific however.
DRX will no longer be the second best team in APAC (7/10) - Definitely probable to happen, but they still have most of their core and both foxy9 and flashback are decent players in their own right. I don't think its necessarily them not going to be the 2nd best team, but there is a lot more competition in the top of the ladder now in pacific, which could push DRX down to 3rd, maybe 4th.
PRX/FNC will dominate their regions (8/10) - Both teams have shown dominance in pre season tourneys, but both teams have also shown flaws and mishaps as well in those same tourneys.
NAVI will be above the rest of emea but cant challenge FNC (4/10) - NAVI will be good, but to say they will be the 2nd best in EMEA confirmed is wild, especially when you have teams like FUT, Vitality and even possibly Liquid. Remeber, NAVI only changed ONE player, and yes they did rebuild the masters winning FPX roster, but I am seeing alot of copium from navi fans as of late.
TL/Loud will place mid-bottom (5/10) - Both teams I can definately see near the middle of the table, but middle-bottom i think is a bit too far. Team Liquid have some upset potential in their roster and could still be very competitive. Loud, although looking weaker compared to last year, I've learnt to trust Saadhak's igl'ing.
Sen will keep form untill half way through the year (3/10) - Form is always hard to predict, you can never predict the mental of anyone. However Sentinels, with massively positive and fun players like Zellsis and Zekken, I see it hard for this team to lose motivation at least.
Lev will win Shanghai (2/10) - Could see it happening, too far out to tell though, need to see more LEV.
EDG wins champs (1/10) - Also too far out to tell, but if they keep burning themselves out and never give themselves a break, this can see very slim.

If you really need one now and have the money, go for the 14 instead of 15. save around 400ish bucks when the two arent that different imo

Sentinels vs NRG - NA Heroes vs NA Villains
T1 vs PRX - Susanto Brother Rivalry
Vitality vs KC - French Derby

Any other cool/fun matchups that we are gonna see next year?

These skins are made to help fund the VCT and all the teams. I forgot the revenue split, but i know its at least 50/50

Red Bull Home Ground in Tokyo didn't even have a prizepool, and what did 100T place in that?

https://twitter.com/Sentinels/status/1702382232466497796

Look at that damn wink. He knew he wasn't gonna settle for being a sub

Not even that much of a sentinels fan, but seeing this team lift a trophy, especially Tenz after so long, has put a smile on my face

period

If i was SEN, I'd pick rather zellsis or pancada to sell to another team (most likely pancada at this rate) and replace him with a promising t2 player who they can train up. They'd get bank from selling a player like pancada, and they will then have the 6th player as a promising prospect which they can profit off in the future rather by selling or playing. Meanwhile Pancada can be the star player of another team and Sentinels don't have to fear overcooking with their roster by constantly swapping out a 6th man for someone else on the team.

well i mean, they really shouldn't be playing him at all. they should be practicing with the roster they will play with in 2024. as much as i love jinggg and the fact he is really good, he shouldnt be playing. they need to play davai, something, forsaken, mindfreak and monyet, afterall jingg wont be playing next year

SEN wins > Zekken or Sacy
PRX wins > D4v41 or s0mething

If PRX lose: "Monyet sucks, why did they pick him up he sucks so much"
If SEN lose: "Why tf did they put Zellsis in for Pancada, dude is washed, Pancada better"

I don't believe in either of these, but one will start here after the game ends, regardless of the result

I dont blame them though honestly. I think after the past two years in esports where teams have been going bankrupt left right and centre, riot is probably aiming for teams that are sustainable economically. Wolves might not be as well known in the esports scene, but they definitely have the money

Edit: ok apparently they are big in china, im stupid

If I was EDG, i would pull out of any remaining off season tournaments and just let the team rest. If they dont stop playing before VCT China starts, the burnout is going to REALLY effect their performance. Being burnt out and tired during the OFF SEASON, especially as we are getting closer to the start of the 2024 season, is really concerning.