SEN, but depending on next year's roster changes might go to 100T

I remember he was logging into Valorant only to check if it was in his daily store. Has he even gotten it yet?

Wouldn't hate having valyn take the IGL reins and let john focus on fragging out again. Let valyn play main smokes and john play senti/viper. Could be interesting if these leaks are actually true

valyn and babybay, not jawgemo

looks more like bang to me than asuna idk. makes more sense that it's asuna since he's been on a generational run, but it just doesn't look like him to me

Looks to me like: bang -> zmjjkk -> chronicle(?) -> f0rsaken. Chronicle is the one I'm least sure of by far. Only other EMEA stars there with long hair like that would be Jamppi, s0pp, sayonara, or purp0 (this would be diabolical)

Ahhhhh I missed that. Thanks for letting me know!

AFAIK they'll still have to let one of sato, blowz, or spike go since they have 3 Brazilians on a LATAM roster

Lowkey might swap GE to qualify over VIT. LOUD and GE have just been insane runs, seem to peaking at the right time, while VIT has been underperforming for how good their roster is on paper. Hard to say

Yeah, that's fair. I really like him as a player and a glue guy, but I think he's probably gonna go back to Brazil to be with his family with the new regional rules anyway.

With the new sub-regions in 2027 (Americas will have North America, LATAM North, LATAM South, and Brazil), as far as I remember they are trying to make teams more localized. If I remember correctly, you have to have 3 players from your sub-region (why Sato is leaving LEV reportedly since he is 1 of 3 Brazilians on LEV, a LATAM team).

Johnqt is Moroccan, so SEN would only be able to keep one other non-NA player (cortezia vs Sato). I have a feeling cortezia will be going back to BR to be with family anyway, so that would make space for Sato.

Almost identical to mine
https://www.vlr.gg/pickem/0704c257

Imagine they get zekken back for entry duelist and Sato for secondary duelist/flex. Unfortunately would have to let cortezia go for import limit (johnqt is still technically an import IIRC). Reduxx could play smokes/Chamber. John can go back to senti/Viper, and all that is left is a scan initiator, which will hopefully be eeiu. Would be an insane roster on paper IMO

Well played to both teams, this LOUD team has crazy composure for such a young team. Such an entertaining series to watch. Erde being +34 while IGLing and losing has to be gut wrenching, crazy performance. Looking forward to Champs!

Rooting for: 100T, PRX, and KC

Who I think is most likely to win: NS, 100T, or TYLOO

Dark horse: LOUD if they can keep this form up and continue gaining confidence

Cyrax underrated. Man, I forgot about Bolt too when I commented. Respect the lists

That’s the first time I’ve heard of it, but I wouldn’t put it past Riot to have a bug like that this long tbh

Top 5 for me (no particular order):

Vandal

• Araxys
• Kuronami
• Rogue
• Singlularity
• Neo Frontier
• Favorite I don't own: Phaseguard or Solarstride

Phantom

• Helix
• Oni
• Prime
• Primordium
• Neo Frontier
• Favorite I don't own: Nocturnum or Kuronami

playing in Brazil instead of California, several timezones different

I remember derke having an insane OP in the early days on Jett and Chamber as well

Only real explanation for inspire. I've never watched him specifically, but even hearing him talk to FNS on stream or any clips I see, he definitely gives off the vibe of being super passive aggressive and whiny if stuff doesn't go his way. Seems to have the "I'm always right" mentality

for real, wardell's peak was insane! I thought drone would be a top player too

COREY OMG. Thought he was gonna be a top duelist tbh

I had never heard of or seen Alexiiik before he joined NAVI, so I can't really comment on him
Flor is mechanically insane, but she's probably going to be like sinatraa. Cleared to play by Riot, but not sure any major org will take a chance on her due to the controversy
I feel bad for any players that get ruined by visa issues
RIP to all 3

last time I heard that name, he was getting accused of cheating on BattleBit lmao I totally forgot about him, but you're right I thought he'd be a solid controller

personality wise cane was too much/annoying for me, but you really can't deny his mechanical talent
I was never very high on P0PPIN
eggsterr got nuked by Yoru nerf, did okay before the nerf but didn't do as well as I expected tbh
nightz is looking more and more solid on ENVY lately
inspire should probably be a T1 sentinel player, seems like he might not be the greatest teammate though (hard to say without actually being in the prac room with them)

that whole old TSM roster tbh, but yeah wardell probably had the highest ceiling out of all of them, maybe subroza

he did have a pretty crazy run, ngl

I really thought aproto was going to be a solid tier 1 player, but he never got his shot and just kinda disappeared a couple years ago. Are there any similar players you can think of? Any region

I was a C9 fan when I was playing and watching CSGO, but their management might be the worst in VCT. Good old -mitch -runi +mitch +runi

I really like Hiro and Ruxic as a duo, but NAVI's management is laughable

Jamppi

talking about john and cortez, cortez is overall a better senti than jonahP

This is what confused me. If Demon1 stays with ENVY or SEN just can't get him, I would totally be okay with Cortez staying honestly. Put Reduxx on the Chamber/Omen/Jett, JohnQT on Viper, and Cortez on Senti/2nd smoke

wait is the second line about JohnQT or JonahP?

I'd be fine with boni, alym, or smoke tbh

if ENVY doesn't make partnership, I could see Demon1 jumping ship if he gets other offers

I think they're pretty similar skill-wise, but they play slightly different agents. Cortez also just has too much role overlap with JohnQT imo. he's a stud and a great team morale guy, so I wouldn't hate him staying either. Especially since I think Reduxx could potentially even fill the Chamber role.

I'm not 100% convinced JonahP is washed yet. Like I said in the original post, I think he's still just trying to adapt from being in his first new system in 5 years. I'd give him a stage next year to turn it around if he stays on the roster. If not, look for T2 talent or a T1 free agent.

zekken coming back is definitely a stretch, can't argue that, but he should be the #1 target IMO if he leaves MIBR due to the new format

that's just enough superstitious cope to secure my flair for at least stage 1 next year lmaoooo

Yeah I think that's a great duo. Check the post again

tbh I'm kinda at my wit's end with this team/org lmao trying to hold out hope for next year

fake it til you make it, right?

Oooooh yeah Ewok/zikz would be crazy. I forgot to add Ewok in the original post, honestly just yoinking this for the edit because you cooked 😂

I agree. He has his moments where he completely takes over a map, but he also drops some stinkers. I think giving John his comfort role fully back is better for the long run of the team. Cortezia shouldn't have any issues finding another team for next year either.

I honestly think Chamber is viable on enough maps right now to justify it. Look at LEV Neon. He plays the same three agents I listed for Demon1. Obviously LEV has an insane roster where most individuals can play multiple roles so it's a little different, but I still think it could work. JohnQT can play a lot of other roles if needed, I just think he's most impactful on Viper. I would rather have Eeiu/JonahP both on the roster over crashies and one of Eeiu and JonahP. I still think crashies is a great player, but I think he would be my 3rd choice.

RAH RAH RAH

JohnQT (IGL) - Viper on Viper maps, it's his most impactful agent and it's not close IMO. On maps where Viper isn't played, put him on an anchor sentinel like Cypher.

Demon1 - Chamber/Omen/Jett. As much as I really like Cortezia and think he's the new glue guy keeping the energy up, he and JohnQT have some role overlap, and I'd rather keep JohnQT. They both play best on Viper and Senti, but his Chamber and Cypher haven't impressed me. Demon1 has been heating up playing his comfort role of Chamber/Jett OP, and his Omen has improved quite a bit.

zekken/OXY/T2 talent - Primary duelist. Zekken should be the #1 target, especially if he leaves MIBR due to the new format and doesn't want to live in BR. If C9 is truly dropping out of Valorant next year, OXY should be the #2 priority. If those 2 are unavailable, go for a tier 2 talent. My top picks would be (in no particular order) alym, boni, or smoke.

Reduxx - Rob's golden boy Reduxx isn't going anywhere. I think he showed pretty solid improvement this year and had some insane moments. If he can continue to mature and gain confidence, he has a high ceiling IMO. I like him on the secondary duelist/flex role, but I think he could also be a great primary duelist if zekken and OXY aren't possible. Reduxx's mechanics are pretty insane, and I think he should be a team staple for the next couple years.

Eeiu/JonahP - Scan initiator. As hyped as I was for JonahP to join this year, he hasn't seemed like himself. I think that has more to do with the fact he's on his first new team since December of 2021. Guard/G2 is so methodical, and he played with that style and that core of guys for 5 years. I don't think he's washed fully, but there is one person that's available that I would rather see in a SEN jersey, Eeiu. He played with JohnQT on M80, and I think FURIA is honestly crazy for letting him go. Go after Eeiu, and if you can't get him, keep JonahP for another stage at the very least.

EDIT: Ewok stays and HC and bring in zikz for AC (thanks Vyse-Fan_In-more-than-one)

Little disappointed with how they've looked recently, but they still look better than the beginning of the season. As much as I liked some of the highlights Jerrwin had, I don't know if he is the long-term solution.

I was pumped when JonahP was officially announced, but he hasn't really hit his stride. I think people are a little too tough on him not immediately making an impact because this is his first new team and system in like 5 years. He was with the Guard/G2 core for so long and I think it can be hard to adapt to a new team dynamic after being in the same one so long, especially one as methodical as G2. I can understand either trying to replace him with eeiu, crashies (if he comes back to NA), or Verno if he somehow leaves MIBR. I also don't hate the idea of keeping him to give him a full offseason to adapt and prep for stage 1 next year.

Ewok seems like a solid coach, excited to see what he does with the team over the offseason. I like the core of JohnQT, Cortezia, and Reduxx. I think the most important thing is finding an identity and improving chemistry in the server. There are times when they seem to all just play for themselves and overheat. Looking forward to the new format next year!

yellow FNC 🐝😂

No kidding. People give them shit for losing all 3 international grand finals last, which I get to an extent because they choked some of them away. But no one ever gives them credit for being the first team to ever be in all 3 international grand finals, and I don't get it. I just can't be convinced they had a bad year. Being top 2 all 3 times is still a good season. Frustrating? EXTREMELY. Bad season? Nah. I'll die on this hill.

I've been saying for years that no one (VLR and just in general) understands nuance anymore. Critical thinking is non-existent these days, and people seem to be too reactive.

Glad I got to interact with another normal human being! Hope you have a great weekend, and your pillow is always the perfect temperature!