Gaming
esports
Red Bull Campus Clutch, the Championship Series and the future of VALORANT
VALORANT’S competitive scene is blowing up. We talk with members of Canada’s VALORANT community about Riot’s plan for competitive VALORANT, and its first global collegiate championships.
It’s been a hectic year for most of us, leaving more time than ever to sit down in front of our computers and grind to the top of our favourite games. Casual players and pros alike have found new titles to jump into and help pass the time by. Launching in June, 2020, VALORANT has taken a gaming community, ready for something to dig into, by storm. We’ve talked to members of the Canadian VALORANT community to find out more about the game’s potential, and how events like Red Bull Campus Clutch are contributing to its growth.
With so many restrictions shutting down spectator sports across the world, it has been challenging for esports to continue its growth as the ever improving, live spectacle we’ve gotten used to seeing. Now, nine months after launching from one of the most successful betas in recent memory, Riot is looking to build the competitive framework to sustain Valorant as an Esports staple for years to come. Many will miss the LAN experience that differentiates competitive Esports from sitting at your desk, headset on and mouse in hand, mere feet from your rivals, but a lot of good work can still be done in the space.
Is it worth getting into VALORANT?
“I find that the year's circumstances have affected the best parts of varsity esports, LANs and in-person practice. Most games being played online means that the general format of the leagues have not been affected too hard. Being able to travel to a LAN, and practice side-by-side with your team was completely taken away and was a huge part of what made esports so fun.” Said Lawson “Lymp” Mullins, the coach of Durham College’s varsity Valorant team.
Blending Counter Strike’s mechanical shooter elements with hero-based abilities was an instant draw to many. With a unique cast, that has only grown since release, it was of little surprise to anyone when VALORANT nearly broke the record for most concurrent viewership at once on Twitch, with 1.73 million tuning in to scope out the new shooter, during the first day of its beta.
The figures fell just short of another Riot Games mega-hit, League of Legends and, eventually, both were overtaken by Fortnite’s device event in June. For an unestablished game to go toe to toe with the industry’s current heavyweights was no joke. The reception all culminated in a game bursting at the seams with potential to grow in a year where international competition was more limited than ever. Now, 2021 looks to be the year that competitive VALORANT will take its place among the esports giants. All that’s missing is a framework to build upon, since the demand is clearly there.
VALORANT is establishing a competitive framework
Players all across the globe have the answers they were looking for when Riot Games released its competitive framework and roadmap for the 2021 season. Their structure is framed around a series of regional challenger events, meant to scope out the best of the best from every corner of the world. What follows are the National Masters tournaments that will pit players against their countrymen to determine who stands alone. The roadmap has its final stop at the Champions tournament, that will host the best Valorant has to offer at the end of the year. This foundation continues to be built as Riot and their partners eagerly await news for hosting international play.
Each series; Challengers, Masters and Champions will take place over multiple weeks, with three separate challenger events, leading up to the first masters. That’s a total of nine regional Challenger tournaments, three national Masters tourneys, and one final for the true top-tier competitors. Qualifying for the masters varies by region but, as of right now, three representatives from NA will battle against teams from Asia, Europe and elsewhere: totalling 16 teams.
First Strike was Valorant’s first big tournament and already it drew a big viewing, pulling in over four hundred thousand viewers between North America and Europe as well as over one hundred thousand viewers concurrently. These numbers have led to a lot of optimism for a scene that is still in its infancy.
Building a foundation for VALORANT's future
Tournaments like Red Bull Campus Clutch will look to build further on the momentum, this time, by supporting an ever growing collegiate esports scene which was quick to take up Valorant among many other big names, scrimming from the get go. This year's framework is beginning to show its capacity for storytelling as well, allowing for the feel good stories you don't often see.
“It’s amazing. [Look at] the Moon Racoons story. A free agent roster that couldn’t get signed by a major organization and went their separate ways to where they are now, you get to see talent develop before your eyes. There is a limit: As players and coaches get better, the teams with more money will be able to get better and the tools surrounding the game will get better, but new teams have a chance right now to topple some big names when, in other circumstances, they would have never had the chance,” says Simo, a Canadian VALORANT player, commentator and caster.
The kookie koalas didn't make it far, but still made it farther than Cloud9 which is a huge statement. When you open up this environment you really open yourself to a huge number of possibilities that aren’t often seen in typical formats.
While apart from Riot’s pro series, Campus Clutch will follow the same framework as the pro circuit. Campus Clutch will be held over three phases to have players duel for cash prizes, as well as the title of best in country, to find out which university reigns supreme. All in all, over three hundred schools will look to take part from over fifty countries.
Students will begin in the first phase: regionals. These competitions will be held in every participating country. Canada will have three regional qualifiers, taking place on March 27th, April 10th and April 27th. Teams will battle through swiss brackets before moving on to single elimination playoff brackets to declare the winner. Each Regional phase will have to conclude before moving on. While the collegiate scene seemed to be reluctant at first, interest and the potential opportunity has caught many people's attention.
“There was a lot of criticism that initially came out in the collegiate space, that the eligibility wasn't tight knit. It’s good to have that level of support in the collegiate space, filling the scene with prize money and opportunity, and [providing] a great pipeline for teams to find players. [It’s a way for] students to find a way onto the pro scene, and I don't know if anyone else is doing this right now.” Says Simo, referring to the initial launch, and wondering if tournaments could be more diluted by the influx of talent.
From the collegiate side of things, most coaches seem to be happy. With the developers wholeheartedly supporting the launch of their esports scene, while still remembering to build at the collegiate level, VALORANT should be a steady presence on both pro and amateur levels.
“Developer support is huge in esports and is almost needed for an esport to thrive at its full potential. They help with prize pools, advertising, and make it feel much more official. Our team doesn't shy away from 3rd party tournaments and leagues, but we always look forward to developer backed events like this one,” added Mullins.
More open competition will help the game
2020, among a few other things, was the year of VALORANT in Esports. The huge beta did not falter much and the game continues to lead among twitch viewership, alongside the platform’s other titans. The game is in an exciting state, just shy of its first birthday. While the map count continues to grow, it's not overwhelming, and neither are the varied agents in the game. Despite the skills exclusive to each agent, the game boils down to comfortable, good old-fashioned gunplay. And defusing a bomb.
Now, Riot is finally ready to support VALORANT’s growth from twitch sweetheart to esports contender. Academy teams can seem like a pipedream to a lot of players in smaller markets. Without real exposure, VALORANT would likely never be more than a casual hobby. Though, from top to bottom, the upcoming tournament series seems dead set on changing that by giving VALORANT an organic, multi-level system to develop talent for the pro stage.
Judging by the learning curve of some of these games, getting your foot in the door right now is the way to go. Red Bull Campus Clutch looks to be the first global VALORANT experience to give you the chance to do so and, if you are new to the game, don’t worry.
While it may take some getting used to, like some minor aim adjustment or agent familiarity, if you have a good mouse hand and tight mechanics, switching over will be a breeze. You’ll also be joining a slew of pro players from other games, making the jump to VALORANT, in anticipation of being first through the door when irl tournament play can begin.
Why make the jump to VALORANT?
“There is a compelling [story] arc that NA CS players are making the jump not only because the game has been a draw, but because the NA scene has failed. I think it will develop well, with more players coming with time. [With] Faze being from Overwatch, and 100thieves having a CounterStrike background, I don’t think the draw is to be on the ground floor, but that the ground floor is being created by all these diverse players come together. Almost forming an alternate timeline where CS goes to OW and vice-versa. There wouldn't be any other opportunity to see that,” Says Simo.
Players like the Overwatch League’s reigning MVP, former Houston Outlaw, Rawkus, former San Francisco shock DPS star babybay are among many who have jumped to Valorant from the premier Overwatch League. Even some of the old hands of CS:GO (Counterstrike Global Offensive) have switched to VALORANT in hopes of running the table to be the first on the scene. Jamppi, Steel, Mixwell and Tenz were among the many players to switch over and immediately start dominating. Looking for their chance to be on the ground floor of a new Esport from the get go, and bringing in players from polar opposite shooters has created something new.
Games like Overwatch and Counter-Strike have been two of the most successful shooters over the last few years for a myriad of reasons, but their styles contrast with each other, usually drawing different crowds to whatever floats their boat. VALORANT’s merging of the two brings out the playmaking ability usage that Overwatch provides, but on a smaller scale, and combines it with the tactical, mechanical bliss that is Counter-Strike. Arriving at the perfect time when Eports talent is on a whole other level, having a developer that stives to keep their games fresh, and its best of both worlds game style, make VALORANT a common ground game with a booming player base.
It was never going to be a surprise that VALORANT would poach top talent from other games, but the rate at which it’s been happening has been impressive. With a new game, comes new opportunities as well as a break from the set meta and ladder which most pros have been grinding on for years. Developer support as part of a plan to lure in more talent is something other games have struggled with, but has been a strength for VALORANT. Whether it be to balance heroes or make maps more even, any time a developer listens to the pro and casual community and finds a way to harmonize their complaints, it’s impressive. While it has been impressive, it hasn’t been perfect either.
What's next for VALORANT?
“While I love what Riot is doing with their esports scene at the top level, I would like to see more tools implemented for teams that do not have the resources of a big esports organization. Such as better spectating tools, practicing tools, and built-in replays. The Valorant Community loves to play the game, so enabling them to take the meta deeper would be a big help,” says Mullins.
2021 will be a busy year for Riot Games and Valorant. With the upcoming Canadian Qualifiers just around the corner and their tournament gauntlet now grinding away, it will be interesting to see how the scene develops alongside Riot’s interesting take on its current format. Don’t get too comfortable with how things are ahead of future seasons when LAN events begin to pop up around the globe again. While some can see the event continuing as is, developers will be ready to take advantage of more normal circumstances, despite the opportunities provided thus far. It will be hard to keep the scene from evolving once more teams become dedicated to Valorant and fans begin clamoring to get to an in person event.
“I think there would have been a bigger splash without the circumstances. Having the option to have content creators in, to try the game, there would be more LANs, more streams and potentially third party tournaments but, despite that, they can't be mad. People are watching, playing, watching content creators and this is only year one. If we go back to Year 1 of Siege, Counterstrike, Overwatch. I think VALORANT can be proud of how this year went,” says Simo when asked about the scenes year one development. But he is optimistic just as many of the rest about what the upcoming year of Valorant holds for all of us.
“I think in a year or two down the line we will really see what this esport is made of: to be one of the Tier 1 games. While not there yet, they are putting it in a place to grow. The boom that would have typically happened in a normal launch year will probably happen down the road.”
Canadian VALORANT is in a good place
The National stage will feature the best the country has to offer, dueling to become the Canadian Champion. Not only that, but the top seeded teams will earn an invitation to the Global Championships, getting a chance to test their metal against the best university players in the world
While aimed at growing the collegiate framework, you don’t need to be a part of any varsity team to sign up. Just find you and four other friends and sign up for yourselves.
Esports are thriving, in spite of a year where concerns over safety could have easily held growth back. While the collegiate side has had to adapt to new and challenging circumstances, Riot and Redbull are looking to help develop a way to get new talent into the Valorant scene and making waves. Giving a chance for anyone to step up and shine on the big stage and further prove why there is no better time to get into Valorant than right now will be a huge part of the game’s sustainability prospects.
“There will be patches and things that are broken but they listen like no other, and it is surprising to see. There are times when they listen and times where they don't. VALORANT [has been out] for a whole year, has been steady and they have continued to make this a game that people will enjoy. Balancing Esports, casual and content creators happy for so long has been impressive. It's been insanely impressive.”
