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In September 2021, GodLike Esports took a break from the competitive PC gaming scene and noted that it will continue to evaluate opportunities in the space. After nearly a year, at the start of 2023, Indian esports organization GodLike Esports expressed its interest to enter into different esports titles that have the potential to grow in India. Following this, on 14th February, GodLike Esports unveiled its new Valorant roster via its social media handles. The organization revealed its lineup and called it “the dream team” and asked fans to buckle up for epic matches and nail-biting moments. Notably, this is not GodLike Esports’ first time venturing into Valorant esports since the organization had a roster that it disbanded in September 2021 following “a few unfortunate events.”
GodLike Esports’ new Valorant team
On 14th February, the organization tweeted, “Introducing our new Valorant squad - the dream team is finally here! Let's give a warm welcome to Rexy, Hikka, Zey, Astro, and Karamil! Get ready for some epic matches and nail-biting moments.”
The team’s roster is as follows:
Tejas “Rexy” Kotian
Shakir “hikkA” Razak
Jude Patrick “Zey” Gunhuran
Norbu “Karam1L” Tsering
Franz “Astro” del Rosario
Rexy and hikkA are prominent players in the Indian Gaming Community (IGC). Notably, Rexy joining GodLike Esports can be considered a homecoming, given that he was previously a member of GodLike’s Valorant team in 2021 before he moved to Enigma Gaming. hikkA rose to fame after his stint with Enigma Gaming in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, GodLike Esports has fielded two international players Zey and Astro from the Philippines. While Zey previously played for NAOS Esports, Astro was a part of the Nigma Galaxy team.
With this new lineup of experienced players, GodLike Esports will likely look to dominate regional tournaments and Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Ascension League to make it to the very top of the Valorant esports scene.
For those who don’t know how the Valorant Ascension League works, it is divided into three regions: The Americas, EMEA [Europe, Middle East, and Africa], and the Pacific. Each region will have sub-regional tournaments that will happen over two different stages. The best teams from these sub-regional leagues will fight in the Valorant Ascension League of their respective regions. Winning the Ascension League will secure the team a spot in the VCT for the next two years, without demotion.
Recently, NODWIN Gaming and Riot Games entered into a strategic two-year partnership to host the Valorant Challengers League South Asia. This league is scheduled to start in the first week of March 2023, featuring some of the best teams and athletes from the region who will compete against each other for a total prize pool of more than 1.1 Crore. The winner of the Valorant Challengers League South Asia will qualify to play in the Asia Pacific (APAC) Valorant Ascension tournament, where the top teams from ten different Challengers League from across the Asia-Pacific region will compete for a slot in the VCT 2024: Pacific League.
