The Challenges and Choices of Velocity Gaming: Insights from EUPHO

During his recent live stream, Adarsh "EUPHO" Singh shared insights about Velocity Gaming (VLT), shedding light on the challenges they faced and the reasons behind their underwhelming performance in the VALORANT Challengers 2023: South Asia Split 2, ultimately leading to their failure to qualify for Pacific Ascension. The community was divided in their opinions, with some attributing the setback to poor management, others pointing out communication issues resulting from a language change, and some even placing blame on the players themselves. Eupho addressed these concerns, providing clarification on the matter.

EUPHO talks about line-up change following Split 1

In February, David “Dav” Miljanić and Manoj “Sentinel”' Kasyap made some roster changes for Velocity Gaming (VLT). They recruited Domagoj “Doma” Fancev and Adam “ec1s” Eccles, with ec1s taking on the role of an in-game leader as Anuj “Amaterasu” Sharma needed time off to recover from a back injury and recharge. Ec1s and Doma officially joined the VLT lineup in February, and within a span of 20 days, the team played more than 100 maps. Eupho highlighted that having international talent on their side not only helped the players improve but also boosted their confidence. The team had their sights set on Ascension from the start, and Anuj's performance as a stand-in satisfied both the players and the coach.

Eupho emphasized the team's collective approach, stating, "When we win, we win together; when we lose, we lose together; I won't name anyone in particular or blame anyone in particular. It's on me also." 

He then discussed the lineup change within VLT. Despite going undefeated in the Group stages of Split 1, the team encountered certain challenges. Doma struggled with the Sentinel role, leading to the decision to bring back Amaterasu to fulfill that position. The players were more comfortable with Amaterasu's playstyle, prompting VLT to bench Debanjan 'DEATHMAKER' Das to make room for Doma.

"We made a series of mistakes over a period of time, with one mistake following another, which eventually led to a chaotic situation. The players began to doubt each other, and that's when things started to unravel... It turned into a collective disaster, and it should have been addressed much earlier, back in March," Eupho acknowledged. 

Eupho discusses other critical matters.

Velocity Gaming (VLT) had initially opted for English as their mode of communication, given their two imports and international coach. However, they later made the decision to switch to Hindi during the tournament. Adarsh explained that in high-pressure situations, it became challenging for the players to express themselves effectively. This led to a loss of confidence and difficulties finding the right words. Adarsh assured that while all the players were capable of speaking English, using Hindi allowed them to be more open and focus better on the game.

Addressing concerns about the compatibility of the two imports playing together in the Ascension league, Adarsh dismissed it as a hoax. If that were true, VLT would not have signed them back in February. It's important to understand that the team had set their sights on the international stage and considered various factors before bringing these players on board.

VLT had been putting in immense effort to qualify for Ascension. Adarsh clarified that neither the players nor Sentinel had any issues with each other. Sentinel took care of all the players equally, both in and out of the game. Adarsh emphasized that his content creation activities never hindered the team's performance, as he always managed to allocate separate time for those pursuits while prioritizing his responsibilities at VLT.

Despite everyone at VLT giving their best and learning from each other, it became apparent that more was required to qualify. The players and imports are now returning to their respective homes. Eupho mentioned discussing with Sentinel about the next three months and their involvement in other games. The future of VLT lies in Sentinel's hands, but it is far from reaching its conclusion.