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Valorant Conquerors Championship (VCC) 2022 is set to kick off today with eight teams from South Asia competing for glory. The top two teams at the event will head to Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Asia Pacific (APAC) Challengers Playoffs for Stage One and go up against the APAC region’s best teams to qualify for VCT 2022 Masters One. Here are the best teams, players, and narratives to follow at VCC 2022 Stage One.
Teams to follow at VCC 2022
Of the eight teams that are heading into the event, we have the two behemoths of South Asia - Velocity Gaming and Global Esports. But their position as the two top teams in South Asia is being heavily contested by some standout teams who have broken into the limelight. The VCC 2022 is going to get a lot more competitive than its previous iteration and we can’t wait to see which teams make it out on top at the group stages starting today.
Enigma Gaming
Throughout 2021, Velocity Gaming and Global Esports have been the two biggest names in Indian Valorant esports. But things are looking a lot different this year with Enigma Gaming being one of the top contenders at VCC 2022. The team managed to beat both Velocity Gaming and Global Esports at the first India qualifier and earned its spot at the VCC 2022 main event.
Sabyasachi "Antidote" Bose, who is a former member of Velocity Gaming is the ace up Enigma’s sleeve. The Astra, Sage, and Killjoy player has been a consistent performer throughout his Valorant career. He helped his team secure first place at the most recent Penta Challenge and Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup, and will be looking to secure a berth for the VCC 2022 playoffs this weekend during the group stage. With consistent performances throughout the VCC qualifiers, Enigma Gaming is looking like the hot team to watch out for at the event.
Global Esports
Global Esports (GE) is heading into the VCC 2022 main event via the Wildcard qualifier in which the team beat God Particles 2-0. GE has the most experience among all teams that are participating in VCC 2022. The team qualified for the APAC Last Chance Qualifier last year and it has had time to learn from its experiences at the international stage.
Everyone at the event will be keeping an eye on Ganesh "SkRossi" Gangadhar’s every move. The player has quickly climbed the ranks over the past year and is recognized by many as one of the top Valorant players in the region. Even Sentinels IGL Shahzeb "ShahZaM" Khan has heard of Rossi’s feats and called him “cracked.”
Team Exploit
Team Exploit is heading into Valorant Conquerors Championship with its sights set on a slot at the APAC Challengers event. Last year, the team fell short against Global Esports and Velocity Gaming at the main event of VCC 2021. But the team quickly bounced back and is ready to go at it again in 2022. With an unbeaten run at the Pakistan and Afghanistan qualifier, the team will be looking to redeem itself in VCC 2022.
The team has maintained a very high win rate (71%) so far and its star player Mustafa “ShooterR” Kamal has been one of the most consistent performers in the South Asian Valorant esports circuit. With consistent performances at Gamers Galaxy Valorant 2021 and GameRED Infinity Cup, the Jett player will be looking to earn his team at least a top-two finish to qualify for APAC Challengers.
Players to watch out for
South Asia has some really promising talent and if given the opportunity and resources, they could potentially keep up with the best in the world. South Asia had just one slot in the APAC Last Chance Qualifiers last year, which made it difficult for a lot of players to make their presence felt on the global stage. But with VCC 2022 offering a gateway to APAC Challengers in Stage One and Two, we will get to see the true potential of South Asian players compared to the behemoths of the APAC region.
Ganesh "SkRossi" Gangadhar - Global Esports
SkRossi just might be the biggest name in South Asian Valorant esports. The player had a dream run at last year’s Valorant Conquerors Championship and helped GE win VCC 2021. But things did not go well for his team after that. The team planned to go to a bootcamp in Thailand for the APAC Last Chance Qualifier but COVID restrictions meant that SkRossi had to compete from India with his team. GE failed to make an impact at the event but casters were all praise for SkRossi.
During the APAC last chance qualifier last year, Filipino analyst Nico "BlackenBlue" Gayoso stated, “SkRossi is what the VCC needs. Someone to be the face of their region (South Asia) on the global stage, so it's definitely worth every piece of praise he has received.” 2022 might be the year where SkRossi puts India on the map at the Valorant Champions Tour.
Preferred Agent: Jett
Average Combat Score: 272.2
K/D: 1.27
Mustafa "shooterR" Kamal - Team Exploit
ShooterR is a former CS:GO player who transitioned to Valorant in May 2021. He found himself in Portal Esports before making his way to Team Exploit. The player has been one of the most consistent performers in South Asia and helped Team Exploit make it to the top three teams in the region in August 2021.
During the qualifiers, Team Exploit went undefeated and were on a 7-0 winstreak. ShooterR will be looking to continue his impressive form as he heads into the VCC 2022 main event. The player has helped Team Exploit win Gamers Galaxy Valorant 2021, GameRED Infinity Cup, and the Pakistan (PK) and Afghanistan (AF) VCC 2022 qualifiers.
Preferred Agent: Jett
Average Combat Score: 261.5
K/D: 1.24
Jayanth "skillZ" Ramesh - Global Esports
SkillZ’s performances are often overlooked by the Valorant community in South Asia. He is one of the most flexible players in the region with the ability to adapt to any situation. During his time at Global Esports, the player has managed to master Astra, and Jett, two agents that have drastically different kits. He also played a fair bit of Killjoy last year and is capable of learning new agents and shifting his playstyle in any meta.
He might not be topping the leaderboards in every competitive match he plays, but if you look at his performances from the last three months, you will notice that he has been one of the most consistent players in the game. With a K/D of over 1.2 and the ability to clutch up when it matters the most, the quiet kid in Global Esports’ class deserves a bit more recognition.
Preferred Agents: Astra, Jett, Killjoy
Average Combat Score: 214.0
K/D: 1.22
Narratives to follow in VCC 2022
VCC 2021 was memorable and things should get bigger and better this year. From underdog stories of redemption arcs, there is a lot brewing in 2022.
The dark horses of South Asian esports
There are two teams that stood out in the VCC qualifiers and it has been a pleasant surprise to see teams finally challenge the dominance of Global Esports and Velocity Gaming in South Asia. After all, the more competitive the South Asian esports environment is, the more it can grow. God Particles and Enigma Gaming are the two dark horses to watch out for in the VCC and we can’t wait to see how they perform this weekend at the group stage.
God Particles had a mediocre start to its run in the VCC. The team fell short of qualifying at the first qualifier. Divyansh "Scargod" Jain and his teammates took the missed opportunity in their stride and haven’t looked back since.
God Particles had a solid run in the Wildcard qualifier and made its way to the grand final. Unfortunately, both Global Esports and God Particles made questionable plays which led to Riot Games investigating the situation and warning the teams for a lack of sportsmanship. If God Particles can bounce back and put its game face on, fans can expect the team to shine at VCC 2022.
Enigma Gaming was by far the most dominant team in the first India qualifier of VCC Stage One. The team did not drop a single map since its entry into the top 32 stage up until the grand finals. Enigma defeated both Velocity Gaming and Global Esports at the event, making the team’s presence felt throughout South Asia.
The team went from being a dark horse at the VCC to a genuine threat that can win the event with its dominant roster. Karan “excali” Mhaswadkar and Antidote are two former members of the Velocity Gaming roster, who were instrumental in the team’s success. They are looking to replicate their standout form in Enigma Gaming as well and it will be interesting to see them go up against their former team.
Global Esports’ redemption or fall from grace?
Global Esports made it to the Last Chance Qualifier last year but it fell short of qualifying for the VCT grand finals. The team has consistently been among the top teams in South Asian and South East Asian events. But the APAC region is massive and the competition is going to be even harder this year.
With Korean and Japanese teams being seeded into the APAC region as well, Global Esports will have to not only brave VCC 2022, but also prepare itself for tougher times. The team had some hiccups during the first qualifier. Enigma Gaming got the better of the team and God Particles stopped GE from qualifying in the second qualifier.
Global Esports eventually made it to the VCC main event via the Wildcard qualifier earlier this month. But only time will tell if GE can keep up with the fresh wave of competition and potentially make its way into the APAC Challengers event.
The Future of South Asian Valorant
There is no bigger narrative in the VCC than the growth of South Asian Valorant itself. No team or player individually matters more than the ecosystem itself. Every player competing at the event knows that they will be representing their team, their home country, and South Asia at the VCC if they qualify for VCT Challengers.
Winning isn’t enough at VCC 2022. Teams need to be ready for the onslaught of talented teams that will stand in their way on the road to Masters. The region as a whole needs to step up and improve as a whole and VCC 2022 will bear witness to how far South Asian teams have come since 2021’s competitive season.
The brutal truth is that, if the teams cannot keep up with Oceania, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, they simply do not deserve to be on the main stage in Valorant Masters One, Two, or the world championships. Every team at VCC 2022 will have to strive to be among the best in the world and the next two weeks will let fans know if South Asia is ready to compete globally.
If you want to check out the matches online, you can head to the official NODWIN Gaming YouTube channel. To check out details of the format, schedule, teams, and other information about VCC 2022, click here.
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