Pop Flash Featured e

Category: Valorant

Flashpoint expanding to VALORANT with Pop Flash

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Flashpoint, also known as B site, have announced that they will be hosting the final NA Ignition Series event of 2020 with Pop Flash! Here is their announcement:

What is Flashpoint?

Flashpoint started out as a team-owned league for CS:GO where the main focus of the league would be the exclusive player experience and personalities. Flashpoint is controlled and operated by B.Site inc, alongside FACEIT.

What teams will be participating?

Pop Flash will have 8 teams participating in total, and they are as follows:

  • TSM
  • T1
  • Sentinels
  • Cloud9
  • Gen.G
  • Envy
  • Immortals
  • Dignitas

For the majority of the rosters, we’ve already seen a fair share of them performing, as per previous Ignition Series tournaments, however Dignitas is a new team amidst the rest of the teams that were invited. Dignitas have not stated anything regarding a VALORANT roster, however we should be getting a team announcement very soon. One thing worth mentioning is that 100 Thieves and FaZe Clan were not invited to this event, prior to their recent results in Ignition Series events.

When will Pop Flash be hosted?

Pop Flash is set to start on the 26th of August and conclude on the 30th. There is a $50,000 prize pool up for grabs, and the event will be streamed on the official Flashpoint twitch channel.

It is very interesting to see a tournament organizer such as Flashpoint, which is based around CS:GO entering VALORANT. The event will certainly be a success, considering the teams that are playing in the tournament. 

Make sure you don’t miss out on any important esports news by keeping yourself updated with www.esportsguide.com!

Nitr0 hinting at potential switch to VALORANT

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

A few days ago we covered the story of Nitr0 stepping away from professional Counter-Strike, however this did not include him stepping away from esports. In fact, he has been showing signs of him being a professional player in a new esports, VALORANT.

What hinted to him switching to VALORANT?

This past week he has been consistently streaming VALORANT, which definitely shows his interest towards the game, however is the interest big enough for him to play the game as a professional? On the 10th of August he signed with Prodigy Agency, an organization which is based around talented professional players aiding them in their esports careers. Prodigy Agency has helped mixes and teams get to know each other, and this is how the current VALORANT teams came to be. Here was their announcement:

If nitr0 does switch to VALORANT, what team will he join?

As it stands currently, most of the top NA orgs have already occupied a roster, which means that there’s very little chance nitr0 will be joining a team with the likes of TSM, Cloud9, 100 Thieves,  etc. However there is a possibility of him joining Luminosity. Just today, they’ve posted a tweet stating the following:

Of course, we will have to wait and see if nitr0 actually wants to pursue a career in VALORANT, however it is certainly exciting to speculate where a North American CS:GO champion might end up. 

Make sure you don’t miss any important news by keeping yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com!

FunPlus Phoenix enter VALORANT with European Lineup

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

FunPlus Phoenix have just announced that they will be entering VALORANT. The roster they have picked is a mix of 2 squads of FABRIKEN and PartyParrots. Here is their announcement:

The new FPX roster consists of the following players:

Players:

  • Tobias “ShadoW” Flodstrom
  • Johan “Meddo” Renbjörk
  • Andrey “sho” Kiprsky
  • Kirill “ANGE1” Karasiow
  • Pontus “Zyppan” Eek

Coach: 

Why has FPX signed these players?

Both FABRIKEN and PartyParrots had good results when it came to European VALORANT, however this signing split both rosters and made it into one. Here are some of their accomplishments:

FABRIKEN:

PartyParrots:

Both of these rosters were destined for success and although it’s unfortunate that we won’t see them verse each other in the future, it will certainly be exciting to see a mix of both teams into one.

How is the roster doing so far?

FPX are currently participating in the Allied Esports Odyssey tournament, which is part of the Ignition Series, and so far they have only played Team Liquid in the group stage. FPX lost their 1st match versus Liquid on Haven (13-11) but quickly came back on Bind by winning (14-12).

Their next match is today versus G2 so make sure you don’t miss it by keeping yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com and tuning in to the Allied esports stream!

TSM conquer North Amercica to win FaZe VALORANT Invitational

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

This past weekend we saw the best NA teams battle it out in the FaZe VALORANT Invitational, and after 3 very intense game days, TSM came out on top and won the Grand Finals over Sentinels.

How did they do it?

TSM were placed in Group B of the Group stage, going up against the likes of: Cloud9, Bloom and Renegades. TSM’s first match was versus Bloom, which they managed to beat 2-1. They then progressed through the Upper bracket Finals versus Cloud9, but unfortunately lost 2-1 against them and dropped down to the lower bracket final against Renegades. TSM won with a very convincing 2-0 and qualified for the playoff stage.

Playoffs

In the Playoffs stage, TSM came up versus their rivals, T1. The series was very close but it ended 2-1 in favor of TSM. This meant that TSM advanced through to the Upper Bracket Semi Finals versus Immortals. Immortals were no match for TSM, as they lost both maps (13-5, 13-4). Team SoloMid progressed through the Upper Bracket Final against Sentinels, which had won the previous Ignition Series tournament. 

After a very intense series, TSM clutched it out and won the series 2-0 in their favor. Following this win, meant that TSM was confirmed to be in the Finals, however there were still a few matches to be played for their Grand Finals opponent to be determined.

Finals

After the rest of the Lower Bracket matches were played out, it was revealed that Sentinels would be facing TSM once more, however this time, it was in the Grand Finals. The maps for the best of 5 were as follows: Haven, Split, Ascent, Bind. Since TSM hadn’t dropped down to the lower bracket, they were given a default map win, which meant that they only had to win 2 maps in order to be crowned champions. The 1st map was very one sided, as Sentinels had a very dominant Attacking side, which concluded the match 13-8 in their favor. Split was a much more chaotic map, after 24 rounds played, TSM clutched out the last round to win 13-11, and lead the best of 5 series. 

The 3rd map was a repetition of Haven, as Sentinels had another dominant attacking side, and won 13-7. The 4th and Final map was Bind. TSM were leading the first half 7-5 with a very strong defense, and after they switched sides, Sentinels responded with an even stronger defense to tie them up and head to overtime. TSM won the first round on defense, and as for the next round on TSM’s attack… Well here’s a clip, showing the rest of the match:

North American VALORANT is very shaky currently. In the past few weeks we had T1 and Cloud9 being very dominant, and as of recent times, Sentinels and TSM have shown their dominance. Very exciting times at the moment for competitive NA VALORANT, as the team that works the hardest will have the best chances of winning.

Make sure you don’t miss out on any important news by tuning in to www.esportsguide.com for all you latest esports news!

Team Liquid enter VALORANT with Fish123 roster

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Team Liquid has just announced that they will be entering VALORANT. The roster they have decided to pick up is none other than Fish123, and who better to pick up as a european roster? Here is the announcement:

Here is Team Liquid’s complete VALORANT lineup:

Players:

Coach:

Fish123’s achievements

Fish123 was the most dominant European roster during the closed beta, winning almost every tournament and event in Europe. They continued their dominance after the game’s launch, however they have found it extremely challenging with G2 being their main obstacle. Despite G2’s fearsome roster, they have still accomplished a lot since the game’s release:

Is this the right move for Liquid?

Liquid signing a European roster, surely comes as a surprise. Considering that they have for the most part opted for North American rosters in other esport titles, it was expected that they would be picking up a core of North Americans, however it was not to be. Liquid were quite late to the VALORANT scene, which meant that all the good North American rosters were already signed or tied to another organization, which makes it extremely hard for a top tier organization to get solid results. 

Liquid Scream e
Credits: Liquid

In Europe however, there are many talented rosters (like fish123) which are still free agents and are looking to get signed. Liquid’s decision to pick up this roster was definitely their best bet, and they will certainly be looking to grab some wins in the very near future.

It will be very exciting to see this roster play under the Team Liquid banner, especially since this roster has been performing at very high standards without the backing of a top tier organization such as Liquid.

The next event that they will be participating in will be the Allied Esports Odyssey event, set to start on the 11th of August. So make sure you don’t miss out on any important news by tuning in to www.esportsguide.com for all your latest esports news!

FaZe Clan introduce Babybay as 4th player on VALORANT roster

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

FaZe Clan have finally revealed the 4th player to join their VALORANT roster. Ex-Overwatch pro player Babybay will be represent FaZe Clan alongside the rest of their VALORANT roster, here is their announcement:

This is the current VALORANT FaZe Clan roster after their recent addition:

Who is Babybay?

Andrej “babybay” Francisty is an ex-Overwatch player which has recently jumped ship to Riot Games’ newest FPS title VALORANT, with hopes of being one of the best players and one of the most dominating teams. He has spent the majority of his career under SF Shock and the Atlanta Reign and has an approximate total of $80,965 in esports earnings.

Credits Blizzard
Credits: Blizzard

What will he contribute to the roster?

Babybay has only played in the Pittsburgh Knights Charity Invitational Qualifier, in which he placed 13-16th. Since then he has not participated in any events or tournaments similar to the ignition series, so nothing is certain if Babybay has what it takes to take down teams like T1, TSM or Sentinels. However he will definitely have synergy and chemistry with this current FaZe roster. Them being all ex-overwatch will certainly be a huge factor in play, as so far, most of the successful rosters have all been those that transferred from CS:GO. As it stands, we haven’t seen much from this roster, however we will be seeing them play in the highly anticipated FaZe Clan VALORANT Invitational.

They still have not announced their final member that will be participating with the roster however that announcement should be dropping very soon as the tournament will be starting at 2am (CEST).

So make sure you don’t miss out on any important esports news by keeping yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com!

VALORANT Patch 1.05 – Time for Killjoy

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

As we discussed previously over certain leaks, VALORANT Act 2 is upon us. Accordingly, VALORANT Patch 1.05 has been released. Read on for all of the exciting changes coming to the game!

Indeed, Riot Games shared the update on their own site here. Chiefly, the main headlines over the patch is the introduction of Killjoy as a new agent and the new Deathmatch game mode. However, a plethora of small changes have also made their way in:

Agent Changes

  • Killjoy – as part of the release schedule , a new agent is here. Players logging in will have the chance to take on a contract and unlock her.
  • Raze – slightly nerfed to allow enemies to counter her ultimate more effectively and to be more aware of it. Also, her ability of ‘Blast Pack’ has had a considerable damage decrease.

Game Modes

  • Deathmatch – newly added, 10 players now may enjoy a 6-minute free-for-all. No abilities, unlimited money, health kits and straight-up gunfights. For now at the beta stage
Credits: VALORANT YouTube

Competitive

  • VALORANT Patch 1.05 is the official end of Competitive Act I and start of Competitive Act II
  • Details have been released on rank progression.

A tonne of other details have been described in the original post.

For more news, visit
https://www.esportsguide.com/.

For a live and in-depth competitive VALORANT schedule, visit
https://www.esportsguide.com/game/valorant.

G2 dominate Europe once again to win Mandatory.gg Cup

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

G2 have done it again, and in another dominant fashion, as they are currently Europe’s best team, winning their 4th Ignition Series trophy here at the Mandatory.gg Cup.

Final standings + winnings:

  • 1st – G2 Esports – €10,000
  • 2nd – Bonk – €3,000
  • 3rd-4th – BBL Esports – €1,000
  • 3rd-4th – Ninjas in Pyjamas – €1,000
  • 5th-8th – Dreamchasers
  • 5th-8th – TBD
  • 5th-8th – THOSE GUYS
  • 5th-8th – 9x
  • 9th-16th – Giants Gaming
  • 9th-16th – nolpenki
  • 9th-16th – fish123 
  • 9th-16th – Rix.GG
  • 9th-16th – forZe
  • 9th-16th – Zarplata
  • 9th-16th – Inferno
  • 9th-16th – DPE

How did G2 do it?

G2 kicked off the event by winning 13-5 versus team G.Gang in the Round of 32. They then played against one of their rival teams, Giants, which they managed to beat 13-8 to pass on to the Quarterfinals. Here they would face off Dreamchasers in a best of 3. The maps were Ascent and Haven, and both ended in favor of G2.

Now came the Semifinals against the Turkish BBL esports, a much more difficult opponent, however not difficult enough for this menacing G2 squad.G2 won both maps (Haven, 13-9) (Ascent, 13-7) and advanced to the Grand Finals versus BONK. 

Finals

Bonk had a very strong run throughout the Mandatory.gg Cup, beating some very strong teams like: Inferno, 9x and Ninjas In Pyjamas, so they definitely earned their Grand Final spot. Maps for the best of 5 series were: Haven, Ascent, Bind, Split and finally, Ascent. The first map (Haven) was quite close in comparison to G2’s previous matches as BONK managed to scrape up 9 rounds, but eventually lost to G2 13-9. Ascent had a similar fate in terms of score, but unfortunately for BONK, G2 are way too strong on that very aim-based map, G2 won 13-8. Series point for G2 was reached and Bind was on the menu next. The match started off quite evenly, as the half ended 7-5 in G2’s favor. BONK certainly had strong attacking strategies in order for them to grab 5 rounds. Unfortunately for them, G2’s attacking strategies were also very good, and this led to G2 winning the rest of the rounds and ending the match 13-5.

Upsetting results

One team that was surely the most notable team of all to have had a very disappointing performance during the Mandatory.gg cup was Fish123. Their roster had been performing quite well since adding ScreaM to the squad, and have been finishing in high places during events. This tournament’s format was best of 1, predetermined maps, which definitely had an input to their results, however it still shouldn’t have affected them as much as other teams.

The Mandatory.gg Cup was definitely a blast to watch and with every Ignition Series event, we’re seeing more of these up and coming super talented teams rising to the top. Who will be toppling over G2’s roster in the upcoming Ignition Series tournament?

Find out by keeping yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com!  

G2 Finalize VALORANT roster with Davidp addition

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

G2 have just announced that they will be finalizing their VALORANT roster with Davidp as their 5th. Here is their announcement:

This is how G2’s complete roster is currently looking like:

The team is still set to look for a coach, however right now there hasn’t been a priority to acquire one.

Who is Davidp?

David “davidp” Prins started his esports career in Counter-Strike. He spent most of his career under team 3DMAX and then moved on to Heretics, which is where he concluded his CS:GO career. There were some decent winnings for a mid-tier professional player, such as: Winning ESEA Season 29: Global Challenge and ESEA Season 28: Premier Division – Europe, however he has never been under a top 10 team.

OMEN Atlantic Challenge
Credits: OMEN Atlantic Challenge

Despite his mediocre career in CS:GO, David has certainly showcased his abilities in Riot Games’ FPS, VALORANT. Here is a list of some of his recent achievements:

This G2 squad has accomplished a lot already, and with Davidp now signed to G2 who will be strong enough to stop them? 

Fish123 have shown decent results since adding ScreaM as a stand-in for a couple of events, however they weren’t strong enough to take down the fearsome G2 roster.

European VALORANT is very exciting at the moment, players are shuffling with almost every event, and despite organizations not being very eager to enter the esport, there are many determined players which are giving it their all with hopes of someday getting signed to a top tier organization.

Make sure you don’t miss out on any important news by keeping yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com!

Shroud teases potential move at return to professional play but in VALORANT

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Yesterday, Shroud tweeted out a GIF which hinted to a couple of ideas for his future, which could either mean a streaming platform deal, or something even more spicy. This was the tweet:

What’s up with Shroud?

Shroud hasn’t been in touch with the community for quite a long while now, apart from some appearances on a couple of streams of top tier figures. In addition to this, his most recent tweet before the GIF post, was on June 22nd, where he released his statement regarding Mixer shutting down.

Is Shroud actually going pro in VALORANT?

Shroud had already teased his possibility of becoming a pro in VALORANT, back in April fools where he had released the following statement:

Due to it being released on the 1st of April, many realized it could all be a meaningless joke, however some still speculated on how it would be if Shroud actually decided to return to professional play.

A proper announcement regarding Shroud’s future should be coming very soon, so make sure you are tuning in to www.esportsguide.com to never miss out on any important esports news!