for me it was whzys judge
realistically he is top 2 and it's not even close. depending on karon's perf at champs he may take #1 but if he doesn't play well mako is still top 1. assuming ur taking into account longevity + peak, because the only contenders are marved, karon, and pancada. tenz/demon1 don't really count imo because they flex onto different roles very often.
i wont say sad tears cause thats just every time Rb loses.
Happy tears:
"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH WHAT! SPRAYDOWN! AND THE LOCKDOWN WILL NOT DO SQUAT"-Bren Rb 1v4 clutch DRX v Optic Champs 22 Lower final
"RB THOUGH! HES PUTTING UP THE HOLD THAT DRX NEED! A 3V3! A 3V2! RB SINGLE HANDEDLY KEEPING THIS GAME ALIVE!"-Tombz Rb 1v4 to take the game to overtime DRX v Furia Champs 22
"Rb, the final boss for DRX. He has been a god for this squad-3 BULLETS ITS ALL HE NEEDED"-Pansy Rb 1v3 clutch to win the map DRX v Loud Champs 2023
"And weeeeeell keep on fiiiiiiighting till the ennnnnnnd! Down 10-2 what did we do? We kept fighting! We kept fighting! We fought back! Down 10-2! Tarik was laughing in the call! Sam was laughing! Pujan was laughing! THEY SAID IT WAS OVER! THEY SAID WE LOST! They didnt BELIVE in us! But who did? GOD DID! GOD DID! GOD DID!"-EG "world champion" Shanks EG v Sen 2024 Split 1
"Rb he has to back away-RB INCREDIBLE-TIME ON RBS SIDE! ITS IMPECIBLE WORK FROM RB!"-Pansy Rb 1v3 clutch DRX v C9 lock//in
when nrg was up 7-0 against t1 and then nearly lost
s0m cove moment didnt make me cry, but i tilted pretty hard
billi billi beating nrg it ot on lotus
whzy judge on split
all of nrg vs blg on bind
(i didnt watch ascent)
tenz 3k on sunset
nrg getting demolished by sen on split
bind against lev
c9 12-5
i was deadass crying in the stands of a robotics competition watching sen win madrid with my fellow valorant nerds watching with me
3 years of pain and we were finally back
i think other than that the only other times i didnt cry but felt extreme emotions were when 100T beat fnatic in 2022 group stage, xset losing in the rounds after turret bug, and optic getting 1v4(?)d by aspas on bind grand finals champs 22
What made me cry watching valorant was JINGGG leaving for military service. At one point in the interview Aleck said “It's more see you soon rather than Goodbye okay?”. I thought that was such a sad ending, you lose in the final and you have to leave with no possibility of coming back (at that time he was going to be serving in the army and then going to university).
#1 optics loss vs loud at istanbul
#2 drx getting eliminated by fnatic in last years champs
#3 fnatic getting eliminated by futbolist at shanghai
#4 TH getting reverse swept by FNATIC in stage 1 GF
#5 G2’s recent loss to LEV in stage 2
#6 G2 losing 0-3 to TH in shanghai (valyn looked really sad so i felt really bad)
#7 GENG losing vs SEN at Madrid
#8 FPX’s unfortunate losses to GENG and TH; hoping they can bouce back in the group of death
Didn’t necessarily make me cry but just really sad
GEN.G winning Shanghai made me so fucking emotional, I'd been supporting Korea, and Asia as a whole, since the game first came out. Back when T1 Korea and C9 Korea existed, back when Vision Strikers was known for the set plays before their winstreak. I was there when we got 3rd at Reykjavik, I was there when we got grouped at Champs. I saw the 5th-6th curse, and I saw it broken. I was a staunch supporter of all Korean teams and talents, and at internationals, I was eager to support any Asian team that qualified. I thought Madrid could have been it, but GEN.G ran out of steam, and it was another bitter loss. But I remained faithful to the main team I'd been supporting since Partnership was announced. And finally, after almost 4 years, I finally saw Korea, and Asia, get to lift their first ever trophy in Valorant history. Cherry on top was Meteor being able to win as well.
But.
PRX losing Champs 2023 was heartbreaking, I still get emotional when I think of the photos that surfaced after the loss, seeing Jinggg, f0rsakeN, seeing Alecks like that...it broke my heart. I really hope they win a trophy befitting of their reputation.
Same for when DRX lost Stage 2. DRX were the first ever Korean team I'd supported, and I relegated them in favour of GEN.G during 2023. I thought I'd be bitter enough to not care what happened to them as long as they maintained a good performance...but when I watched Stage 2 grand finals, I wanted them to win so fucking badly over GEN.G. I've never seen BuZz so desperate for a win. And it crushed me when he didn't get it, yet again.
Not exactly bawling my eyes out, just a tear or two, here:
Neth's interview in Reykjavik
CR winning against havan liberty
CR losing against gambit in lower bracket ( not upper)
Zeta winning against NIP and qualify to Playoffs
Zeta winning against drx
Dfm winning against T1
Fennel losing against riddle
Riddle winning against Naos ( everyone was calling japan bad at that time only few had faith left in riddle and japan)