Holy fucking chaos, such a fun game to watch. Definitely not the cleanest of plays or executes but the mechanics are there. Z11 definitely looks like the team with better fundamentals and teamplay/setups, but TALON is just so mechanically skilled that they make up for the teams weaknesses.

Adapting to a new job at a much larger firm with a slightly more senior role, workload is manageable currently but I can see things picking up heavily so I'm not looking forward to that. Haven't been watching much outside PACIFIC and SEA challengers so I don't actually know the relative strengths of other regions. Excited for the Masters in Bangkok but sadly can't attend but will be nice to see it in my home country.

yes...

Crws pops off, ban doesn't int ~ we win.

To international fans visiting Bangkok for the event,

• Try eating a wide variety of food and don't just stick to Pad Thai (Please, as a Thai person, I have Pad Thai like once or twice a month max). Bangkok has such a wide range of cuisine ranging from all regions of Thailand to international cuisines (heck, even the fast food chains have some localised stuff so check it out!)
• You can visit the tourist spots, but also venture where locals go and shop, there's a lot of cool areas including cafes, parks, activities etc. so you will not be bored if you're visiting before the event.
• If you're travelling from somewhere outside Asia or SEA ~ go to an internet cafe and play a few games of VALORANT ~ y'all gotta experience the shitshow of insane mechanics but dumb comms that plagues APAC matchmaking.

Team Secret Vs Talon continues even in Tier 2 lol. The matchup is destined.

Are you sure he doesn't want to go full time for T2? but if a T1 org offers him then surely he'll take it.

Chill bro, it's a Shounen, just wait.

I'm just happy to see new blood, and that's exactly what the academy is for. It just sucks riot has fucked up T2 but the academy is doing what an academy should do. Bring up young and blooming talents who have little to no experience and mould them into professional players (They're not good yet, they don't have the teamwork yet but they do have mechanics and passion). Give the TALON academy team some time and let them work their way up.

All your aforementioned players have been playing in Thai T2 at least for a bit and honestly deserve a chance at Tier 1 or compete with a proper org at T2 (or at least compete for an org that is eligible to compete as 5 and win Ascension). This academy roster was already formed or planned before the exits of Thai esport orgs. It's not their fault RITO killed the scene. If TALON still doesn't perform this year, it's time to go full Thai, you may not win right away but there's enough talent in this region to form a good team.

Thank you for your input.

There ain't many of us and a lot of us (including me) was hoping for some roster changes but do you think TALON has what it takes to at least make it to the upper final.

Shotcalling just means IGL. If you put SSEESS instead of Art then they still lack an IGL.

Smartest Indonesian ~ can't tell sarcasm from genuine comments and replies to a 1 month old post. JohnOlsen has a reputation of choking and inting all the time, hence the JohnOlsen masterclass. While AL3RT IGL's on the initiator role like he's playing sentinel (as he used to) and thus he'll be a sova lurking alone and trying to fake execs with 1 dart while his team ints into the other site.

Good Luck :)

We aint winning anything with this one.

English
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Nooooo. This is so sad :(.

With MITH exiting VALORANT and news that FULL SENSE will sign the MITH core, Thailand has practically become a 1 team region. The sole Thai rep in Tier 1 isn't even a Thai org and the roster consists of 3/5 Thai players and no Thai coaching staff. This isn't a gateway for Thai talents to ascend.

Thailand, a region which has demonstrated and produced numerous players with insane mechanics over the years is now limited to cheer for one Thai team in this new T2 system. All the major Thai VALORANT orgs have now exited or significantly lowered their investment and I think at this point in time there is literally only FS left to cheer for. Their last hurrah is signing the core of MITH (and making a supposed Thai superteam) and try make one last push for T1 this year until I expect they exit their VALORANT operations if unsuccessful once more. The Ascension system isn't great, but at least having the own subregions compete against eachother in official tournaments provided some incentive for orgs.

Thailand isn't an esports powerhouse with orgs who have tons of money, maintaining teams in a shit esports environment is not sustainable and Thailand will soon be filled with freelance teams with no funding who speaking honestly, have no real chance of ascending or making it big simply because they do not have the time or means to put in the grind nor access to esports facilities and coaching staff. TALON doesn't look like they want to prioritize Thai talents and are aiming for mediocre success.

Honestly, this roster is very stacked. A little sad about Kadoom and CGRS (but Kadoom esp) but Potter is a decent duelist as well and arguably more flexible on the likes of Neon and Raze. I think Coach Leaf has proven himself to be the best coach in Thailand with all his rosters performing to a significantly high standard and he can mould Leviathan and Potter into great players.

MiTH is a household name in Thai esports, sad to see them go temporarily but I'm sure they'll be back within a year. RITO, your T2 is already dying in regions with such a high growth potential. Why kill it so soon?

Unironically I put my faith in T1

Good job RIOT! Worries about smaller regions like VN, TW losing competitiveness but just kills out the actual big APAC regions. Why not make an APAC North/South? The Thai Valorant scene is dying ALREADY and that is painfully apparent.

Europe: Portugal, Italy, Georgia, Slovenia (I'm in the EU currently and have visited a lot of Western EU countries), Turkey, Iceland (or any Scandinavian country with nice winter lakes/mountains)
Asia: Japan (Been twice, but still want to go again), China, Vietnam, Bhutan, Maldives
Americas: Canada, Chile (The US just seems so intimidating and perhaps in my skewed view, I feel Canada is safer and has some better sights rather than the midwest which is quite empty though I do wish to try some authentic Texas BBQ)
Africa: Zambia, Seychelles, Kenya
Oceania: NZ, Australia (My sisters actually both moved to NZ since the UK is a shithole but I'm yet to visit so that's probably my next visit whenever I make the money).

I would have to say China seems like such a stunning country to visit for food, nature and sights but I just worry for the crowds (and an irrational fear of fake/cheap foods that are sold). I would say I'm the least intrigued about Africa since I think much of the tourist experience is of course wildlife and safaris which isn't my number one priority. My Dad did climb Kilamanjaro years ago and spoke highly of it so at some point I intend to do the same.

Laz has really impressed me in every aspect (ever since I saw him on previous team NKT I felt he was good but did not know he was IGL) and would love to see him in Tier 1 but I still think Crws is heavily underrated and still belongs in Tier 1 and just needs the right backing. I think Crws CAN frag, but he needs a group of independent individuals so he can focus on his own game as well. Having a singular language will already help minimise that significantly.

He was just raw and passionate and I think there was clashing personalities but bro is so good and just needs guidance. Give him another chance on a top team and he will cook I am absolutely sure of this. That Thai TALON roster was cooked anyway and lost their minds partway through the season ). Crws under Frost (I don't love Frost) has molded Crws into a proper and harsh leader/IGL fit to lead the team and I think that was what old TALON was missing (too much hesitation to call out bad plays and friendship rather than seperating in-game from out-game arguments).

Put me in the scouting/management for TALON and I will absolutely cook.

Crws (IGL/Recon) ~ few Thai IGLs as good as him but Laz has really impressed me as a fragging IGL so he would be my other choice but Crws can flex to anything and I think in a fully cohesive Thai team, his personal performance will gain consistency without having to act as a median interpreter if Primmie/Jit dont understand fully.

Primmie (Sentinel) ~ Mechanically one of the best in the game, having him anchor site seems like a no brainer option for me and he will likely win every isolated 1v1 duel as sentinel cutting flank.

Jitboys (Controller) ~ The guy has quickly developed into a top tier smokes player who is very intelligent in clutch scenarios and decent with team util. I think he has found a role very well suited for him. Also just mechanically insane.

Killua (Flex) ~ The guy is just ban but upgraded, able to play any role (inc secondary duelist) but just mechanically insane (+close friend of Jitboys and Primmie so existing synergy)

garnetS (Duelist) ~ Bro has kinda fallen off the radar but to me he is just Governor upgraded in terms of raw movement and entry power. I think if he's given a chance under a top tier team
with good leadership he will absolutely shine again. People forget how raw and talented this guy is and his movement is insane with raze, jett and neon which is all the team really needs from a duelist while letting the others frag out. I think several others like endoist, potter are good shouts as well but garnetS has still to this day impressed me the most with decision making and movement.

Leaf (Coach) ~ 4 talented youngsters and a leadership figure in Crws who can call the game exactly how he wants without ban interjecting. This team will absolutely cook. For coaching staff, if you want to keep coach frost that's fine but I think Coach Leaf from MiTH is a very, very good coach whose timeouts always have impacts. I don't know the stats for this guy but I swear he wins 90% of the rounds right after timeouts.

P.S. Primmie could still pop off on duelist if he was on a full Thai roster I think and in that case I would sign sScary as controller and move Jitboys back to sentinel (despite how good he is on controller, his sentinel is better than sScary's).

Primmie on sentinel will be an absolutely amazing change if they just stick with it and trust the process. He's a smart player who is calm and collected ~ seriously perfect for an anchor. I always give ban shit, and I'll admit I'm a ban hater but his performance inconsistencies are just too hard to ignore when you're not even the IGL. I have a soft spot for Governor since he's very flexible and willing to adapt and looks better on this initiator role.

Keep the team ENG speaking if you wish (though a full Thai roster will greatly help Primmie and Jitboys comm smoothly and quickly). Sign a talented Thai duelist (they aren't hard to find) and just grind it out. Why waste your time on a supposedly 'smart' and high iq player who ints for pointless info half the time. Jitboys, Primmie and Governor (to an extent) are all cracked players in their own right. Crws is up and down but I think he has become a solid leader and IGL. MiTH is my personal favourite team for a while so I don't want to break them up but Killua is just too perfect here.

Jitboys (Controller)
Primmie (Sentinel)
Crws (Recon)
Killua (Flex)
garnetS (Duelist)

This team will cook unbelievably hard.

RLG has improved drastically since we last saw them go. In particular their pearl comp absolutely cooks and I can imagine some teams poaching from this.

Solid players mechanically but nothing insane and definitely not one of the strongest teams in Southeast Asia. Definitely worse than MiTH and NRG is definitely better than current TALON so expect a 2-0 today.

Honestly, not a bad look from Sharper. This team is made up of some misfits and 'rejects' from various teams but has veteran CSGO players in QQGOD and KNTZ. I really like Kntz as a player and felt he was unlucky not to get to Ascension with MiTH this year (but FS looked really good online). They look better than the current FS in all honesty and look like a solid Thai team with creative ideas.

JohnOlsen masterclass and Al3rt plays initiator like he's still on sentinel.

From my unbiased perspective:

1. Thai

Random TALON thread at 3 am! LFG!!!

Players never the issue. A good coach was needed to deploy discipline and a proper system which Frost has arguably done quite well. Crws has become a confident and critical caller always expecting the best from himself and the team. The other option is Crws moves to the coach/stage coach while Frost remains as HC but perhaps outside the game or when the full Thai roster plays he sits on the side adding input but Crws does the comms for timeouts. I still think Crws can play at the top level and is absolutely valuable as an IGL so I don't want him to retire.

Full Thai roster probably will happen if TALON still cannot find form but unfortunately that probably means Frost will leave as well.

Bro just loves Koreans.

Normal when IGLing.

Taking Crws off IGL will be a disaster. Ban has been consistently underwhelming to me and he wasn't even on the IGL role (though Frost plans to make him IGL while Crws moves to the bench/AC). I don't mind Governor, keep him on duelist entry while letting Primmie flex. Only issue is picking up another Thai talent while speaking English is odd but not impossible.

They are definitely a scrim team who crumble under pressure but if their results are as good as they say, they honestly don't need a roster change, just more practice with Primmie.

The Boys

Honestly, FROST likely wants to keep the current roster but sScary seems like such a good talent to pick up for TALON. That being said, Jitboys has been so good on smokes but he definitely is flexible to revert back to the sentinel role. If Frost got a Thai assistant coach that would be great. I think ban has good leadership and lessens the burden on Crws but if the coach wasn't Frost he'd be getting dropped for sure.

If Crws does indeed step back from IGL/player (rumoured in his streams directly after elimination at champs) to AC and ban takes over IGL then sScary could move back to controller, Jitboys Sentinel and Ban flex (but sometimes ban's util really makes me question reality).

FS chokes when it matters, I called it. As a Thai, of course I wanted FS to win but BOOM and SPG just looked better, end of.

Doubly gutted since I believe BLEED is an org that trusts Thai talent and would've been looking to pick up some Thai players.

Vocal minority. They trash talk every region no worries. Just braindead kids who type 'cringe' at everything unironically.

Here's where you're wrong buddy. Give both slots to Thailand, FS about to roll this tourney.

FS looks drilled and not nervous at all but they were playing against an orgless, coachless team so it's hard to judge how they'll adapt to better teams (I know FS has a high ceiling, but they can be very inconsistent with the likes of JohnOlsen, PTC and Foxz who all have high highs but also incredibly low lows). SPG was shaky at the start but they clawed their way back into a pretty convincing win. I am curious about BOOM since Indonesians are generally very strong shooters. Overall, it's too early to say until we've seen all the teams play a series at least.

goat

Ay nah bruh. Do your thing ~ I listen to มะลิ on the regular dw no need to get sensitive.

Aint no way BRUH.

YENTED ~ Great R&B/Soul band from Thailand that I vibe with.
If you don't mind listening to a foreign language.

YENTED - วิภาวดี 6:00 pm (Vibhavadi)

Come out from under the table.

FS deserve it but I'm quite gutted as a MiTH fan and them losing out for the 2nd year in a row after a seemingly good season.

Shit makes me feel bloated but nice from time to time. Getting shitfaced on Soju however, is a different story.

Obviously Primmie is an unknown quantity in the pro scene especially at Tier 1 but he is gifted mechanically there's no doubting that. Thai fans have long known about Primmie but he hasn't even played in a professional Thai org since he never fully committed to being pro and would rather just join the open qualifiers with friends.

Personally, I'm more on pushing Jitboys to replace Aaron and I've always been a big fan of Jitboys even before he was franchised. I love Mindfreak but I do wonder what PRX would be like if they had a different controller who is perhaps less hot and cold and more consistent like Jitboys has been for TALON. These aren't baseless hypotheses, I do firmly believe these could be upgrades. Again, I love JJ so I might swap him out for Something if I was being more realistic.