I understand your point, and I agree with the majority of your points. It's just that I find it hard to imagine Russia projecting any form of nationalism through Valorant Esports that isn't their flag on the players shirts. And unlike the 1936 German Olympics, which was hosted by the Third Reich, all of Russias representation in Valorant exists in the form of organizations playing on the international stage. These events are all hosted by RIOT, which to me implies that it may be harder for third parties to get involved.
But of course, I accept that I'm probably younger and less educated than you are, so if I have made any flaws in my reasoning, feel free to point it/them out and I will change accordingly :)

So true. Having to disconnect bluetooth on a device such as earphones gets very irritating.

I get your point. Perhaps it's due to Italian culture or something but people here are generally well kept, and follow hygiene common senses daily. However, they do smoke/vape a bunch and it is something I dislike. I would like to shower more than once a day as well, but my towel doesn't dry fast, and drying myself with a wet towel is not very nice :(

Even though I always have to go to bed late due to a plethora of reasons, I still have the mental fortitude and determination to keep myself presentable to others and comfortable to myself. Hygiene is very important, and I also find warm showers pleasant in general.

It's a pretty bad reason imo. Russia has good orgs and good players. The only things getting in its way are recent events that have nothing to do with Esports. Personally I feel like some things should be separated, such as Esports and politics.

They might! While I wouldn't rank their players among the top, they're still very good!

Hi anyth1ng, while I am EMEA I can assure you that I shower daily before bed. Hygeine is important!

Oops! It looks like I did lol. Yeah no they should be lower haha. My bad!

That's a generalization.

But of course! Murder is never right, and it is important to address the faults of the perpetrators and punish them accordingly. However, I just feel like it could be different when you're an employee.

I can get that, but he was stated to be their most "prized asset", which implies that he is a highly trained professional who probably took his job very seriously. As much as I hate to say it, he might've just been being professional and not letting other factors such as emotion/ethics/morals get in the way of completing the job.

But sometimes it's more than just "oh they could've still made the right decision." There may be other factors that we aren't seeing. After all, we haven't been shown everything about Omens past. He could've took the job for various reasons. I don't think we understand Omens former motivations enough to correctly diagnose the true reason as to why he became an assassin/chose to accept the hit on Viper, since they seemed to be friends/colleagues.

Also, just my personal opinion, but some jobs are more than just jobs. Some duties mean more than what they are, or rather they might be worth more than the consequences. Some people can do wrong things in the quest of seeking validation from their superiors. I think there are plenty of examples of people who have done the wrong things under orders to gain benefits for themselves. Of course, I don't condone it, but I believe that sometimes we need to look deeper into the circumstances that surround ill acts and address them accordingly.

Sorry for the long message cartixuzi, I don't mean to be rude or arrogant or anything and I'm sorry if that's how my text sounds. But I do agree with you in the sense that inappropriate orders should be rejected as they should.

But once again, every fan has the right to support the team they love. And that is why I think Team Liquid is better than GiantsX :)
I like to think about it like this: the home I grew up as a child will always be better than even the most expensive of houses. (I'm not saying GiantsX is better than Liquid)

Yours is actually pretty good. Much better than mine I'd say lol.

BLG cannot hold a candle to FPX, JDG, and TE nowadays. They're only just barely relevant because they have a perfect record against NRG.
https://imgur.com/XrLYGUx
This is but of course my own personal opinion and none of my rankings here should be taken to heart if you believe otherwise. None of the individual tiers are ranked (i.e I'm not saying that FPX is better than TL, or Fnatic is better than NRG, etc)

That really isn't cool.

He was following orders.

I think 2024 is going to be an amazing season!

Woah woah don't gaslight me into joining please :(

Lol I'm keeping LOUD in mind :)

After a long think, here are all the teams I am considering supporting during the 2024 season and reasons why. I'll decide soon.

1. NO FLAIR: See what happens in 2024 and decide on a flair depending on teams' performance.

2. Americas:
   Leviatán: Looking to be a contender for top table finish with players such as but not limited to aspas. Decent org imo and fun to watch.
   LOUD: Brazils strongest esports team, Champs 2022 winners. Having won the Americas league last year, it’s looking to be a very different story this year as star duelist aspas has left, with qck joining in his place. Regardless, LOUD still has great players so they might pull off another good performance in 2024.
   NRG: NA superteam, Demon1, Ethan, Marved, NRG core. Looking to be very strong, also, big fan of Phillip.
   Sentinels: Looking great in off season, could be worth supporting. Decent org imo.
   100T: Personal reasons.

3. EMEA:
   Fnatic: Best Valorant team ever in terms of international trophy count, fell short at Champs but still a very strong team. Won RBHG during off season.
   FUT: Has been looking like one of EMEAs best teams recently, finishing Champs top 8 as well as winning the Convergence off season tournament. Also, cNed!
   Karmine Corp: New revamped roster, Engh as coach.
   Team Vitality: Very nice team who are getting stronger with an improved, revamped roster. Good prospecting players, decent org in general.
   Team Liquid: Don’t change, stay loyal.
   Apeks: Strong Ascension team. Has an experienced team that may see time in EMEA league soon.
   BBL: Supports Turkish scene, historical Valorant org that has been around for a long time.
   KPI: b1sk

4. APAC:
   Team Secret: Historical org with lots of time in Valorant. While haven’t made many big achievements, still a fun org that may impress in 2024.
   T1: Big esports org with Faker in LCK. Has been looking great in off season with the addition of xccurate and rossy.
   PRX: Of course, W-gaming esports. Aggressive + entertaining playstyle, very strong team.
   DRX: I’m not sure about the recent roster changes,
   Zeta Division: They’ve had plenty of upsets before, and while 2023 wasn’t their year, perhaps they can pull something off in 2024!
   JJH.BONK: Wholesome team, I’ve always liked Bonkers and I have had a generally positive idea towards the Oceania region as a whole. They give good vibes and I hope they win Ascension in 2024.

5. China:
   EDG: Wholesome team, good org, proven to be the strongest Chinese team at the moment.
   TEC: Abo masterclass hidden gem team? Also, the logo is nice.
   DRG: Won CN Ascension tournament, players like TvirusLuke and vo0kashu looking great. If the rumors are correct and nizhaoTZH joins in place of Zeno, could be a strong team that can challenge for a top table finish. Also, dragons are cool.
   Wolves Esports: Wolverhampton Wanderers. Has good roster according to rumors.

Thank you all for the help. This means quite a bit to me.

lol

Hello benmaimoon,

Thank you for this suggestion. Turkish Valorant has always been a selling point of EMEA, and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching FUT play recently. While I can't say the same for BBL due to their lack of international appearances and whatnot. Regardless, I am willing to consider supporting BBL, though I'm afraid that ultimately the result might not benefit you.

Thank you for your time,
geospliced

PRX for sure.

lol xD

Hello tomato :)

That they are! T1 is already on my list of teams I'm considering.

I have a Cuban friend who really likes Team Secret lol. I think they've certainly been an okay team, and I'll think about supporting them after doing some VOD watches lol.

It's going to be so fun to watch them possibly surprise the international stage lol

Yeáh! Sorry you had to read that lol

NRG is indeed the best team on paper, with Demon1, Ethan, crashies, etc. They are definitely going to be a force to reckon with, and I'll consider it seeing that they might be able to put up quite the dominating performance should they all gel together well.

👍

It's an honor vo0kashu, I've really enjoyed watching you play during the Ascension tournament, and DRG is going to be one of the teams I'll consider changing my flair to.

Al Nassr can't clear Ipswich Town lol

Hello nakuwul! LEV is indeed looking like a great team, especially if c0m does indeed go through to them. I'll be considering this one! Thanks for the support with the CN preds I'll see if I can 100% the league lol.

Absolutely. VIT is looking to be a nice team to watch this year and it is on my list of teams whose flair I can home.

JJH.BONK is one of the teams I am considering.

Wolverhampton Wanderers winning the FA cup?

Nope! I'm down to consider teams from all regions. Ideally I find a mid-good team who aren't favorites all the time yet can make underdog runs and are fun to watch.

I could most certainly consider changing to Zeta Division. I've been quite impressed by the team on several occaisions, and while 2023 may not have been its best year, perhaps 2024 will bring something new.

I went to TL because I was getting into Valorant Esports and I didn't know many teams to begin with. I really enjoyed watching the roster play, L1nk, ScreaM, Nivera, and even soulcas. Team Liquid has effectively done its job for me as an introduction to the Esports, and they've changed a lot as a team. It's not like I dislike them or anything, it's just that I think it's time to look for a new team to stand next to my name.

Not necessarily. Flairs on sites like vlr mean so much more to me than just "I support/like this team." It can say a lot about a person even without knowing/speaking to them. I simply feel that I have spent just a bit too long with Team Liquid. They've changed too much over the years. Don't worry though, because even if I do move on to support a new team, I will never stop supporting TL even though I may have changed my flair. Also, nAts is an amazing player and a funny guy, why wouldn't I support him?

Smoggy has aim crispier than burnt toast..

I don't know either team very well, but I think Oxygen Esports win this one 2-1 after 100T takes the first map.

C9 2-0 if they keep up their form from RBHG imo.

If you're trying to prove that Esports is popular then this is a very smart choice.

FCY instead of DFM would be a great change imo.

Factual. Oceania has always been one of the more interesting regions of the world in my opinion, and it would be amazing to have some representation in Pacific. Personally I hope JJH.BONK wins the Ascension league this year, but until then the CN region probably should be the main VCT region to follow seeing as how we have the opportunity to see autumn play in an international LAN.

EDG is such a wholesome, enjoyable team to watch/follow. I'll consider it!

I'll most certainly be keeping an eye on DRX. I don't know how they'll do with their recent roster changes but I'll definitely keep an eye out for them.

I've got friends supporting 100T and I hope they can put up a good performance this year.