My guess is politicising almost any topic is a surefire way to get people interested on what the general consensus take is on the matter - especially if it's either an individual or topic that the user is interested in. In some ways, the mass are stupid for caring about the "massive news for the unemployed". It also helps that the videos are often concise and get straight to the point on discussing the topic. The enshittification of content is too effective.

Do you make sure to post your videos with 9:16 aspect ratio since it's a vertical format?

I know viewbotting to pump up viewership, but I don't know if there are such things as subscription-botting since the whole point of view-botting is it's just lots of new accounts being operated to inflate viewership whilst not chatting at all. It's low effort to gain a platform more quickly.

Meet somewhere in the middle and become androgynous. You won't be overtly masculine, but can flex into femininity when you're older and independent.

Asmongold moment. Also, content creators like WestJett made a wild pivot into politics because they like the controversy of it all and it probably gets them a better RPM whilst entering a larger market for viewership.

Dr Umar - just find him a bit jarring overall and he apparently didn't donate $3million that he promised to fund a school he was planning to build. No school, just pocketed all the money for himself.

Any of these: "How to get 100k subscribers" or "How to earn X amount of money per month" type of content creators. The channel that they uploaded it to is barren and has less subscribers than the example project channel that they use to demonstrate their "easy growth". In some ways, their method works, but you are making content with no attachable identity to yourself or your individual brand so you end up with no opportunity to make a name for yourself because you're ripping off content other people make and using AI en masse to fill a content void. I could go on a whole rant about this but the point is that it perpetuates slop content and diminishes the original YouTube vibe where you make content that ties back to you as a person.

What makes it more bizarre is that he is now the first Twitch streamer to break past 1 million subs during the Mafiathon 3 subathon. He has more than doubled the previous record.

The switch-up is crazy.

An EMEA org with an NA roster. The point is that the Americas league is meant to be a balance between South America and North America and G2, whilst more deserving of a franchise spot than other orgs, should only be able to replace another North American roster-fielding org such as EG, 100T, NRG, SEN or C9.

I lowkey feel slumped between 3-5pm. Coincides with my afternoon cup of tea.

There are honestly a lot of orgs that could enter various Valorant leagues, but a lot of these teams have just dropped in value. It just seems like a lot of teams have made terrible returns on their investment by having rosters which don't amount to much.

Side note about Gentle Mates: Squeezie is pretty big in the French streaming scene and has a lot of passion for Valorant so he might be a good fit for supporting M8s in franchising even if they might not succeed. As for Americas, G2 are so much more deserving of a franchising slot at this point. The main issue though is that there are already 5 NA orgs, 3 Brazilian orgs and 2 LATAM orgs. Maybe if EG go bust, G2 will hop in.

Demon1 probably speaks minimal Russian but the rest can definitely speak in English so Demon1 would get mostly English comms

v1c for that MxS reunion with mada and brawk.

BerLIN unironically sounds pretty nice when commentated. Life is up there. Rarga sounds nice to say. Funny how we got Flicker and Flickless at champs (although Flicker didn't get to play). Icy is an incredibly high aura name - imagine if he had the pro play to back it up.

I imagine Boo might go since Keiko plays smokes and that's an overlapping role.

Unemployment hit him

That's fair. I would definitely recommend watching a few videos - optimum, squashyboy, techless, badseed definitely have quality comparisons and informational videos to highlight some of the minute drawbacks of the cheaper alternatives compared to Wooting and where they also uphold good value for those who want a budget HFX keyboard. If you want a no-fuss, market-leader then Wooting is the way.

Mouse - Ninjutso Sora - Planning on upgrading to the WLMouse Beast X Mini Pro
Keyboard - Epomaker 84 - Planning on upgrading to the Wooting 80HE
Mousepad - Artisan Zero XSoft

If you're having doubts on the price point of the 60HE, there are alternative Hall Effect keyboards and plenty of reviews from YouTubers to get a gist of what's right for your budget and desire for quality gameplay. There is a 60HE v2 with updated specs coming out by the end of this year supposedly so you could try to wait for that to get all the nice perks in the 80HE but in the 60% format. Though I would say that any consistent Hall Effect keyboard is worth the money as it will give you better feedback in a game like Valorant.

Just my two cents, but IEMs are just generally nicer and better value for money compared to headsets a lot of the time. I remember getting serious fatigue using a headset for prolonged periods of time and never get that with my current IEMs. You get multiple sets of eartips with some of the models so you can keep using them for longer. Though, some headphones are honestly better for that really good sound stage.

I personally run the Truthear Crinacle Zero (Blue) which are £43 and the audio quality on my first listen was surprising. Naturally you will need a separate microphone with IEMs, but it's worth it if you just want a more quality desk setup since a dedicated microphone is better than a headset microphone - even some of the more affordable options.

I didn't know you were chill like that. Do you have a cloud-shaped wrist-rest for your keyboard and the Razer cat-ears headset as well?

Purp0 and RobbieBk are fairly strong too. F0rsaken has been bulking his muscle up.

In the Bo3, Bind definitely felt like a map that both teams were not comfortable playing. FNC had lost Bind twice leading up to the match and NRG leaving that and Sunset open felt like a trap if you pick either. Of course, the first bans in those series were more target bans against the strongest maps that they both have in their pool, but it was probably stuck in FNC's head that they had better odds on Ascent since they had a pretty decent comp.

What year are we in?

Jamppi as IGL would be huge.

Really depends on the developers ambition to keep the maps, gameplay and agents fresh. Potentially could go on for 5-10 more years if they don't pull a Respawn and start neglecting the game in favour of overpriced cosmetics (though there have been a lot of low value-for-money bundles).

Corrode is his domain. He knows how to play that map too well.

Crashies winning Champs against his former org to have a completed trophy collection would be wild.

Breach as an agent might need to be reworked or at least his utility needs to be updated in a way that makes it more intimidating to tank.

S1mon is just divisive because he was great in his role at the right time. However, it's clear now that he is generally not a great team player due to his attitude towards practice and trying new agents as well as his limited comms. Throwing tantrums and arguing with management and teammates is pretty much him being a bad person at that point because he isn't being reasonable or negotiable about what EDG can do.

Correlation isn't necessarily causation as well. CN as a region stepped up in competitiveness this year and it made the region more entertaining. XLG, BLG, Wolves, DRG all made some big impact at different points in the year. EDG definitely took two steps back trying to replace S1mon and keep playing some of the same comps or trying new comps without proper understanding of the agents, but they can at least take the opportunity to improve a lot more for 2026.

He has that trademark CN region cracked out aim, but his decision making is naive and brash. Naturally, this is gonna happen to a rookie especially if their role is the sacrificial lamb. With a bit more honing on his playstyle, he can be great. Zjc is a great flex talent as well and I think if they experiment with comps, they can find something which works with either player.

As for S1mon, I agree on the whole role issue since EDG wanted to adapt into double-dive especially with how amazing Yoru can be when utilised optimally. I feel like if EDG went back to similar comps to 2024, they might struggle in region because a lot of the teams have seen their demos and know what to expect mostly. It's also become a lot more apparent that agents like Breach generally are becoming less popular due to ineffective utility or difficulty to coordinate.

I don't mean to split hairs, but it was BcJ, not BabyJ.

Retiring after an impressive 3rd place finish at Champs? Kinda wild for a young player. Though he has had mental health issues before that he benched himself for

Nah, FNC dominate now

Estrella playing on 150ping

PC is the issue absolutely, but DRX asking for a rollback felt a little weird given they dealt damage in the round, had numbers advantage and squandered it by having their players overpeek to fight. DRX lost the map regardless and honestly they need to really go back to the drawing board on their Corrode plays. This was not it.

Canezerra isn't even Tier 1 yet. Not old enough.

DRX updated their comp to the PRX one and looked convincing. Their Haven was strong on only one side and same goes for Sunset. They probably would ban Sunset given the limited prep time to work out those kinks on attack-side.

Minny is a solid young IGL who can frag. No one really knows who they're picking up yet, but Boo could get benched if Heretics want a young, hungry team who can frag across the board.

Waylay is a mosquito with her dash. Super fast and difficult to track. Waylay then can TP back so she isn't dead on site way ahead of the team.

The flame in League is next level. Plus people will flame and int for next to nothing. Players who have played both CS and Valorant will usually say CS has more toxicity - votekicking, extreme toxic language. Valorant has some of that toxicity, but it's not nearly as prevalent. Yes, there are the other issues such as no-comms players and Tiktok culture, but that's more cringe than toxicity.

His profile picture is literally him in an NRG jersey, but okay.

Acend were definitely unexpected since they nearly lost to Vivo Keyd Stars had they not bug-abused. Gambit was the favourite.
LOUD and Optic were favourites so it was between the two of them and LOUD got the dub.
EG were somewhat unexpected because they were coming off a weak start of the season, great middle of the season and they were dialled in for the end.
EDG was somewhat unexpected because China as a region was considered well behind everyone else. They were very solid, but they had consistent issues until they swapped Haodong for S1mon and adjusted the roles.
Champs always pulls out some of the unexpected and I don't think many expected NRG to get to a GF after the disastrous start of the year they had.

It's TMV we're talking about. He was probably the most entertaining during the Wolves miracle run. But in some ways the Top 3 call was valid. FNC definitely felt snubbed though since they have such a good map pool. NRG has been an underdog and DRX have been making a solid dark horse run after so much doubt about them deserving to be at Champs.

G2, Heretics and PRX are all eliminated. A vast majority has been bashing on the Shanks curse, but TMV might be the secret curse.

So far at Champs, Shanks supported pretty much every team that ended up getting eliminated. It feels like more than a coincidence. And I say it's valid mostly because the whole community jokes about it. It only stuck when Shanks tried to support PRX out of nowhere when he could have easily just been a neutral supporter after G2 bombed out. Let's hope NRG doesn't choke Grand Finals otherwise it will really make it seem like Shanks is cursed.

Overall, the tournament will still go on nicely since we got so many storylines for the remaining teams.

Shanks curse is valid. Every org this guy supported has ended up losing. It's part meme, part "why does it keep happening". I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination that Panda did help out in the booth to stabilise the mental for the players. He was signed on to help keep the boys in check, mentally reassured and all that stuff. He has had an impact for PRX to go from bordering elimination in APAC Stage 1 to winning Toronto. PRX seem to be a confidence-based team so the second they don't hit the shots they thought or knew they could hit, it probably hits them mentally and they want to compensate by trying to go for another play. I've seen something go for plays he was getting in the group stage and he was missing or not making the most of the opportunity.

I don't think Mini in the booth is that drastic of an issue. He is a title-winning coach and argued to be one of the best defence-side strategists the game has seen. Mini was in the booth when G2 were beaten by PRX and something was still dominating. Maybe Panda being in the booth could have benefited for their mental reset. Maybe not. PRX lacked innovation in their strats despite being one of the most creative teams. They definitely didn't hit their shots today, but they didn't prep enough to at least spread out their quality in the map pool. This narrow map pool issue is reminiscent of their 2024 season when they could only run Sunset, Lotus and hope teams would want to match them on picks. PRX need to seriously work on Abyss, Corrode, Haven and Ascent. God forbid, but if Breeze were to come back, they need to make sure they have something viable planned there too. They rest too much on their laurels to play Sunset, Lotus or Bind - all their comfort picks but teams will often double ban these options if possible.

DRX going on a hero lower bracket run for MaKo to win his long-awaited trophy and round out the APAC dominance of 2025 would be monumental, but if it's anything similar to the 2023 script, it's that FNC will win tomorrow and beat NRG. Big IF though. NRG, considering how they started the year, making it to a grand final is magical. Bonkar really came through and the rookies have never looked better. Mada is a solid ROTY contender, but Skuba or Brawk has the potential to snag that finals MVP if he keeps going nuclear. NRG also has the potential to make Ethan the first 2-time Champions winner. FNC winning the finals would mean they have won it all as an org.

True. I think the FNC game really dumpstered his mental and he was trying to make plays to compensate. It might not be a stretch of the imagination to say Kaajak's Bind performance might have broke Something.

I love Xavi8k, but keeping Patmen might be the call since he has that special something within him that makes him stand out from the other players. I feel kind of bad that he is getting a lot of the hate from opponent fans after the loss just because he flamed Boo and MiniBoo. But anyways, Patmen is a constant learner and is another voice of reason for the team asides D4v41.

If they can keep Mini, that's an insane W because they have one of the best defence-side strategists. They just need to work on their offence since they felt quite lost especially on Lotus which felt weird. They typically dominate the map. F0rsaken will probably continue to call. I know that people think it's gonna hold him back, but F0rsaken is more than capable of calling and frying.

I feel like Something dropping off after FNC was a little strange. However, not much can be done asides recuperating the mental.

They just need to tidy up some of those plays still. It definitely felt like 2023 PRX in some of those rounds. If they can somehow keep on Mini, it would be great to develop some clean, quality strats. However, I think that having Panda in the coach booth is important for PRX. He's a very important individual to control their mental.