Man it sucks to see Boaster get so much hate. I don't keep up with FNC too much but any post game interview I see of him, he seems so nice.

keke

I was mistaken. Maybe you don't know ball LMFAO

I get that but for some reason I like the bulkyness of it.

that one is fire, I have the Celestial one

Personally it's

1. Xenoblade
2. RGX Blade
3. Any of the Fans

No reason to avoid Zekken, he'll just slide right in your crosshairs.

True but I was talking more about defense in those examples. The players I listed were the ones capable of doing the most damage in a round. Acend, EG, and OPTC all had different attack strategies.

That's also what I don't understand. There's a reason why Aspas has consistently been at the top but hasn't been the "best player" every year. He's not flashy or at least as flashy as the ones listed above. He's like the Nikola Jokic of Valorant.

We're not in 2023 anymore. No one avoids Pissmon1.

I vaguely remember that, you're right. I think Boostio said it in an interview. Regardless, teams constantly plan for Aspas.

Yea it was to go where he wasn't LMFAO

cuz you know ball

Bro are people not watching the same game as me or am I just going crazy. People keep calling Aspas a baiter but what can the man do?

The literal strategy for teams is to go where Aspas isn't. This isn't an Aspas-specific thing either. In 2021, you had to avoid the cNed Op, in 2022 you avoid Yay, in 2023 you avoid Demon1, and now you have to avoid Aspas.

Their attack strategy also makes more sense to me. Aspas is 100x more likely to trade kills and he would provide no value by mindlessly entrying like how Demon1 was earlier in the year. He is meant to be the rock of the round, or the closer. That's literally what he's good at. Maybe I'm just reading too much into the bait but ya'll don't know ball.

They just want the love to match the hate I guess you can say. When they perform bad, everyone lets them know it. When they perform good, they want their flowers.

Script too obvious. LEV help SEN get to champs, SEN sends them home or vice versa. Leo Faria needs to cook better.

It's an endless loop bro. SEN fans are the most hated so they feel more vindicated when they act toxic because others were toxic to them.

The team itself is fine, they've been getting shit from the community and their peers for being overrated for months so being able to prove them wrong is going to give dope to any player.

If you're looking to build muscle, here is my routine. If you're new to the gym, just look up each exercise to see what to do. Also, if you are new and are struggling to find motivation, only do the exercises that you actually enjoy doing for the first month. Don't feel bad if you skip a few. The point is to build a habit. Once you look forward to going and are used to it, you can do them in completion. The hardest part isn't to lift the heaviest, the hardest part is showing up. Start with 3 days a week. M-W-F.

Day 1: Full Body (Pull Emphasis)
Deadlift - 4x 4-6 (warm up)
Barbell Row - 3x 6-8
Lat Pull Down 3x 8-10
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 3x 8-10
Bulgarian Split Squat 3x 8-10
Face Pull 3x 12-15
Dumbbell Bicep Curls 3x 10-12
Standing Barbell Calf Raises 3x 8-10

Day 2: Full Body (Push Emphasis)
Flat Bench 4x 4-6 (warmup)
Overhead Press 4x 6-8 (warm up)
Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row 3x 8-10
Leg Press 3x 10-12 (warm up)
Lying Leg Curl 3x 10-12
Lateral Raise 3x 10-12
Rope Pushdown 3x 10-12

Day 3: Full Body (Leg Emphasis)
Squat 4x 4-6
Romanian Deadlift 4x 6-8
Bench Press (lighter load) 3x 8-10
Seated Cable Row 3x 8-10
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3x 8-10
Barbell Curl 3x 12-15
Standing dumbbell calf raises 3x 10-12
Skull Crushers 3x 12-15

It's definitely attainable bro. I've been playing really well recently and climbed up from Diamond 1 after getting deranked from Ascendant 3 because I hadn't played in a while. I just need to commit to at least 2 games a day. Some days I just dont feel the competitive drive and only play chill games. I'm hoping this will help me queue more ranked.

Ascendant 2 17 RR

I'm going to be keeping a daily "diary" of sorts to reflect on my journey to Immortal. I was Immortal ages ago but haven't played too consistently to get back to that tier. I've been playing a lot more these past few episodes/acts and it feels attainable again. I usually play two games a day but that's normal for me so I will keep this at a two-game minimum for reflection even if I play more.

Current Rank: Ascendant 2
Current RR: 17/100
RR left to make Immortal: 183

Game #1:
Map: Ascent
Agent Played: Jett
ACS: 183
KD: .7

Notes: This was my first game on after getting back from work and eating dinner. My warm up felt good and I was looking forward to playing. It was a game on Ascent, which is a map I like so I was feeling confident. We had a pretty typical comp for the team which consisted of Jett, Sova, Omen, Phoenix, and KJ.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure our Sova and Phoenix were boosted. We started out on defense. They had absolutely zero util usage. Our Phoenix would keep playing A-Main and get first blooded constantly. I would try to rat on site and get one or two but even in those cases, the other team would win postplants. Our Sova didn't dart their entry or shock dart for retakes so it was harder to entry for retakes. We had 3 rounds won for the half but the overall vibe was already off. The Phoenix kept trying to make trap flash plays but would get pissed on every time. Just an unfortunate map and we go next.

Game 2:
Map: Abyss
Agent Played: Cypher
ACS: 215
KD: 1

Notes: This was a pretty quick game. I was already feeling a little unmotivated after my Ascent game and I'm already not a fan of Abyss so I was upset with the map pick. I'm not really a big Cypher player but I like the lurking style on this map and decided to play him.

We had a somewhat unusual comp of Cypher, Jett, Gekko, Clove, and Deadlock.

We lost pistol due to me falling off the map and a few cracked shots from the opposite team. Luckily the rounds still felt winnable and mood was high. Hitting A was pretty hard due to their Cypher being dug in pretty hard. We were able to pick up 3 in a row due to some masterclass lurks from our Deadlock. He definitely carried us through those rounds, it felt like any site we hit, he'd get 2-3 from just lurking. I eventually decided to join her for the lurks to trade her out and back her up which was really successful. We baited for each other and got a couple more rounds. For some reason their Cypher left mid game and the other team gave up pretty quickly and FF'd. It was a good mood boost for me and a quick game to get my RR back. I decided to call it a night after this game.

Stay tuned for more as I pick up the pace on the road to Immortal.

https://tracker.gg/valorant/profile/riot/reremus%23shmac/overview

I agree the bottom bracket is definitely a tougher climb. If anything I'm more upset that it wasn't balanced than the regional matchups.

Nah the last few champs (23, and 22) have been pretty diverse in terms of first-round matchups but I still don't mind this. The rest of the tourney will basically all be international games.

To be honest I have them at top 3 and here's why.

They went on a 9 game winning streak from Stage 2 until Group Stage. Although some of their games looked a bit sloppy, I chalked that up to playing with a sub and thought they'd improve. Not only that but FNC is a team with some of the most experienced players in terms of internationals. If you look at the rest of the teams in playoffs. SEN, TH, LEV, G2, Trace, and even EDG are either playing their first Champs ever or haven't made one in so long. I thought their experience would carry them through the top bracket.

Not sure what's going on recently but Boaster looks more frustrated than I've ever seen him. Any face cam I see is just him looking in pure terror and dread. Idk, those were some of my reasons.

I don't really know why people were so upset with the draw. I think its better to get the initial regional matchups out of the way and leave the international matchups for big elimination games. Now we get bangers like SEN vs EDG, G2 vs FNC, LEV vs TH and DRX vs Trace.

I think its also better for the initial match to be regional matchups because it lets newer teams who might be nervous play a familiar opponent. This can calm their nerves and help them get acclimated to the Champs scenery. Going forward all the international match ups will be giga bangers.

W Glaze. Thank you.

Be like that old guy in league and counter smurf. Buy an immortal account and just piss them off.

meh kinda mid, stick to Omen buddy

That too. Fade also sets up breach as well. It's a lot easier to dog a corner and breach stun it than to scan and stun. There were so many times that happened where Sacy would confirm an enemy, Zellsis would stun, and then Zekken just flies around the corner and kills him.

I think its mainly because Fade's ability to clear close angles for Zekken. Sova is good to hit sites or postplants but Fade gives Zekken more breathing room.

Ayy you hit diamond. I wouldn't call that a fall-off.

and I'll rate yours. I just got back into ranked these past few episodes. Going to be immortal again... soon.

https://tracker.gg/valorant/profile/riot/reremus%23shmac/overview

Yup and to further prove my point, the one CN team that doesn't really have a star duelist and is more team-oriented (DRG) got eliminated by FUT and TH. EMEA is known for their more heavy util and team-oriented playstyle. DRG got countered in that aspect in Shanghai.

Thanks brother. I plan on doing one for either TH vs FNC or LEV vs G2. Depends which game is more fun.

Yea me too but hey at least the gameplay is fun. Plus there's some cameos from characters in Borderlands 1&2.

It's because CN's playstyle revolves around their good duelists (at least for the good CN teams). Kang Kang, Life, Whyze, Kai/FengF are all great examples of this. But with Americas being so duelist heavy and the Americas teams used to playing the best duelists (Zekken, Aspas, Keznit, Jawg) they know how to shut them down. EDG is a special case this year though. I'm excited to see the matchup vs SEN. With Smoggy and Nobody stepping up, it'll be a different situation.

Thank you JawXG.

Incoming Yap:

Just some of my takes on the match today.

MAP 1: Sunset
Despite many people thinking that both teams threw, I think for the most part that wasn't the case. Looking at the stats, DRX has one of the highest DEF win % on Sunset and SEN has one of the highest ATK.

DRX ATT win: 41%
DRX DEF win: 56%
SEN ATK win: 66%
SEN DEF win: 40%

Comparing this to the rest of the teams which are at an average of
DEF win: 48%
ATT win: 51%

For a first time showing of the comp, I think SEN played it really well. While we're used to seeing Zekken's aggression on Raze, his Neon was on another level. He was peeking every angle and winning crazy duels. He was definitely the star of the match but it cannot be understated how much value Sacy and Zellsis got on their roles combining for 16 and 17 assists respectively. It felt like any time Zekken took a fight, the enemy was stunned, blind, or had some negative effect. After taking an 11-7 lead, I think they got complacent and started hitting sites harder than defaulting. This would end up hurting them as DRX's set plays were too strong (evident in their DEF win %). I think SEN could've closed it out way earlier had they not rushed to end the game.

The only downside I can see to SENs comp is the inability to destroy Cypher trips. I wouldn't mind seeing Sacy on Sova to make up for this. There were a few rounds where Flashback got INSANE value on the trips and slowed Zekken down. I only gauge SEN by how they finish out the sloppy/close rounds. Every person is winning their clutches whether it's because of luck or just a calculated outplay. I'm seeing visions of Madrid. DRX was able to pull it back mostly because of Foxy9's incredible Breach. He was staying alive in tough situations and his util usage was really great, he succeeded in his role of slowing Zekken down.

MAP 2: HAVEN
Both teams were evenly matched up on this map with SEN having a slight advantage debuting a new comp. The attack and defense stats are as follows:

DRX ATK win: 53%
DRX DEF win: 50%
SEN ATK win: 50%
SEN DEF win: 52%

SEN haven't really shown a strong Haven other than their map against C9 (which there's no point of even mentioning). With Zekken's Jett woes, it felt like maps like this would always be scrappy or "mid" for Sentinels. But now with Zekken playing Neon, he was able to take so much space which is huge for 3 bomb site maps. I'm really loving the double initiator comps that SEN have been showing recently. Similar to my notes on the last map, Zellsis and Sacy's efforts cannot be understated with them getting 16 and 14 assists respectively. Again, it felt like Zekken was set up so well in every engagement.

I think where DRX went wrong was falling into the trap of hard team fights. It felt like a lot of the rounds that DRX lost came from fighting in A main. Even when SEN was getting smacked by GEN G in their first matchup, they looked good in team fights. While they were getting strategically outplayed, SEN seems to shine in the gritty, muddy team fight rounds. I felt as though SENs attack fell a little flat at times, only getting 6 rounds for the half. I honestly though DRX would take the game because Haven is such an attack sided map but boy was I wrong. Whether it was because of the pressure, or the mental being down, DRXs attack was even flatter. This can be attributed to a few things. For one, it felt like Beyn's Sova was not getting enough usage. He constantly played on site and could not get out util in time with Zekken flying at him before he could take out his bow. Another factor could be the impressive retakes we saw from SEN. This aspect of the game was their bread and butter during Kick-Off and Madrid and we hadn't seen a retake heavy style since the Deadlock comp was being favored. It seems as they have developed some new retakes plays and procedures and it looked impressive.

All in all, it was a great match. I think DRX is set to make a run in lowers and this was another stepping stone in SENs journey. Excited to see what comes next. Thanks for reading if you did.

Yea man, but like I want to iterate that the story is absolute dogshit. It's super cringe with the Calypso Twins being a 100x downgrade from Handsome Jack. Like you would not miss anything from just skipping the cutscenes. If you can get past that, its enjoyable 100%.

The story is definitely not as good as Borderlands 1 and 2 but the gameplay feels really clean and there's A LOT of loot. I really enjoyed it. It's even more fun with a friend. If you end up not liking it, I would also recommend Tiny Tina's Wonderland. It's set in the Borderlands universe but on a smaller scale. And as someone who enjoys DnD, it was a cool take on it.

Yes. I can get past removing FUT flair but you got rid of Turkish flag.

Filipino

Marketing Director

I think SEN knows that. Their permaban will probably be Ascent. And with Zekken playing Neon on Haven and probably Abyss, their Icebox is the only map where he'd play Jett. And for some weird reason, SEN just turn up on Icebox when it matters.

Bumping this post because I feel like its even more validated after seeing Zekken on Neon.

you are my goat fr

what do you wish for me

PersistentPeanut
Flag: Canada
Registered: August 14, 2024
Last post: August 14, 2024 at 10:11 AM
Posts: 16

keke

I still get a great night's sleep. I just sleep earlier so I can wake up earlier. I've felt better and more productive too.

You don't have to? I just sleep at like 9 and wake up at 4:30 to watch the games. But to be fair we're in different situations. I'm in a corporate role where I don't do shit and still get paid so I can afford to be more tired lol.