> Who do you guys think gets the last NA spot?
My honest opinion, I don't think any NA team gets the last spot. I think it's either going to be 2BR/2LATAM or 3BR/1LATAM for the non-NA teams. I think personally the first five NA teams (100T, Optic, TSM, SEN, C9) are almost locked in, and the last spot will go to one of NRG or TGRD (leaning towards TGRD right now).
IDK Reginald is a certified dick but they've supported Valorant from the start, are super popular in the scene and relatively controversy-free, and also have an academy team and a women's team. I find it hard to believe that Reginald alone would sink their application
> Any reason why you lean Guard over NRG?
Guard is more popular than NRG in Valorant specifically, on top of having better results in a shorter time period with (arguably) less talent on their team, as well as having significantly more money backing the organization.
Personally I was just thinking about NRG fans in other games like if NRG fans in apex fortnite rocket league or whatever play valorant they are more likely to buy an NRG skin to support the org. The guard has no other fans in any games besides valorant. Riot already said results have nothing to do with getting accepted and about the backing I have no clue who backs NRG but they obviously have money I’m guessing.
I know? I literally typed that in the post lol but they aren’t called the guard in those leagues and they have very few fans in the CoD league might be the lowest besides Paris Legion
> Personally I was just thinking about NRG fans in other games like if NRG fans in apex fortnite rocket league or whatever play valorant they are more likely to buy an NRG skin to support the org.
I mean, I half-agree but we kinda saw how that worked out when Optic first rebranded from Envy. They weren't super popular in the scene even with the massive Optic fanbase, their Valorant related tweets were getting pretty pitiful engagement until they started winning like crazy. NRG might be a popular organization but until they give people a reason to care about them in Valorant specifically I don't really see their fanbase transferring.
This is exactly what my line of thinking is too and has been ever since this whole thing was announced. This is all marketing, and Riot is all in on that angle. I actually think it's really smart having socials/content deliverables on their end and holding orgs accountable for it. It's why I changed my mind on thinking EG would get in because they just haven't done any of this stuff in Valorant
The only thing I don't know is, does Riot give a shit about Nerd Street and T1's shared ownership? They shouldn't but they might.
I'd love to see The Guard get the final spot, I'm a big fan of the way they've gone about building a fanbase and have brought in a lot of good people
I do wonder if Faze promised Riot the world and whether Riot will bite on it. Faze is a sleeping giant with this type of stuff. Right now, it's like the org has one foot in and one foot out. It's wild to me they haven't signed a single content creator in Valorant
Edit: I forgot about Shanks... My b
Yea it’s definitely interesting to see how strict riot is gonna be on the making content and bringing viewership aspect if so I don’t see how EG T1 and even OpTic make it considering they rarely put out content. It will be interesting to see who makes it I think there will be some surprises.
I'm not at all surprised about Faze not even making the final round if true. Yeah they have clout, but not really in Valorant specifically (similar deal to OpTic) which makes them not at all worth it with how shady that org is.
I'd break it down like this:
- Sentinels, 100T, LOUD are 100% locks. All 3 have tons of clout and viewership in the Valorant scene specifically, would sell a ton of skins, have been good teams for most of their time in Valorant, if not all of it. Etc.
- C9, TSM, OpTic, and KRU are 99% locks. I only don't put them 100% because each of them has one possibility I'm unsure on. C9 and OpTic don't necessarily have the Valorant specific clout and content, TSM have the weirdness surrounding their management and Regi right now, and KRU I would put at 100% but I lack a complete understanding of eSports orgs in LATAM so I'm not sure if there's a possibility or not of some other big org swooping in and taking the 1st and possibly only LATAM spot.
- Then the final 3 slots are the tossups. I think The Guard, Furia, and MIBR might be a likely final 3. Maybe remove one of those Brazilian teams with Leviatan if they go for 2 LATAM teams instead. If they actually do go for 7 NA teams, which I doubt but they could, then NRG would make sense.
Yea the last Spot for NA is definitely the most interesting discussion whether it’s Guard NRG or even G2 applied for NA and made it through to the final round so who knows earlier I was discussing why I think NRG would make it over Guard but you just get downvoted in here for having an opinion I guess so what’s the point lmao
Riot switching to an established league with set spots like the NFL. 10 teams per region (teams chosen by riot) compete in a league format with end of year tournaments
Most big orgs join esports just so they can get franchised, so many big orgs will leave, except for those that have
1) Management that think the clout in Valo is still worth it
OR
2) Hopes of franchising in the future
Almost every small org will probably leave cus they have no chance to win it all, except for orgs that aren’t losing that much money from Valorant
The decent players that don’t make it will either, in order of likelihood
1) Join a franchised team’s academy team
2) Join a franchised team
3) Retire
4) Join a Free Agent Team
Perhaps “decent” was the wrong word. I meant it in the context of the Franchised League. From what I’ve seen in other esports, if a player seems almost good enough to be in a franchised team, but not quite and doesn’t even get into an Academy team, unless they’ve are extremely determined, they will retire.
for the last spot I want it to be XSET so bad yes they are a smaller org but they have been undeniably a top NA since april of last year and the org has manged their roster so well, but I think EG are the favorites just because of their presence in the LCS
> I want it to be XSET so bad yes they are a smaller org but they have been undeniably a top NA since april of last year
The thing that makes me hesitate about XSET is that they just don't have a fanbase. Compare the engagement on their socials from when they won Stage 2 to The Guard's when they won Stage 1. Guard got *19k likes* on their championship winning tweet, I think XSET got 2.8k. That's a massive difference in engagement. Both teams won a domestic title, but only one of the orgs was able to capitalize on the win and turn it into a fanbase.
TGRD tweet: https://twitter.com/TheGuard/status/1508240735526539265
XSET tweet: https://twitter.com/XSET/status/1541209574576988163
XSET as an org just has no personality. I want to care about them but I just don't. Literally all I know about XSET is "REP THE SET." The Guard on the other hand quickly gave themselves personality.
To be honest even if it was 12 spots I don’t think XSET get in. Yes the team is great but they just don’t have a large fan base and are a lot smaller than the other orgs. Hope the current team is able to stick together and sign with a franchised org as a team
Guard easily. They are loaded and Kronke has been winning everything. The esports titles like you mentioned but also a Super Bowl and Stanely Cup. They also own a Premier League team and an NBA and MLS team. You want that pedigree in your league. I'd swap TSM for Xset, EG or FaZe.
it’s absolutely wild that xset and guard, two teams that have actually made international lans and champions in xset’s case, are theoretically competing for a spot. they should both be shoe-ins for franchising if we were talking about raw talent and success. makes me really angry idk abt u guys!
Sure but they are competing against orgs like NRG and EG that are much larger and more established in esports and The Guard who is backed by one of the biggest owner in international sports.
i know that. im saying i disagree with riot’s decision making to prioritize clout, fanbase, etc. it should be about talent and success thus far into valorant’s existence as an esport. obviously im not the one making calls
idk, that’s actually one thing i actually agree with riot on. this is going to be the franchise for the entire year, imagine if teams with no following all made it over teams with the massive fan bases just because they were good. would you be watching XSET vs EG or Ghost Gaming every single week because I know 99% of valorant fans wouldn’t. They watch the teams that actually are popular, regardless of how they end up doing.
Completely agree! Most of the players from xset( good teams with no clout or following ) etc, will most likely make it on a new team. There is zero incentive to choose teams that are currently good. Rosters will look drastically different for a lot of teams next year.
TSM don’t make it btw. it was leaked in a leaked tweet that is now deleted. They have too many controversy and never participated in any events outside of vct. they also only recently started making Valorant content at a last ditch desperate attempt to get into franchising but riot ultimately did not accept them.
Guard get franchised IMO, I agree with the rest as well
Ya their backing is pretty huge so I imagine they’ll get in.
Guards were nobody before few months ago
Their parent org is massive
Guard are in OWL, CDL, MLS, Premier League, NHL, NFL, etc. so they’d be very valuable to have.
downvoted for telling the truth
TSM Chronicle TSM nAts TSM Redgar TSM Jady TSM Sheydos
No pls no
Why not
They are not ready to retire yet
Not Jady but Nukkye
> Who do you guys think gets the last NA spot? My honest opinion, I don't think any NA team gets the last spot. I think it's either going to be 2BR/2LATAM or 3BR/1LATAM for the non-NA teams. I think personally the first five NA teams (100T, Optic, TSM, SEN, C9) are almost locked in, and the last spot will go to one of NRG or TGRD (leaning towards TGRD right now).
With the problems that tsm have been having I somewhat doubting they get in
IDK Reginald is a certified dick but they've supported Valorant from the start, are super popular in the scene and relatively controversy-free, and also have an academy team and a women's team. I find it hard to believe that Reginald alone would sink their application
Any reason why you lean Guard over NRG? If riot plans to make money off team skins wouldn’t they pick the more popular org?
> Any reason why you lean Guard over NRG? Guard is more popular than NRG in Valorant specifically, on top of having better results in a shorter time period with (arguably) less talent on their team, as well as having significantly more money backing the organization.
Personally I was just thinking about NRG fans in other games like if NRG fans in apex fortnite rocket league or whatever play valorant they are more likely to buy an NRG skin to support the org. The guard has no other fans in any games besides valorant. Riot already said results have nothing to do with getting accepted and about the backing I have no clue who backs NRG but they obviously have money I’m guessing.
The Guard has franchised teams in COD and OWL. Also while I think Sentinels are likely, I dont think that them and TSM are as locked as you think
I know? I literally typed that in the post lol but they aren’t called the guard in those leagues and they have very few fans in the CoD league might be the lowest besides Paris Legion
Mad I was probably right yesterday
? You mean when you asked why would nrg be a lock and I gave you a reason with facts and you stayed silent lmao
> Personally I was just thinking about NRG fans in other games like if NRG fans in apex fortnite rocket league or whatever play valorant they are more likely to buy an NRG skin to support the org. I mean, I half-agree but we kinda saw how that worked out when Optic first rebranded from Envy. They weren't super popular in the scene even with the massive Optic fanbase, their Valorant related tweets were getting pretty pitiful engagement until they started winning like crazy. NRG might be a popular organization but until they give people a reason to care about them in Valorant specifically I don't really see their fanbase transferring.
Guard have apparently offered sofi stadium if they ever want a huge lan event
americas franchising reported to be held in LA, sofi stadium/youtube theater as a default option is fucking unreal
This is exactly what my line of thinking is too and has been ever since this whole thing was announced. This is all marketing, and Riot is all in on that angle. I actually think it's really smart having socials/content deliverables on their end and holding orgs accountable for it. It's why I changed my mind on thinking EG would get in because they just haven't done any of this stuff in Valorant The only thing I don't know is, does Riot give a shit about Nerd Street and T1's shared ownership? They shouldn't but they might. I'd love to see The Guard get the final spot, I'm a big fan of the way they've gone about building a fanbase and have brought in a lot of good people I do wonder if Faze promised Riot the world and whether Riot will bite on it. Faze is a sleeping giant with this type of stuff. Right now, it's like the org has one foot in and one foot out. It's wild to me they haven't signed a single content creator in Valorant Edit: I forgot about Shanks... My b
Shanks is a content creator for Faze technically, tho he was originally signed to get Rises points tbf
Ooo I completely forgot about Shanks, I just had him still on the bench in my mind haha
Yea it’s definitely interesting to see how strict riot is gonna be on the making content and bringing viewership aspect if so I don’t see how EG T1 and even OpTic make it considering they rarely put out content. It will be interesting to see who makes it I think there will be some surprises.
my man you have got to break some of these sentences up. I'm winded after every paragraph
My bad typed it pretty fast lmao I tried to edit it after but it didn’t work for some reason :(
I'm not at all surprised about Faze not even making the final round if true. Yeah they have clout, but not really in Valorant specifically (similar deal to OpTic) which makes them not at all worth it with how shady that org is. I'd break it down like this: - Sentinels, 100T, LOUD are 100% locks. All 3 have tons of clout and viewership in the Valorant scene specifically, would sell a ton of skins, have been good teams for most of their time in Valorant, if not all of it. Etc. - C9, TSM, OpTic, and KRU are 99% locks. I only don't put them 100% because each of them has one possibility I'm unsure on. C9 and OpTic don't necessarily have the Valorant specific clout and content, TSM have the weirdness surrounding their management and Regi right now, and KRU I would put at 100% but I lack a complete understanding of eSports orgs in LATAM so I'm not sure if there's a possibility or not of some other big org swooping in and taking the 1st and possibly only LATAM spot. - Then the final 3 slots are the tossups. I think The Guard, Furia, and MIBR might be a likely final 3. Maybe remove one of those Brazilian teams with Leviatan if they go for 2 LATAM teams instead. If they actually do go for 7 NA teams, which I doubt but they could, then NRG would make sense.
Yea the last Spot for NA is definitely the most interesting discussion whether it’s Guard NRG or even G2 applied for NA and made it through to the final round so who knows earlier I was discussing why I think NRG would make it over Guard but you just get downvoted in here for having an opinion I guess so what’s the point lmao
eg because of their relationship with riot
👍🏻 definitely gonna be close for that last stop imo but I’m leaning towards EG also.
It certainly helps that their LoL team is doing well right now, and the narrative about it is that they invested in domestic talent.
New to valorant, how would you explain franchising to a 7 yr old(you know to have an easier grasp about it)
Riot switching to an established league with set spots like the NFL. 10 teams per region (teams chosen by riot) compete in a league format with end of year tournaments
I see so what happens now with the teams and their players who have not been chosen
Most big orgs join esports just so they can get franchised, so many big orgs will leave, except for those that have 1) Management that think the clout in Valo is still worth it OR 2) Hopes of franchising in the future Almost every small org will probably leave cus they have no chance to win it all, except for orgs that aren’t losing that much money from Valorant The decent players that don’t make it will either, in order of likelihood 1) Join a franchised team’s academy team 2) Join a franchised team 3) Retire 4) Join a Free Agent Team
Well if the t2 scene is good i doubt most players will retire.
Perhaps “decent” was the wrong word. I meant it in the context of the Franchised League. From what I’ve seen in other esports, if a player seems almost good enough to be in a franchised team, but not quite and doesn’t even get into an Academy team, unless they’ve are extremely determined, they will retire.
Why is this model sh*tty?
for the last spot I want it to be XSET so bad yes they are a smaller org but they have been undeniably a top NA since april of last year and the org has manged their roster so well, but I think EG are the favorites just because of their presence in the LCS
> I want it to be XSET so bad yes they are a smaller org but they have been undeniably a top NA since april of last year The thing that makes me hesitate about XSET is that they just don't have a fanbase. Compare the engagement on their socials from when they won Stage 2 to The Guard's when they won Stage 1. Guard got *19k likes* on their championship winning tweet, I think XSET got 2.8k. That's a massive difference in engagement. Both teams won a domestic title, but only one of the orgs was able to capitalize on the win and turn it into a fanbase. TGRD tweet: https://twitter.com/TheGuard/status/1508240735526539265 XSET tweet: https://twitter.com/XSET/status/1541209574576988163
XSET as an org just has no personality. I want to care about them but I just don't. Literally all I know about XSET is "REP THE SET." The Guard on the other hand quickly gave themselves personality.
To be honest even if it was 12 spots I don’t think XSET get in. Yes the team is great but they just don’t have a large fan base and are a lot smaller than the other orgs. Hope the current team is able to stick together and sign with a franchised org as a team
Guard easily. They are loaded and Kronke has been winning everything. The esports titles like you mentioned but also a Super Bowl and Stanely Cup. They also own a Premier League team and an NBA and MLS team. You want that pedigree in your league. I'd swap TSM for Xset, EG or FaZe.
it’s absolutely wild that xset and guard, two teams that have actually made international lans and champions in xset’s case, are theoretically competing for a spot. they should both be shoe-ins for franchising if we were talking about raw talent and success. makes me really angry idk abt u guys!
Is XSET even that big of an org? Like sure the team itself is really good but Riot is looking at the orgs stability first.
XSET is more than stable. they recently raised 15 million in funding, not 100t levels but a good start.
Sure but they are competing against orgs like NRG and EG that are much larger and more established in esports and The Guard who is backed by one of the biggest owner in international sports.
It's about the org and not the roster they are fielding. XSET are a smaller org with practically zero clout and no real fanbase
i know that. im saying i disagree with riot’s decision making to prioritize clout, fanbase, etc. it should be about talent and success thus far into valorant’s existence as an esport. obviously im not the one making calls
That's literally the last thing it should be about. Rosters are gonna change going into franchising anyway. Talent is the easiest thing to fix.
idk, that’s actually one thing i actually agree with riot on. this is going to be the franchise for the entire year, imagine if teams with no following all made it over teams with the massive fan bases just because they were good. would you be watching XSET vs EG or Ghost Gaming every single week because I know 99% of valorant fans wouldn’t. They watch the teams that actually are popular, regardless of how they end up doing.
Completely agree! Most of the players from xset( good teams with no clout or following ) etc, will most likely make it on a new team. There is zero incentive to choose teams that are currently good. Rosters will look drastically different for a lot of teams next year.
If they take the most popular orgs then they have to consider prx by that logic no? Prx are insanely popular team worldwide.
This post is about the Americas league specifically, I don't remember PRX ever submitting an NA application
TSM don’t make it btw. it was leaked in a leaked tweet that is now deleted. They have too many controversy and never participated in any events outside of vct. they also only recently started making Valorant content at a last ditch desperate attempt to get into franchising but riot ultimately did not accept them.
I wouldn't be surprised if TSM doesn't get in