Author: Pedro Romero
So far in the 2023 VCT Game Changers season, a variety of teams have emerged from within their particular region to become part of a group of major contenders to win the GC title in early December.Such teams include new faces such as Version1 of North America, Team SMG of APAC, LOUD of Brazil and ZETA DIVISION GC of Japan. Simultaneously, there are also those who maintained their top spot at the helm of the GC scene; like Latin America’s KRU Blaze, Team Liquid Brazil and, most certainly, G2 Gozen.Looking at G2 Gozen specifically, following their 2022 GC world championship…
From consistently competing in the EMEA Game Changers scene with little to no success to their name, BBL Queens took a huge leap forward in their form for the 2023 season. After retooling the lineup with the addition of Zehra “Felipa” Durak and Zeynep “Rayka” Kalkan, the team would go on to finish at least Top 6 in the first two splits of the year.In Series 1, the team went perfect in the group stage (7-0) and ultimately finished second via 3-2 grand finals loss to G2 Gozen, and in Series 2, they had another flawless group stage, but consecutive…
The 2023 edition of Valorant Champions was staged in Los Angeles, California, marking the first time an international VCT event was held in North America, the place where the game was first developed. Since the game’s launch, it helped spawn a myriad of great teams and players, a small number of which would eventually go on to become champions during their heyday.Likewise, the event created an opportunity for talent to showcase their skills during live broadcasts. Among those able to make a name for themselves is American commentator Clinton ‘Paperthin’ Bader, who started covering the game in 2020 for First…
In the second part of BLIX’s interview with Valorant caster Clinton ‘Paperthin’ Bader during Champions 2023, he talks about what he viewed as his struggles in his field, what he did to improve in his time covering the game, how he casts the many teams’ all with different playstyles, plus his Chicago Cubs fandom and more. You can find the first part of the interview with Paperthin here.Paperthin’s struggles and improvements as a casterBLIX: Comparing yourself from past years, which year do you feel like you were at your best?Clinton ‘Paperthin’ Bader: For Valorant? [BLIX: Anything.] I think my peak…
Fans, players, and everyone in between gathered in Los Angeles, California to take part in Valorant Champions, which served as the ultimate conclusion to the 2023 VCT season. As such, the 16 competing teams will see their journeys end after working through a long taxing season featuring an endless stream of events, matches and practice with little breaks in the process.Regardless of the fact, it’s precisely because of the possibility of attaining victory and glory these people put up with the grueling demands of the pro scene in order to become indisputable legends, just like how it turned out for…
Evil Geniuses capped off their incredible run in the 2023 VCT season by dispatching Paper Rex 3-1 in the Valorant Champions 2023 grand finals to become world champions. From being regarded as a pushover early on in the season, the North American side enshrined themselves as legends of Valorant by defeating a boisterous PRX side that was on the same path to greatness and looked primed to win the event in their own right.Even so, with losses suffered in Split, BindR and Lotus, the Pacific side were sentenced to second place in the international level yet again, after their previous…
In the second part of BLIX’s interview with Version1 IGL Melanie ‘meL’ Capone, she reflects on her experience in the 2022 Game Changers Championship in Berlin, Germany, how she has handled the attention and pressure surrounding her throughout her career, what the current level is for GC teams within co-ed tournaments and more.Be sure to check out the first part of the interview here.Pedro Romero, BLIX: Let’s get into Berlin because one of the things I want to touch upon is your experience in the GC Championship. During a post-match interview following the GC Series 2 grand finals, you highlighted…
Following the disbandment of Cloud9 White, a wave of uncertainty and anticipation was radiating throughout the North American Game Changers scene. With the region’s greatest team now gone after dominating for around two years, it finally became possible for another squad to come forward and seize the GC throne for themselves. As the region boasted an array of promising teams in the GC level, the race was back on for domestic supremacy.However, by the end of Series 2, any debate over who will be the next best team has resoundingly ended with Version1 becoming back-to-back winners in the circuit. Led…
While content made by Riot Games promoting League of Legends esports events has already garnered praise through its portrayal of storylines and building anticipation — things took a different direction in the middle of 2021 when a production company stepped in to manage that role: Good Boy Creative.Founded in 2017 by the duo of Nick Brown and Josh Frackleton, Good Boy deals with things concerning production, including, as listed on its website, writing and development, commercial, live event and social media video production, plus editing, sound mixing, color, 2D and 3D animation and more. Since then, the company created projects…
In the second part of BLIX’s interview with Nick Brown, co-founder and executive director of Good Boy Creative, he discusses the struggles he and the media company underwent in their time covering Valorant and League of Legends esports, working around issues like the weather and the COVID-19 pandemic, covering Masters Tokyo, what his favorite event is and much more. If you missed part one of our interview, read it here. Difficulties behind covering Valorant eventsBLIX: Following that train of thought, has there been a difficult event for you to cover when it comes to Valorant? And if so, what about…