CSGO pro Elige says Valorant gameplay is heading in wrong direction

Fariha Bhatti Published 12/03/2021

Valorant esports has made great strides in North America in just a short period of time. But Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professional player Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski believes that growth is not necessarily headed in the right direction.

Unlike Valve’s shooter, that has matured into an esports giant over the course of nine years, Valorant is still relatively new to the esports arena. The FPS is in its embryonic stages, picking up pace region by region. However, Valorant’s success in the North America is already palpable. Riot Games’ tactical shooter has skyrocketed in the NA region.

EliGE commented on Valorant’s gameplay, and he had some thoughts on the direction of North American teams.

from what I’ve watched too I think NA was better in 2020 but now I think it’s definitely trending in the wrong direction with bad habits and less innovation / teamplay. so hopefully they can turn it around
— Jonathan Jablonowski (@EliGE) March 12, 2021

Valorant is not your regular FPS game that revolves solely around the aim. Riot’s shooter spices up the tactical FPS genre by adding unique agents each of whom bring distinct powers to the table. Despite having such a variety of agents, players like to pick up aggressive duelists to bag kills. Elige pointed out the lack of tactical play and criticized the bland “push and die” meta.

ELiGE thinks NA Valorant needs more coordination, fewer duels

“I think it’s pretty clear if you watch any game that you just see people solo wide-swinging everywhere, just going for duels anywhere they can. Clear communication lapses, not using utility where they could’ve etc.,” EliGE said.

Due to a complicated mix of abilities, Valorant players are expected to be more organized and play a coordinated game. Unlike CSGO, every player in Valorant stocks a different utility, which must be availed to support teammates and execute plays. According to EliGE, such calculated strategies are more scarce in NA esports, and players often pick unnecessary duels.

CSGO doesn’t include fancy agents and game-changing powers, but the game has managed to source innovative play styles over the year. Valve’s shooter lacks regular updates, but the style of play keeps transitioning in both casual and pro games. But it took a long time for CSGO pros to create a meta deeply rooted in advanced strategies. Valorant is still developing into a proper esport, and now is the time to set the professional meta straight.

However, it’s still too early to comment on professional games as more teams enter the Valorant esports with unique styles and different backgrounds, all set to twist the meta around.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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