X10 Esports can hold their heads up high after an inspiring run at the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Stage 2 Masters at Reykjavík, Iceland.
The team from Thailand represented the Southeast Asian region well, competing against Team Vikings during their international tournament debut. X10 Esports then eliminated the Japanese region’s representatives Crazy Raccoon in a convincing 2-0 victory.
X10 Esports’ tournament run came to an end when they were outclassed by European squad Fnatic during Day 4 of the competition. After the match, X10 Esports’ Thanamethk “Crws” Mahatthananuyut talked about the team’s performance in a post-game press conference. He also shared his insights on how Southeast Asia could improve its Valorant scene moving forward.
X10 Esports and their performance at the VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík
Coming into the tournament, Crws and his team wanted to prove to the world that Southeast Asia is a strong and competitive region. “Our goal was actually to come here to prove that we’ve got something in our pocket, and we just hope everyone sees that our region has something as well.”
X10 Esports’ performance certainly showed that they are strong enough to compete against other regions. “It also makes our region more competitive, if we can put up a good fight here. So, that’s our goal: to be able to do this, to be able to do well, and to make the scene bigger in our region.”
Even North America’s biggest stars, like former CS:GO pro Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek and 100 Thieves’ Valorant team captain Spencer “Hiko” Martin, were blown away by Itthirit “foxz” Ngamsaard’s performance against Fnatic.
Crws also shared his own personal experience competing in VCT Stage 2 Masters. “Every team here has a different style and they have their uniqueness, and that’s what I love about the game, that it doesn’t bore me. There’s always something to look forward to in every single game. It’s always fun. It actually makes us brighter on a side where we’ll have more strats, more comps to play.”
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What can Southeast Asia do to improve the Valorant scene?
Crws wants more players to dedicate themselves to the game to help the SEA scene move forward. “I think they just need to get their heads in the game more, focus on the game more,” he observed. “From my region, I’d say there’s not as many professional players. That’s why the scene is not as big there. They’re not as willing to give everything — time, whatever to the game. I just hope in the future they get more exposure to Valorant, so that we have a larger pool of players to choose from.”
For people to completely focus on developing their game, organizations will need to provide proper support to develop players. “To be honest, it’s just that the game is really big,” said Crws. “The players in Southeast Asia just need to know that they can have the support, to be able to put in time to practice and play professionally. This is still a new game and not everyone is sure about giving everything to the game.”
X10 Esports believes in their talent, and their passion for competition hasn’t wavered even after being eliminated from the tournament. “We always have something in our pocket. If today we started hitting our shots, the result might not be the same. So, I want [the world] to keep an eye on us,” concluded Crws.
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