Innocent 5: A Valorant Redemption Story

The former Paratroops Valorant team, renamed as Innocent 5, has just won the Logitech x Loco Battlezone tournament.

With the controversy of Abhay “Xhade” Urkude getting caught cheating, Paratroops got disbanded, and they ended up releasing their full roster.

This Xhade situation is so fucking disheartening bro, he almost fucked the entire valorant scene. Where do these stupid morons come from holyfuck.

— Karzemo (@Karzemo) January 28, 2021

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Valorant journey of Innocent 5

Not long after the disbanding of team Paratroops, the previous members formed a new team in the hopes of achieving the goals that were set back due to the controversy.

Innocent 5, comprising of Strixx, notFox, EdiT, ezzy, and Kuzuri, entered the scene in their stead. They also had an additional stand-in - Mithul “Binks69” Nayak.

The newly-formed team, with the roster of old friends and one single dream, set their problems aside and entered the Battlezone tournament by Logitech G and Villager Esports. After a long and hard run, they finally beat Team Tamilas to reach the grand finals of the tournament, where they faced Global Esports.

Global Esports and team Mahi are the two well-known powerhouses in the Indian Valorant scene. The duo dominantly winning every tournament they set their eyes on has been the story of the competitive sceen so far.

Not anymore though, as in a shocking Bo5 grand finale, Innocent 5 beat Global Esports by taking the series 3-2.

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Team effort in Finals

It is not very unusual to see fans support the favourites. Global Esports has been a known figure in Indian esports for a long time. Their Valorant roster performs quite a bit better than all the other esports. But it was Innocent 5 who had something to prove.

Even with the scandal hanging over their heads like a noose, they performed extremely well. In typically dominant manner, Global Esports was leading the series 2-0.

But, Innocent 5 was not ready to lose yet. Global Esports' IGL, HellrangeR, secured quite a lot of kills. But with the substitution of Binks for Kuzuri in the third match, I5 looked to turn the tide. With his aggressive plays, Binks soon established higher ground in both kills secured and general dominance, rallying his team to a 3-2 comeback.

From having the previous roster disbanded due to a hacking scandal, to forming a new team and defeating an absolute powerhouse to win the next tournament, I5 seem to be writing themselves quite the legacy.