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Red Bull Campus Clutch, a global Valorant tournament for students, is set to host its World Finals in December 2022. Collegiate rosters from 50 countries will convene in Sao Paulo, Brazil, later this year to compete for their share from a $19,542 prize pool.
Hundreds of Valorant teams from each participating country had to go through their regional qualifiers, with a select few emerging victorious to claim their country's singular slot at the World Finals. Team Villainous will represent India at the event and will compete with teams from all over the world for the title of Red Bull Campus Clutch 2022 champions.
Team Villainous comprises five promising players that the Indian Valorant community is already familiar with due to their experience with some of the most renowned Valorant organizations in the country. Here is the roster that will represent India at the Red Bull Campus Clutch World Finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil:
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- Aditya "BuLL3T" Kajari
- Saksham "Deadly10" Aurangabadkar (Velocity Gaming)
- Tanmay "FOX" Verma (Medal Esports)
- Gaurang "GauRanG" Yadav
- Kasif "Paradox" Sayyed (Revenant Esports)
The Red Bull Campus Clutch India Finals was held as a LAN tournament at Dublin Square, Phoenix Market City, Kurla, Mumbai, on September 24, 2022. Team Villainous defeated Anaadi Army in the Grand Finals of the tournament to collect their golden ticket to represent the country at the World Final in Brazil.
Kasif "Paradox" Sayyed talks about winning Red Bull Campus Clutch 2022, Valorant's plans for franchising, and more
In a conversation with Adarsh J Kumar of Sportskeeda Esports, one of Team Villainous' key players, Kasif "Paradox" Sayyed, shared his thoughts on the Red Bull Campus Clutch tournament. The renowned pro detailed his victory in the India Finals and his expectations for the World Finals in Brazil.
Being a member of Revenant Esports, one of India's leading Valorant organizations, Paradox also discussed the current state of Valorant esports in India and his expectations for the game in the near future.
Q: Congrats on winning the Red Bull Campus Clutch here in India. Can you tell us a bit about your team and how the five of you got together to compete in the Valorant tournament?
Paradox: I knew GauRanG and BuLL3T from the start. These two were confirmed pieces of our team. GauRanG was the winner of the 2021 Red Bull Campus Clutch from India and he wanted to win it again. He informed me, telling me that we will form a team together. I agreed. BuLL3T also approached me for the same.
I was searching for potential players, after which I got in FOX and ezzy from Medal Esports. We qualified for the tournament through Qualifier #3 because I wasn't available for Qualifiers 1 and 2 due to the Bangalore LAN (TEC Challenger Series).
We had to sub out ezzy due to some personal issues, after which we were short of one player. We then approached Deadly10, who was a part of Reckoning Esports when we picked him. He later joined Velocity Gaming.
Q: All five of you are not regular teammates. Most of you are signed to other Valorant organizations. Taking that into consideration, how long did it take for your team to find the right chemistry amongst yourselves?
Paradox: To be honest, there was no issue regarding the chemistry. Everyone's mindset was the same. I played with FOX and BuLL3T in the SCS (Skyesports Championship Series) when I was with Team Valor. I played with GauRanG since the early CS days from the team - Only Friends.
As for Deadly10, I've known him since his time in Purpose Esports. Although I never got time to play with him, I played a few PUGs with him. I knew he was an explosive Duelist who could fill our team's gap. Since I'm flexible with my role, I switched from a Duelist to a pseudo-Duelist or Initiator for the team.
Overall, there were no issues regarding the chemistry. Everyone was ready. We just had to queue and scrim. We did only two scrims, that too, two days before our game, when FOX was flying to Mumbai. We did two scrims and we were like:
"Let's go guys, we're all warmed up now."
Q: You’re a Valorant pro who competes at the highest level of Valorant esports here in India and South Asia. Compared to the professional scene here, how good was the level of Valorant that you played against in the Red Bull Campus Clutch?
Paradox: Honestly, I would say that there is little to no difference. The only difference that you would see between the highest echelon of Valorant and the collegiate stage is the level of decision-making and lack of tactics, chemistry and everything.
When I play at the highest level, be it any SEA team or SA team, I'm not afraid to peek at them. But on the collegiate level, I was so afraid to peek at them. They are literally aim demons. They're used to playing PUGs. They might have better aim than the players I've played against at the top SEA level as well. But the areas they lack are spontaneous decision-making, tactics, team chemistry and such.
Their aim was god-like. I would say that collegiate level aim is way better than the professional level. But at the end of the day, it's a team game. It's a 5v5 tactical shooter. Tactics do matter.
Q: Since all five of you aren’t signed under the same Valorant organization, what is the situation regarding the team's sponsorship for the World Final Stage of Red Bull Campus Clutch in Brazil? Pakistan’s winners tweeted recently about not having an org to support them. Compared to that, what is the situation for Team Villainous in Valorant?
Paradox: That was regarding their own team because the lineup that won the Red Bull Campus Clutch in Pakistan was the same lineup as Team Snakes, also known as Team Exploit in the past. They were a part of Full Power Gaming, but due to unfortunate circumstances, they're not part of that org anymore.
But in our case, I'm signed with Revenant Esports, Deadly10 is signed with VLT, FOX is signed with Medal, and GauRang is currently looking for organizations. BuLL3T was a part of Team Valor, but I'm not sure where he stands now. Sponsorship is not a problem for us. Our entire trip to Brazil, which includes travel, accommodation and food, is sponsored by Red Bull India and Red Bull Brazil. It's all taken care of.
As you might know, this event is going to be a week-long tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Our organizations will be one player short during that week of December, from 11th to 16th, be it VLT, RNT or Medal. So, our organizations might have to take a substitute for that week. Other than that, there are no issues.
Q: One of India’s top teams, Global Esports, has secured a partnership slot for the VCT Leagues. What does this mean for Valorant in India? How long will it be before we see an Indian player/ team compete on the international stage?
Paradox: That's really good news for the esports industry in India as well as the whole of SA. We have a name, an image, who will be representing the whole of South Asia on a global stage, and that is Global Esports right now. It means a lot.
It's a great thing for us too, because due to this, we're also introduced to the domestic leagues, which might bring up good tier-2 teams. Maybe even Revenant Esports can go through the domestic leagues and have the opportunity to qualify for the Ascension tournament as well. It's a good thing for us.
As you all know, Global Esports has been dominating the Indian circuit for more than a year. So they deserved that slot. I've seen Global Esports since the CS: GO and Overwatch days. They're one of the oldest esports organizations that still operate in India. So they deserved the slot to represent India.
Q: VCT 2023 is expected to have a separate Challenger League for the India and South Asia region. You currently play for one of India’s top Valorant orgs and are likely to compete in the Valorant Challengers League. Although Riot hasn’t announced anything yet about the format and structure, what do you think about this concept of Challengers Leagues?
Paradox: It's a great concept, although I might say that it kind of restricts the grassroots level of teams. The thing is, you have to be good enough to qualify for the domestic leagues and everything. As you stated, the format is not out yet, so this is just a rough idea regarding the domestic leagues and everything.
The top teams from the domestic league will qualify for the Ascension tournament, and maybe they can apply for franchising next season. For teams to perform well in the domestic leagues, they must already fetch a good roster, or maybe they must be a part of an organization.
So at the grassroots level, these guys who have no support or organization backing them up might have a hard time climbing the ladder. It's a good change. The only thing that hasn't been clarified by Riot is about the teams that have just been formed without any orgs.
Q: In general, what are your thoughts on grassroot level programs like the Redbull Campus Clutch? Do you think tournament organizers in India should also take such initiatives?
Paradox: There should definitely be some events at the grassroots level because you never know which name might pop up, or who might be the next big thing in South Asia. As you might know, excluding a few players, the current circuit consists of 95% of ex-CS: GO pros from India. So you might never know who the next big thing in India is.
They might be playing PUGs, or they might be in a strategically weaker team, but their individual skill level might be exceeding those who are already playing. So they need a chance to prove themselves and showcase their skills on a bigger stage. Grassroots level tournaments help them showcase their skill level.
Q: Will this be your first time competing for an esports tournament outside India?
Paradox: It will be my first time competing for an FPS game outside India. I've represented India in Street Fighter 5 during the Global Esports Gaming Festival 2021 which was hosted in Singapore.
In that tournament, I got grouped out after being slotted in the group of death. We were in a group of four, and the top 2 qualified from the group. The top two from my group - GamerBee from Taiwan and MenaRD from Dominican Republic - ended up being the Gold and Silver medallists at the tournament.
Q: How excited are you to travel to Brazil and represent India at such a big Valorant tournament?
Paradox: It's going to be really prestigious. Be it in esports or any traditional sports, to represent India on a global stage is a dream for every athlete. Being able to represent India on the global stage against 50 countries is a huge feat.
We won't disappoint any of you, but since we are representing the country on such a huge stage, people might be nervous. It was the first ever LAN for Deadly10, FOX, and the second LAN which they're going to play is directly on a global stage with 50 countries.
It will take a huge amount of mental fortitude for them to compete at that stage, but it's going to be a great experience to meet players from other countries and learn about their experiences. Brazil is on the other side of the world, so we have to travel for 25-30 hours. It's going to be a great journey for us.
