The Saviour of NA: Can Tarik save NA Valorant Queues?
The Saviour of NA - Can Tarik save NA Valorant Queues?
Recently, Valorant has been hit with a serious issue of Crypto Betters throwing ranked games. If you’re new to Valorant, or don’t really follow streamers and the pro scene, let me explain.
Professional Valorant e-sports athletes and popular streamers have been facing an issue, where crypto betters will queue up with a streamer or a professional player, and then bet against their team. These people will then proceed to throw the said match to win the bets. This creates a toxic and miserable experience for all involved.
The earliest traceable information on these crypto betting sites is this tweet from Valorant Professional and streamer @WedidOfficial.
In the past few months, this problem has gotten so out of hand, that streamers and professionals are getting frustrated at not being able to play the game, and Riot has yet to put out a word regarding this issue.
However, Valorant might have a new savior, a Messiah even (at least in North America), in Tarik. Getting tired of these crypto betters ruining his games, Tarik decided to take matters into his own hands by creating a pseudo-FPL style lobbies, where Pro players could queue up with each other without having to face these crypto betting throwers.
Dubbed ‘Pro City’, it is an invite only league where players are either invited directly, or can apply to join.
The Criteria:
Players already in a franchise team, and contracted players in a tier 1 organization get a direct invite to Pro City.
Certain criteria should be met in order to apply:
- Top 3 finish in one of last 3 acts
- Contracted player on team for 6+ months total in last 2 years (Valorant)
- Immortal 3+ in the last 3 acts with 500+ hours streamed in Valorant in the last year.
No exceptions will be made.
These criteria are straight from Tarik himself. And to be able to apply, applicants must meet at least one of these. A council of seven members, including Tarik himself will vote on whether or not to accept a player. The council will also decide if a player should be removed if they are reported. This council will remain anonymous to protect them from public backlash or criticism.
As a result, pro players have been able to enjoy playing the game again. They have also publicly expressed their gratitude towards the Sentinels man.
This isn’t the first time Tarik has taken the initiative to host his own tournaments and lobbies, previously hosting the Ludwig x Tarik Invitational with fellow streamer Ludwing, and several other smaller tournaments.
Even though this isn't a permanent solution, until Riot comes up with a better and more feasible alternative for the wider audience, more and more Radiant players will be drawn towards Pro City. This might become an issue for Riot, as more and more players abandon their Ranked queues and force them into action.
Image Source: