With a Twist: T1 Valorant kicks off VCT 2023 season with boot camp in North America

According to a recent interview with T1 player Ha “Sayaplayer” Jeong-woo, the T1 Valorant roster is set to begin their training across the pond in North America. Following the news that T1 had made partner in Riot’s new VCT partner ecosystem, T1 shifted their focus to a full South Korean roster.

T1 is set to compete in the APAC international VCT league in 2023, with Seoul, South Korea as the home base for the Pacific league.  However, unlike in other games such as League of Legends, the North American scene for Valorant is thriving and is home to multiple title contending teams.

Teams such as LOUD, NRG, Cloud 9 and 100 Thieves will all be great training for the Asian side as they prep for their first tournament in February. Riot has released the new tournament schedule for VCT 2023, and it begins with the Kickoff Tournament in São Paulo, Brazil in February.

Unlike in League of Legends, within the APAC scene, only a handful of teams such as DRX and Paper Rex can offer any beneficial training with consistency. The APAC region is currently dominated by these few teams and the talent has yet to be evenly distributed to more teams. In NA however, talent is bursting at the seams, with an overflow of potential stars still side-lined to the Challengers Series such as The Guard and FaZe Clan.

Developing region

As it currently stands, within the tactical FPS space, NA and EMEA hold the superior edge, with a lengthier history of talent within the genre. Much like in League of Legends, where players and content creators would make the yearly pilgrimage to South Korea to train with the best, now the opposite holds true.

Several NA teams have already started practicing, according to sources, with teams such as 100 Thieves having already begun, and teams like NRG poised to begin soon (awaiting the arrival of Ardis “ardiis” Svarenieks).

With the Kickoff tournament still some months off, some partnered teams will still be on break. That said, the Challengers League for Tier 2 teams will begin competing soon. Depending on preferences and timing, T1 is travelling to NA at a fortuitous time, with a wealth of teams to test their mettle against.

As part of the Strafe Esports cover on the APAC region, T1 is one of the expected teams to rise to the top of the Pacific Arena as a lead contender. Speculations run high for their performance at the inaugural launch of the VCT season next year.

Image credit: T1 Twitter