We had a fantastic time catching up with South African Valorant pro gamers to hear how the Valorant Streamers Cup went. We also got first-hand tips and tricks for other Valorant fans to have even more fun playing their favorite game.
The Valorant Streamers Cup in South Africa, powered by Carry1st, marked an exciting milestone with the launch of local servers. This brought the community closer and offered players a chance to showcase their skills. We had the privilege of sitting down with five participants from Team Pearl, who shared their experiences, insights, and thoughts on the growing South African gaming scene.
Tell us more about yourself and why you participated in the Valorant Streamers Cup.
ItsMelsBels: “I am a competitive Valorant player and streamer in South Africa who has been playing since 2021. I took part in the Valorant Streamers Cup as it was a great way to kick off the launch of ZA Valorant servers and get to play with other amazing creators.”
Mangolorian: “I am a Valorant pro player in South Africa, and I’ve been playing since release. I have a passion for playing Valorant competitively, and I am just starting out with content creation, so when I saw there was a competitive streamer event, I had to take part.”
BiNKZ: “My name is Tyler, a.k.a BiNKZ, and I’m a variety streamer and content creator for ATK. The reason I took part in the Valorant Streamers Cup was to spread the word that we recently got ZA servers for Val. Plus, I thought it’d be fun to participate.”
kengeleng: “My name is Drew, but I go by the internet alias kengeleng. I am a professional Valorant player and have been playing Valorant virtually since it was released. My long-term goal is to create streaming content. Despite not being a streamer, I received an invitation to the Streamers Cup.”
SvG3PanDa: “My name is Marcus, aka known as SvG3PanDa (Pronounced Savage Panda). I’ve been a content creator for just over three years and a Valorant Caster/Creator for 2 of those years. I got into Valorant after my community challenged me to try a shooter game, as I was not big on shooters. I entered the Streamers Cup to showcase my gratitude and celebration for the local servers we’ve been blessed with and show the rest of the country that we can compete toe to toe with other regions now that we have servers.”
What was your Valorant gaming experience like on the SA servers?
ItsMelsBels: “It has been incredible thus far! Seeing your shots hit straight away is super satisfying, and I also feel like servers have really brought the community together. There is more support than ever before. I also think there are a lot of new players who’ve started playing Val since servers launched, which is great for the scene.”
Mangolorian: “I have enjoyed playing on low ping again; it’s been truly liberating. Everyone has been super friendly and great to play with.”
BiNKZ: “The servers feel very good. I’m used to playing shooters on EU servers, and going from 160 – 200ms to 5ms is mental. It feels too responsive.”
kengeleng: “It has been nothing short of awesome to play on our very own Valorant servers. The ability to observe how well everyone is performing now with lower ping has been a wonderful experience, and most of the individuals you encounter are polite and ready to learn more and advance their own games.”
SvG3PanDa: “It’s been really refreshing, not just with the lower ping to a server but having local people makes that barrier of communication a lot less prevalent, and the playstyle that South Africans have is a lot more to my liking than how a lot of the other regions we played on were.”
What do you like most about Valorant?
ItsMelsBels: “Valorant holds a special place in my heart as it was the first game I ever played seriously and the game which got me into streaming regularly. I love how the game is about aim and relies on utilities. I also love all the characters and how each one has their own individual unique abilities. Every character has a ‘different play style’, so you constantly need to adapt to whichever one you’re playing.”
Mangolorian: “The reason I play Valorant is to be competitive. This being said, it’s the fastest-growing esport in the world, and it’s unique. Therefore, I can showcase my capabilities to play the game at a higher level for people to enjoy my gameplay.”
BiNKZ: “I like the complexity of every game. It’s not your straightforward, “you’re on a map, kill everything, rack up points, die and respawn” type FPS.”
kengeleng: “As with every game I play, I really enjoy the competitive component of it, but what I appreciate best about Valorant is how it combines a tactical first-person shooter with each agent’s individual skills.”
SvG3PanDa: “I love the utility of the game. A lot of tactical shooters make utility very one-dimensional. Every character has the same utility as the other. I think Valorant has really found a way to take classic utility that’s been perfected over the years and make it unique for every agent. Brimstone’s Incendiary and Viper’s Snake Bite are both molotovs that do tick damage, however, they are not the same. They behave and react differently, and I think it’s that across the board that makes this game really unique and fun.”
Who is your favorite Valorant character, and why?
ItsMelsBels: “Definitely my girl Killjoy. I think she’s a very useful character with all her utils. She also watches the flank a lot, which I enjoy since I don’t need to be in the direct firing line 24/7.”
Mangolorian: “My favorite Agent is definitely Omen due to the potential to outsmart the enemy team. He also has the perfect kit for my playstyle being a rat.”
BiNKZ: “I want to say Sova or Breach. Both of them are just extremely useful agents. Breach is extremely annoying to play against.”
kengeleng: “My favorite Valorant agent is Jett solely for her unique abilities that allow her the freedom to maneuver as well as her capacity to set up on off angles using her updraft. But also for the reason being that she is a duelist, which would be considered an entry-fragger, and that is the role that I enjoy most.”
SvG3PanDa: “I’ve had a few favorites over time, but currently, it has to be Skye. I think her kit is so useful for initiators. She’s very well-rounded and has a lot of use cases, so adapting playstyles with her is pretty simple. She’s also an agent that nobody can get angry at you for playing!”
What tips and tricks do you have for other Valorant fans?
ItsMelsBels: Tips would definitely be to aim train, whether it be in the range, aim labs, etc. Also, depending on the character you’re playing, learn lineups. They are always a good thing to have, just in case, and who doesn’t love having lineups on their team?
Mangolorian: “If you want to improve at Valorant, be humble and willing to learn from everyone. Getting good takes consistency, so be ready to aim, train and learn every day if you want to improve.”
BiNKZ: “If the holes in a wall or box are black, it means it went through (you can shoot through them).”
kengeleng: “I’d recommend three things to any aspiring Valorant players who want to get better: focus on your mechanics, particularly key areas like crosshair placement, your movement, and your aim. Secondly, work on your game sense, which is your knowledge of the game. Lastly, maintain a positive attitude because tilting can affect your gameplay and your teammates.”
SvG3PanDa: “Play more Valorant. The more you play, the more you learn playstyles and how to counter it. Don’t be afraid to spend 30 minutes in the training range getting your aim at a good place before playing ranked. Make sure you pick a mouse sensitivity you’re comfortable with and stick to it. Changing it causes inconsistency in your aim, and it is a gun game. Communicate with your teammates. Stop playing Reyna.”
What do you think of the South African gaming scene?
ItsMelsBels: “My encounters in the ValZA scene have been super wholesome. The majority of the scene is filled with super supportive players and supporters. While you get a few bad apples in every industry, I believe in gaming; the good outweighs the bad.”
Mangolorian: “I think the South African gaming scene has a lot of room to grow. We just need to work together and close the gap between players and tournament organizers. I feel having players’ input on certain aspects of how things are run would be nice.”
BiNKZ: “It’s growing. Slowly but surely. There is a ton of potential in the scene.”
kengeleng: “I personally feel the South African gaming scene is sidelined in comparison to the rest of the world. With that said, I also feel it is our job as a community to ensure that we are working together and not against one another, as we all share a common goal. Our scene has a lot of room to grow, and players and tournament organizers need to have respect for one another and communicate effectively. I also hope the Valorant scene will be shown a little more love now that we have our very own Cape Town servers.”
SvG3PanDa: “I have been in the gaming space for the better part of 3 years now, and I have enjoyed my time here. I’ve met some of the most wholesome and amazing people as well as those who inspired me to begin this journey. I think there is massive room to grow for the scene as a whole, but I’ve seen many instances where we are headed in the right direction. I also believe it’s a lot more accepting now than it was when I was younger; the thought of working around video games was a myth when I was a kid.”
Thank you, Valorant fans!
It’s incredible to see such passion for a game and hear what professional gamers say about it. The Valorant Streamers Cup showcased the enthusiasm and potential within the South African gaming scene. The experiences and insights these players share reflect the positive impact of local servers, the supportive gaming community, and the unique charm of Valorant. As South Africa’s gaming community continues to evolve, collaboration and respect will be the keys to its success.
What about behind the scenes?
I spoke to two individuals who were involved with the event to get their perspectives. They, too, thought it was worth writing about.
First, Dominion Eromosele, Senior Community Manager and Events Lead, mentioned, “It was an incredible experience to bring together Valorant gamers to have an awesome time playing on the new local servers, which they all thoroughly enjoyed!”
Then, Spencer Ma, Growth Lead at Pay1st, said, “What a rewarding experience it is to watch avid Valorant players get together to enjoy the new local servers.”
Do you love Valorant? Experience it like never before with these pro gamer tips and tricks. Happy gaming, everyone.
Damilola Koya is a Nigerian writer with an insatiable love for books, comics, movies, video games, and music.