eSports Highlight: Gordon Piltz Breaks Down Valorant for Newbies and Why His Team Is Finding Success
By Manuel A. Melendez
Manny: Hi Gordon! Thanks for making time! Please describe Valorant to someone who's never played this game.
Gordon: Valorant is a tactical first-person shooter (think Counter-Strike) where one team tries to plant a bomb, and the other tries to stop it from being planted or diffused after it is planted. Each person on a team can choose from several agents to play. There cannot be any duplicate agents on one team (same idea as Overwatch with their characters). Each agent is designed in one of four categories: either a Duelist, which helps take space to get onto the site to help get the bomb down or to take space aggressively on defense to deny early space; an Initiator, which is an agent designed to support the duelist either with abilities that make duels more favored towards you with flashes/stuns/recon to help clear out angles and set up engagements for other members; Controller, which uses smokes to change what sightlines exist on the map for the time the smokes are up to change the way the map is played; and finally, Sentinels, who have agents specifically designed to hold onto map space and deny the duelists/initiator entry's and to hold the map space on the attack to prevent lurks or flanks from happening.
Each team starts on either Offense or Defense and, after twelve rounds, switches sides. The game heavily rewards teamplay and combines different agents' utility to make gunfights as hard as possible for the other team. The rounds have one hundred seconds from the start, which will automatically change to forty-five seconds when the bomb is planted, so teams have one hundred seconds to defend the sites and try to take them. Then, there is a forty-five-second post plant if a team gets the bomb down. The game is first to thirteen wins, and if it gets to 12-12, then it moves to overtime, alternating offense and defense every round, and it wins by two rounds, i.e., 14-12.
Manny: Wow! That does sound more intricate than I imagined. Now, let’s talk about how Valorant came onto your radar. When did you begin playing it, what were your initial thoughts on it, and why do you still play it?
Photo by Manuel A. Melendez
GAMES - Gordon Piltz at the UAF eSports center.
Gordon: I started playing in the Fall of 2021 during my freshman year. Initially, I wasn't a fan of having to stop moving to shoot; I was coming from Destiny 2, which doesn't matter. My friends had four that played, and I made the fifth so we could stack as a team and all learn the game; back then, I was a struggling bronze-rank player who was confused about most games and constantly died trying to run and gun. I was only playing for fun with my friends. I had heard of the UAF eSports teams, but I didn't think I was anywhere near good enough to try out. But I decided to go and see who was there in Fall 2022 and miraculously made it onto the varsity team. I am still not sure how. I was only silver by that time. I worked tirelessly with the team's coach and everyone to improve. I didn't want to be the reason we lost a round since I was the worst at the game. That meant I had the most to learn.
That mindset kept me playing, and as I got better, I got a better appreciation for the finer aspects of the games, such as the incredible precise timing that some utilities have to get the maximum value out of them or the accurate timings to take a lurk or push the flank. I have improved at the game but still have much to learn. I will keep studying the pro matches, taking what they do, breaking it down, and learning from it, and that motivates me to keep playing, competing, and being a part of the BEST COLLEGIATE ESPORTS IN ALASKA!
Manny: That’s the spirit! Studying the pros seems necessary with the intricacies of playing and mastering Valorant. What are the more complex elements of this game? I watched your team play for a few minutes and was utterly lost!
Gordon: Some of the more complicated aspects of Valorant are ult and credit economy management, manipulating rotations, setting and avoiding trap plays, and adapting to the enemy team. The ult economy is keeping tabs on what ultimates your team is close to and working towards, as well as deciding which agent should be planting/defusing the bomb, grabbing the ult orbs on the map portions you control, and deciding which rounds are worth putting ultimates into or not. Similarly, the credit economy needs attention to ensure the entire team is on the same buy, whether a save, a force, or a buy round. A “save” is where you're saving credits for the next round to have a buy. A “force” is where you don't have enough for a buy for everyone, so people are going to force as much as a buy as possible, and a “buy” round is where everyone has money for full guns, shields, and utility.
Keeping tabs on the enemy economy also helps plan how a round is going to start, such as finding out if the enemy team is stacked on their save round, whether they forced, and whether it's a crucial round to reset the other team to a save, or whether they have money for an Operator; An Op (Operator) is a sniper rifle that will one-shot kill an opponent and is a powerful gun that completely changes the way a team plays against it. Next up is rotation manipulation, simply putting pressure on parts of the map to make the other team rotate (move) players to that area. There are only five players on a map, and the goal is to get as few players in the space you want to take. The counterpart on defense is trying to avoid rotating unless the other team commits; they will not rotate out of that area.
Next is team coordination, which recognizes what agents can and can't do. Then, set up that when a player does something, they spring the trap, and a ton of utilities come up. Finding these and baiting them out is significant. Generally, a good trap play will win a round if it is not avoided. Adapting to the enemy team is also very important, as well as finding out what mistakes they are making or how they like to play. Are they a loud team that will tell you where they are? Are they a quiet team that will slow peak so they don't make noise? Are they properly clearing off angles or not? These can be exploited to gain an advantage in the game's macro.
Manny: That’s a lot to take in all at once! But that’s what the teamwork is for, eh? Speaking of: how did your current Valorant team come together? Please name the members and share what role they play.
Gordon: The team came together through the Fall Tryouts at the eSports Center. Aipwns (Alex) is a returning member and has been on the team since Fall 2022. This is his third year. He is a Fill (takes on the role their team needs) player and prefers to play more aggressive agents, with his favorite being Reyna. Ratzat (Tosh) is a returning roster member; this is his second year on the team. He is a Duelist/Initiator player. This is his first year as an IGL (In Game Leader) who calls plays with the team. Chezcua (Chezcua) is a returning member, and this is her second year on the team; she is a Sentinel/Controller player. Genjility (Carson) is a Duelist player, but more specifically, our exquisite Yoru player; this is his first year on the team. Septembrr (Noah) is a Sentinel/Duelist player; this is his first year on the team. GamingNife (Gordon) is an initiator player; however, he is the main filler for the team and an IGL. This is his third year on the team and his first as an IGL.
Manny: How do you and your team coordinate to ensure you play well together and communicate with each other during a match or round?
Photo by Manuel A. Melendez
ACTION SHOT - Alex Iwashita plays Valorant at the Alaska eSports Center.
Gordon: Our team communicates through a Discord call, with all five of us making voice calls about what we see and do. Sometimes, the comms can get bogged down and cluttered, and being precise, concise, and quick is very important. We have several phrases we use to snap everyone back into the zone, such as "Next Round, Next Round" to prevent people from dwelling on a round that has ended, "Clear Coms" to have only critical game-focused coms, "Nice Try (NT)" after someone loses a clutch to help keep good mental states. We are constantly having fun and hyping each other up. The most important part of the game is having a good mentality; when you relax, you play better. As for our coordination, most of it comes from just playing together a ton. Playing numerous hours with the team allows everyone to understand what their teammate will do. Knowing what they are likely to do in a split-second decision helps everyone coordinate with each other. Having drilled a bunch of plays together allows us to all be on the same page with what's happening. Most of the coordination can be set with a simple com of "Peak off me" or "I'm playing/peaking off your contact."
Manny: Sounds easy enough, though I say this having played zero hours of Valorant. (laughs) Anyway, how’s the team performing this season
Gordon: Our team has been performing well above expectations for as little time as we've been together, only a few weeks now. Our match during the qualifier was a 2:1 victory for us, a VERY tight win. Only a difference of 9 Round wins/losses between the three games caused us to win. The highlight of this first match was our team's coordination, vibes, and team play. We came together during that game.
Manny: What's next for the Valorant crew? Can you break down the next few weeks or months for us?
Gordon: The next few weeks will be a weekly match in a round-robin against the rest of the teams in the league. Once that concludes on November 6, we will move to the playoffs, where the top six teams will advance and play in a bracketed single-elimination tournament. This tournament is what the team is working towards, with previous teams finishing third at the best. If we focus on the goal with our team, it is entirely within our reach to take it first. In the meantime, we will all play, have fun, and improve as a team.
Manny: That sounds like a lot of prep is in store and a lot of fun! All the best to you and your team, Gordon! Thank you for making the time to answer my questions. I’m excited to catch another session of Valorant and catch up with your progress soon.