In the closed beta of Valorant, the team Fish123 was dominant and managed to win six tournaments. As it has now been revealed, the team was on the verge of moving into the professional scene. However, that did not happen because player Ardis “Ardiis” Svarenieks did his own thing. He received an individual offer from G2 Esports that he could not refuse.
This is the best team: Fish123 consisted of 4 Brits aged between 19 and 25, and the Lithuanian Ardiis, who lives in Liverpool. Many of the members come from CS:GO – Valorant is seen as a modern alternative to Counterstrike: Global Offensive.
The Fish123 team was the best team in Europe during the Closed Beta of Valorant and probably the world. They managed to win 6 tournaments and collect over $20,446.
The special thing was that it was a “team of close friends” who played together. This is explained by British player Adam “ec1s” Eccles (19) in an interview with Forbes.
Becoming a Pro Together Was the Dream
This was the dream: The team of Fish123 dreamed of becoming professionals together with 5 people and joining an established esports organization. They were apparently close to this goal.
They were about to join a large organization as a team, thus achieving a stable income in Valorant as professionals.
ec1s says: They had taken their time with the decisions to ensure they found exactly the right organization.
Star Receives “An Offer He Can’t Refuse”
This is what came in between: The star of the team was the Lithuanian Ardis “Ardiis” Svarenieks. He is a player who plays very aggressively and riskily, as ec1s explains. He may sometimes make mistakes, but sometimes he wins a game all by himself.
Against the player, allegations arose that he was involved in match-fixing and cheating incidents. However, he was later cleared by Riot Games.
Nevertheless, Ardiis left the team because he apparently received an “offer he could not refuse.”
It is now known who signed him: G2 Esports, the largest team in LoL, offered Ardiis a contract to bring him into the new professional team in Valorant.
“Very Stressful Situation”
This is what the team says now: The four remaining members of Fish123 are now in a difficult situation:
The situation was very stressful for us. We lost a player at a time when we were by far the best team in Europe. This has left us with many “what if…” questions, as we were in talks with various organizations to join them as a 5-man team.
When we lost Ardiis, we did not know how the orgs would assess our roster change. We feared that we would lose the chance to become professionals under a well-structured organization.
Adam “ec1s” Eccles
Ec1s says that Ardiis’s departure led to many discussions and a discussion within the team. After seeing the emotions triggered by Ardiis’s departure, he would never do that to his friends.
Now the other 4 members are looking for a chance to realize their dream, which they were already so close to achieving.
A professional scene is slowly forming in Valorant. It is about money and fame. However, some criticize Valorant as well: It is a game that was designed by Riot Games on the drawing board, and the game simply lacks soul. This is stated by a major YouTuber, and it is being heavily discussed:
Streamer says: Valorant has no soul and is just a PR hype – Is that true?
