Valorant is the reason why some Overwatch professionals have turned their backs on Blizzard’s hero shooter. Therefore, another Overwatch professional is currently facing accusations of skipping games in the league to play Valorant in peace.
Who is it about? Gui-un “Decay” Jang is a 19-year-old Overwatch pro gamer from the Dallas Fuel team. In an otherwise rather average team, he is the star. However, he recently missed a match on June 20 against the weakest team in the league, the Vancouver Titans.
Why did Decay miss? According to Aaron “Aero” Atkins, the coach of Dallas Fuel, Decay needed to rest. Since the Titans were not a strong opponent, newcomer Stefan “Onigod” Fiskerstrand was put in his place to prove himself in the team.
However, Brad Rajani, the coach of the Atlanta Reigns team, has a different theory. He spread the rumor on reddit that Decay had voluntarily withdrawn to the bench, but not to rest. Rather, Rajani suggested that Decay had been playing Riot’s team shooter and Overwatch competitor Valorant all along.
What is the truth behind the rumors of “skipping league games”?
What supports the accusation? In fact, the accusation from the Atlanta coach has fertile ground. Because many Overwatch professionals have already left Overwatch for Valorant in the middle of the league. A professional eSports scene is currently forming in Valorant.
Prominent examples include top players like Jay “Sinaatra” Won and Corey “Corey” Nigra.
Even Seetoth “JohnGalt” Jian Qing, the assistant coach of the Los Angeles Gladiators, confirms this trend:
“It’s true, there are a lot of Overwatch players who switch directly to Valorant after the warm-up rounds. So really a lot!”
Valorant appeals to many dissatisfied Overwatch players with its tactical gameplay, which is still influenced by heroes and their abilities. Even top streamer Summit1g sees Valorant as 10 times better than Overwatch. So, has Decay simply lost his passion for Overwatch, like many of his professional colleagues before him?
What speaks against the accusation? At least the last point can probably be crossed off the list, as Decay is apparently also actively playing Overwatch outside of tournaments and streams this as well. In his stream, there is nothing to indicate a lack of enthusiasm and fatigue for Overwatch.
Rather, his coach maintains that it is completely normal to rest the team’s top star when facing weaker opponents. However, it may well be that he will face the Toronto Defiants in the next round. However, the coach did not provide more information about the line-up for tactical reasons.
What else is there on the topic? The issue of “Valorant vs. Overwatch” has been current since the beta of Riot’s team shooter. Recently, former Overwatch professional Daniel “Dafran” Francesco switched to Valorant, where he promptly caused a scandal. At first, he did not show up for a tournament match, then he insulted the organizers and other players violently and was subsequently banned from Twitch.
