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Akshan "Argon" Madhani is one of the most talented players in the Indian COD Mobile circuit. He started his professional career in COD Mobile in 2019 and currently plays for Team Vitality.
Argon's Team Vitality is one of the newest teams in the COD Mobile circuit. Despite being a new team, they have achieved so much success in recent times. After securing the No 1 spot in the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship South Asia and Middle East Stage 2, the team is currently preparing for Stage 3.
Rishab Chakladar from Sportskeeda Esports reached out to Argon from Team Vitality to learn about the team's preparation and planning for upcoming events. Argon also shared his thoughts on the forthcoming COD Mobile updates.
Here is what he said:
Q. Argon, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and your journey? How was the experience from the very start to Team Vitality?
Argon: While my in-game name is Argon, my real name is Akshan Madhani. I come from the city that never sleeps, Mumbai. As for my journey, I would say it has always been Call of Duty for me over the past 12 years, be it on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 4. I have also played a fair bit of Rainbow Six Siege with friends.
But then my PS4 broke, so I started playing PUBG Mobile for fun as I didn't have any other gaming platform to play on. Just as the COD Mobile beta came out in mid-2019, I switched to it instantly.
I grinded the game 18 hours a day until the end of the beta! I cannot express the nostalgic feelings while playing a game, which I played for over ten years on the TV, on my phone. Maps, guns, etc., almost everything felt like the earlier Call of Duty games. Switching from a console to a mobile was just mind-blowing.
The experience of COD Mobile has been something so unreal, from forming an in-game clan with a friend and recruiting players one-by-one for the line-up to just playing rank together and pushing the leaderboard. Then, starting a competitive line-up under SynerGE, joining S8UL after the world championship, and now, being a Team Vitality athlete, it's all a dream come true. Now, everyone knows me as Argon.
Q. What were your best memories during this journey as a professional COD Mobile player?
Argon: The journey till now has many memories, which I will remember for the rest of my life. To name a few, I would say during Stage 3 of the World Championship, our match against Team Mayhem (currently known as TeamIND), we were losing 1-2 in a Best of 5 format, and my teammate (Superfan) got a triple kill with a grenade which helped us make a comeback to win 3-2. This paved the way for us to enter Stage 4 of the World Championship.
I have had boot camp experiences with SynerGE and S8UL. But now, being in Vitality has helped me realize my team is not just a bunch of people playing COD Mobile together, but good friends who play, chill, and eat together, which is totally new for me.
Q. Argon, what role do you play in the Team Vitality COD Mobile lineup? Can you tell us a bit about your responsibility in the team, which sets you apart from the other rosters?
Argon: I am the Primary Objective player of the team; basically, the bomb carrier in Search & Destroy, hill player in Hardpoint, or the flag capper in Domination. Our team is new when compared to the others in the community. Even though we are just three months old, we have managed to work on our basics, team synergy, and improvising on giving proper callouts.
As the point-man of the team, in many situations, it is me who has had the first point of contact with the enemy team, so accordingly, my team depends on my calls.
Q. What is your favorite loadout combination going into the game?
Argon: According to the current meta, I would say my go-to gun would be Fennec with a knife in the secondary to run faster, with my utilities being grenades and trophy systems.
For perks, it would be Lightweight, Quickfix, and Hardline, and swapping Dead Silence for Hardline in Search & Destroy.
Q. Team Vitality secured the No 1 spot in the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship South Asia and Middle East Stage 2 recently. How was the feeling after becoming the top team in the region, Argon?
Argon: First, there is enormous respect for the sides who agreed on time slots before to avoid confrontation as every team intends to finish 30/30 wins in Stage 2. Thus, this allowed many sides to qualify from Stage 2 and, for some, even acquiring 30/30 wins.
Secondly, it truly felt great after acquiring the first position as some of us didn't sleep, and some of us woke up in the middle of the night to start with our 30 matches in one go. But honestly, we expect more competition as we move onwards, so there is a lot to be prepared for Stage 3.
Q. Currently, you guys are grinding hard for Stage 3, and you will be facing some of the strongest teams in South Asia. What are you planning to do differently this time to qualify for the next stage?
Argon: The competition will be tough there as we will be facing the top teams of South Asia and the Middle East. We have played scrims and tournaments against a majority of the teams from the region, so I would say we are confident enough to face any team matched up against us.
At the same time, I'd like to add that we will still prepare ourselves thoroughly and improvise on our previous mistakes and improve as a team.
Q. You recently became the runners-up in the QSEC - Grand Final Championship after losing to Team IND in the Grand Final. What, according to you, went wrong in the Grand Final?
Argon: We are just a months-old team who lacked experience playing together in a newly formed group, and this being our first major tournament as a new team, I would say we performed well.
Even in the Grand Finals, we were losing 1-3 in a best-of-seven format, but still came back to 3-3 and gave them a tough competition.
Q. COD Mobile has already released a public test build for Season 6, and a lot of new content is gradually being revealed. With the addition of the new Shield Grenade, Martyrdom Perk, and 90 FOV Slider, Activision is ready to bring some massive changes in-game. What is your view on these recent changes in the game?
Argon: Call of Duty has been a huge franchise for over 15 years. In COD Mobile, Activision launches skins and new in-game items for their players regularly as they have content from so many COD's over the years, so the game is always fresh and no one is bored.
Soon, Activision will drop the Season 6 update, increasing the Field of View (FOV) Slider from 75 to 90, which will be a game-changer as it will give more control to the player.
The update will also add a new tactical called shield grenade, which will form a dome-like structure to protect anyone underneath but can still be shot through. Also, there will be a new addition to the perks called Martyrdom, allowing players to drop a live grenade after getting killed. The new season will be amazing as it is going to change the whole meta to a certain point.
Q. Argon, besides COD Mobile, which other games do you prefer to play?
Argon: Honestly, after a long session of grinding COD Mobile, one would expect to play chill games, but I would say that depends. Sometimes, I like to play games like Among Us with the team, and at other times, I play FPS games on the PC like COD Modern Warfare, Rainbow Six Siege. Basically, the whole point is to have fun together as a team.
Q. Argon, what will be your message to the players who are currently dreaming and grinding to come into the competitive scenario?
Argon: Starting off, players must find a positive motivation to play esports professionally because, in the long run, it's that positive motivation that keeps them attached to the game. Basically, the first thing required is love for the game, which will gradually impact the daily practice sessions to acquire more skills.
Then lots of practice, mastering the basic game mechanics, and building muscle memory on that game is vital. While honing skills, one must also keep in mind his role in the team. To improvise, the player can watch other pros with similar roles, which can be helpful, or watch their past matches, allowing them to break down their style of play and learn from mistakes.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also a must to stay motivated. Proper diet, daily exercise, and an active social life can improve one's mental focus and prevent fatigue, thus affecting gameplay.
Lastly, I would like to say that coming into the competitive scene, there is more to it than just grinding the game 12 hours a day. It is also important to develop social skills, expand your knowledge about the game, live a healthy lifestyle, and find a positive source of motivation to grind the game.
