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The Valorant First Strike NSG Qualifiers have proved that the competition requires significant structural improvements.
Throughout the Open and Closed Qualifiers, the community has witnessed some of the most intense rivalries in competitive Valorant. However, the rivalry is only as good as the narrative that comes with it.
In that aspect, Valorant casters have failed to be unbiased towards their favorite teams. This is something the community unanimously complained about on social media.
In the recent Valorant First Strike North America - NSG Closed Qualifiers Quarterfinals, fans noticed something remarkably disheartening.
The 100 Thieves vs. TSM match was one of the main attractions of the tournament. 100 Thieves were looking to redeem themselves after a devastating loss in the Open Qualifiers. Building up to the game, fans were expecting that it would be equally matched. Before the game was even played on the map, it was hyped up through commentary. 100 Thieves needed all the support they could get. However, fans noticed how the casters had a bias for TSM.
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Valorant First Strike needs to have moderated castors without any team bias
Fans were quick to report on Reddit about how the casters were promoting TSM through their narrative. Several fans stated that it was almost as if 100 Thieves did not exist in the build-up.
u/diisasterrr1 posted a thread on Reddit where he said,
"For the next qualifiers and the First Strike Main Event, can we please, for the love of God, get unbiased casters. This past 100t vs. TSM match was almost unwatchable with the TSM bias. I don’t want to get into details as a lot of you fans, even the production team, know exactly what I’m talking about."
@SimowasTaken and @EsportsDoug were the commentators for the match. It was very disappointing for fans to see that Simo was proudly wearing a TSM jersey and hoping for their victory.
To the fans' dismay, this was just the beginning. For instance, when 100 Thieves took away a few rounds easily, the commentators were instead talking about how Wardell is not feeling it today. Rather than praising 100 Thieves for their efforts, @SimowasTaken was focused on his favorite team, and this did not bode well with the fans.
@SimowasTaken kept promoting the idea that a match between Sentinels and TSM would be great. He also addressed that he didn't read the chat much during the game, as everyone kept spamming TSM x Simo.
Fans alleged that this was highly unprofessional and an absolute disgrace for casters all over. For the Valorant First Strike Closed Qualifiers, fans really expected much more from the production team.
By the second map, many felt that the casters were being inexplicably opinionated against 100 Thieves. Fans did not like that at all and started spamming all sorts of messages in the live chat. This may show how tournament organizers have a long way to go with Valorant casting productions.
PBandJ4y mentioned something important on the same Reddit post.
Several fans mentioned how they wanted to see legends like Sean Gares in a casting role. They also mentioned, "Tired of watching these idiots get contracts over shares and ddk."
Fans had made the point quite clear here, and most importantly, this was a Riot sponsored tournament. Thus, fans expect a professional production all around. It was quite disappointing to see 200IQ plays from 100 Thieves being underplayed by the casters' sheer lack of support.
u/Manager_Cija mentioned the following:
Thus, as fans reported, this was a lesson for Riot Games. If the Valorant First Strike Finals are going to be produced in the same way, then several fans would be upset with the quality of the casting production. No one wants to hear a caster who is just overly biased towards a certain team.
Hopefully, Riot Games will fix all these production issues before Valorant First Strike officially begins.
Also read: Valorant Spike Nations of Twitch: schedule and teams
