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The Valorant Conquerors Championship Grand Final playoffs will start off on August 27, 2021, with the top four Valorant teams from South Asia participating, and Enigma Gaming is one of them.
Enigma Gaming who consistently ranked third in both the Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2, made it through the Valorant Conquerors Championship Wildcard Qualifiers by beating Team XO.
Later, in the VCC Main Event, they lost to Global Esports in the Winner’s Match. However, they secured their spot in the Grand Finals playoffs by defeating Salt Esports in the Decider Match.
The team has come a long way to the VCC Grand Final playoffs, even after going through roster shuffles recently, with Prabhdeep "Ghost" Bhatia leaving the team last month and Akram "Rawfiul" Virani taking his place.
Saharyar “BadmaN” Shaikh, the IGL of Enigma Gaming, on his and the team’s journey so far in the Valorant Conquerors Championship
In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Pratiti Dhang, Saharyar “BadmaN” Shaikh from Enigma Gaming opens up about his and the team’s journey to the Valorant Conquerors Championship so far.
Here is an excerpt of the conversation.
Q: Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and your journey? How was the experience from the very start of Enigma Gaming?
BadmaN: Hello! My name is Saharyar Shaikh. Many of you know me as BadmaN. I'm the IGL of Enigma Gaming. My journey has been full of ups and downs since I shifted late from CS: GO to Valorant, so finding the perfect role for myself was a hectic task.
I tried the initiator first, then later moved on to the controller, and finally ended up on sentinel, as I'm more comfortable with it. Enigma Gaming is always supportive towards me even if we don’t show instant results. The trust we have in each other is a reason why we are one of the best Valorant teams in the South Asian region.
Q: Valorant Conquerors Championship which is organized by Riot Games in partnership with Nodwin Gaming has given an opportunity to the South Asian teams to compete at the Valorant Champions Tour. Enigma Gaming has come a long way to the VCC Grand Final Playoffs. What are your thoughts on the team’s performance so far?
BadmaN: It was unexpected. The run has been great so far with all the uncertainties we have had. To be honest, we were not coming in with great expectations, because we didn't have enough time to practice due to the roster changes. However, we still had confidence in ourselves as individuals and as a team.
Q: What do you think is the team’s biggest strength?
BadmaN: I think the biggest strength would be communication, adapting to a certain situation and the ability to come back from any situation when we are down, with a positive mentality.
Q: After the end of VCC India Qualifier 1, Prabhdeep “Ghost” Bhatia left the roster. It was Akram "Rawfiul" Virani who took his place. How did this roster shuffle affect the team’s synergy overall?
BadmaN: It did affect our team's synergy since we had less time to practice with Rawfiul. We had our ups and downs but playing over time we got our synchronization back and here we are in the finals of VCC.
Q: You are mostly seen playing the Sentinel role in Valorant. If not that, it’s Controller. Can your fans expect to see you play agents from other classes like Duelist and Initiator in the future?
BadmaN: There are a few surprises to come from my side. Duelist might not be possible since Rawfiul will be the one playing it, but yes, fans will soon see me in the initiator role.
Q: Now let’s shift the focus to CS: GO. After the launch of Valorant, many professional CS: GO players have switched to Riot’s tactical shooter. You are also a former professional CS: GO player. What are your thoughts on the future of CS: GO, especially in India?
BadmaN: The future of CS: GO in India is still uncertain. I don't think it will be as great as Valorant is right now. Most of the pros from the scene have shifted to Valorant, because we understood that we have more stability over here in terms of everything.
Q: Talking about the Valorant esports scene in South Asia, the region has not had opportunities to compete with the titans of other regions like North America and Europe. What do you think is the main reason behind it? Now that VCC is happening, what are the main aspects that the region needs to improve?
BadmaN: I think the region doesn’t have that much exposure when compared to NA and EU regions. And since VCC is here we've got an opportunity to prove ourselves and qualify to compete with the best in SEA. The main aspect we should focus on is how we play strategically and how we adapt to a certain situation as soon as possible.
Q: Now that you have qualified for the Valorant Conquerors Championship Grand Final Playoffs, along with Team Exploit, Velocity Gaming and Global Esports. How confident are you in mak it to the Valorant Champions Tour 2021: APAC Last Chance Qualifier?
BadmaN: Since everyone is considering us as underdogs, we'll give our best and not think about the outcome and enjoy the game.
Q: Which team do you think is going to give Enigma Gaming a tough competition in Valorant Conquerors Championship Grand Final Playoffs?
BadmaN: I think Global Esports will give us a tough fight since we lost to them in the group stages and they're really looking in good shape.
Q: What is the future of Enigma Gaming? What can fans expect from the team in the coming days?
BadmaN: I’ll start by saying thank you to the fans for supporting us. The future of Enigma Gaming looks great. All I can say is there will be an improvement from our side.
