"I thought of switching to Valorant because the CS: GO scene in Asia was dying": Bhavin 'HellrangeR' Kotwani, IGL - Global Esports

No matter which competitive team-based online multiplayer you choose, the role of the in-game leader is one of the hardest to pull off.

Consistently shot-calling and keeping your cool no matter how much the odds are stacked against you is an art in itself. And there are not many players in the Indian esports landscape who can claim to have mastered the leadership role in a shooter as much as Bhavin 'HellrangeR' Kotwani can.

The IGL for the Global Esports Valorant team has been an immovable and dependable rock to the side for a very long time now. And in an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda Esport’s Abhishek Mallick, he opens up about his journey and the path that led him to become one of the most celebrated players in the Global Esports organization.

Here is an excerpt of the conversation.

Q. Well, first things first. An origin story! Tell our readers a bit about yourself and the journey that led you to the path of becoming one of the most celebrated players in the Global Esport line-up.

Bhavin: Well, my name is Bhavin Kotwani, also known as HellrangeR. I am the captain and IGL of the Global Esports Valorant Squad. Apart from gaming, I am a big foodie and love long walks to relax at the end of the day.

It’s been a long path spanning over 10 years, and it began with me playing CS 1.6 with my brother just for fun to now being lucky enough to play the game I love professionally for an amazing organization such as Global Esports.

Q. Growing up, what made you decide that you wanted to be an esports professional? And why was it in CS: GO?

Bhavin: I used to play CS 1.6 at the amateur level and go to these local cafe events, but I wasn’t that great at the game. During that time, CS: GO launched its beta game, and I thought that it's a new game, so if I start it now, I can gather a head start and maybe become a professional at the same time.

At that time, it was not as much about becoming a professional player as much as it was about winning tournaments/trophies, which was the main objective. It was after my first major LAN event in Bangalore MTS GAMEGOD when I decided that I wanted to do something in this game, and then it turned from a hobby into a passion and profession in my eyes.

Q. In an orthodox nation like ours, it’s not exactly easy to sustain a dream like this, let alone mustering the courage to talk to our parents about it. What was the atmosphere like back at home? How did your parents take to you picking up esports as a career choice?

Bhavin: I agree it’s not easy, but I had to try. My dad always thought that I was gambling and that it was a bad thing for me, whereas I knew what the reality was. I had not even picked up esports as a career choice back then when I wanted to travel to Bangalore for the GAMEGOD event.

My dad was adamant about not letting me go. It was actually my grandfather who said that he would take leave from his office to travel to the event with me, and that made my dad to allow me to travel to the event.

Even after that, it was the fact that gaming will affect my studies, so we had a deal where if I get good grades, I can keep playing on the sideThese two things combined to help me travel to events and build my career as an esports athlete.

Q. Was there a game you fancied before crossing paths with Counter-Strike?

Bhavin: Well, before Counter-Strike there was no game I wanted to play professionally as such. But I used to play Cricket 07 and WWE games a lot with my brother, and we had a lot of fun with them as well. I still remember having a Nintendo Gameboy and finishing off different versions of the Pokemon games, but this was all just for fun.

Q. Your professional career took off with Team MxB, if I am correct. What were the first few debut matches like for you as a young professional? What was your mindset like at the time?

Bhavin: MxB was a team founded by Myself and Sudhen 'Bleh' Wahengbam. It was actually an online team that used to play together, which traveled to MTS GAMEGOD lan Event and was the first and last event for that particular Squad. After that, I made up my own lineup in Mumbai, which kept evolving over the years.

The mindset even back then as it is now was just to improve as a team and win championships by playing good Counter-Strike. For me, it has always been the same; I’d rather lose an event than winning that one playing badly and losing the rest because of it. So the hunger was and is always there, especially for representing the country.

Q. You came into your own as an IGL after the MTS GAMEGOD debut. How did the role treat you at first? Did it take a long time for you to get comfortable with in-game leadership and shot-calling?

Bhavin: I have been leading the team Since the MxB days itself. Dare2dream picked up the MxB roster in 2016, so it was basically the same team. Truth be told, I always loved and enjoyed shot-calling, though early on in my career, I would panic sometimes and rage a lot. Those were the two things I had to work on over the years.

I feel that I was always comfortable, but when it comes to being a decent team leader and captain, it took me a couple of years for the same.

Q. So why Valorant? What suddenly prompted you to change bases, and leave an already established career in Valve’s shooter?

Bhavin: Honestly, I initially thought of switching to Valorant because I felt that the CS: GO scene in Asia was dying a slow death. From there being 50-60 scrim listings a day to there being 6-10, and looking at everyone else switching, I thought it was time, but I had not played the game. It was later when I played it, I really enjoyed the game a lot, and after so many years of effort into CS, Valorant came like a breath of fresh air, which further enhanced my motivation.

Q. What about Valorant attracted you the most? And how far do you see it going in the current Indian Esports ecosystem?

Bhavin: Well, the thing about Valorant that attracted me the most was that in this game, you could do a lot of different things with unique abilities and hero combinations. For a Strategic player like me, this was something I was very keen about as there were a lot of things I could play with.

With the way things are shaping up right now, I feel Valorant is going to go places in the Indian scene. The ecosystem right now is much better. With multiple new organizations coming up and so many tournaments, I think the further rise of Valorant is inevitable.

Q. CS: GO vs Valorant: Which of the two shooters is more fun for you and why?

Bhavin: I have actually asked this question to myself a lot of times. For me, as a professional player, I like Valorant better, and as a guy who just wants to play games and chill with friends, I’d go with CS: GO any day.

Q. Who is your favorite Agent in Valorant and why?

Bhavin: Omen is my favorite agent in Valorant. For a number of reasons, Omen has his paranoia, which can “near-sight” enemies regardless of the direction they are looking at and through the wall as well, so I think that in itself is amazing.

Secondly, it has two smokes, which keep regenerating every 35 seconds, so you tend to get 4-5 smokes in a round, which you can make great use of. It also has shrouded Step or TP as we call it, which helps you to gain different positions in the map at off angles and is also effective in moving out of a tight corner.

Lastly, with the ultimate, you can give quick rotations or create space for your teammates to exploit in different parts of the map.

Q. Phantom vs Vandal? Which of the two is your go-to?

Bhavin: I used to be an avid phantom enthusiast until a month or two ago. Ever since they increased the fire rate of Vandal, I have switched to Vandal.

Q. What are your thoughts on the new Valorant Agent Skye and the new map Icebox? Does Icebox resemble the level design of that of CS: GO maps, in your opinion?

Bhavin: In my opinion, Skye is an Interesting hero, it has Sage's healing power, three flashes similar to Phoenix flashes, a wolf which is no less than Raze's boombot, and it also stuns like Breach. So, I am intrigued to see how Skye works out, but I think people will start playing her soon, especially on Icebox.

To be honest, I don’t personally like Icebox all that much. I believe it's a huge map with too many corners to clear and not enough utilities, but as I have been playing it, I have slowly started to dislike it a little less every time.

And to answer your question, I don’t think we can compare CS: GO and Valorant maps because the utilities and abilities are totally different, and that changes the dynamics of the game.

Q. How do you feel about the current flash meta that is there in Valorant with the addition of Skye? Does her addition change much of the team strategies that the Global Esports roster has been working on for so long?

Bhavin: Well, I surely think Skye as an agent is amazing with all the mixtures of abilities she has. I think when professional matches begin with the agent, we will get to see some amazing uses of the agent. With regards to Global Esports, for that, you will have to see the matches. I can't reveal everything here, haha.

Q. The Global Esports Valorant team finally got its first tournament victory in Phase 2 of the Skyesports Championship Series 2.0. What was the atmosphere like in the room after the win? As Team Tamilas pushed it to five maps, tension must have been running high among the players.

Bhavin: Yes, it was great winning the event, to be honest. Kudos to team Tamilas for the amazing finals. We did not have any practice leading up to the events we played. It was sort of like learning on the job that is events. So, it felt great to win one after the coming second so many times. Yes, there was a bit of tension, but we handled it well.

Q. Who, in your opinion, is the best Valorant team and the best Valorant player in India right now?

Bhavin: In my opinion, the best Valorant team in India right now is Velocity gaming, and the best player in terms of professional players is Amaterasu, although I think SKrossi is right up there.

Q. You have taken on streaming quite recently and currently sitting on 3k+ subscribers on YouTube. Has the idea of streaming as a full-time career choice ever crossed your mind once you decide to retire from the professional scene?

Bhavin: It's funny because if you asked me this question two months ago, I would have said never. But now, I actually enjoy streaming a lot, and it's always nice to talk through chat and spend your time with them. Yes, I’d say it has crossed my mind now of streaming being a full-time career possibility.

Q. Is there anything you would like to say to our next generation of esports talents?

Bhavin: To the next generation of esports talents, all I’d like to say is, don't do it for the money, do it if you actually care. If you strive towards improvement and work hard, the money will follow. And there is no need to skip/sacrifice your education unless it becomes absolutely clear that you can only do one of the two, so work hard and find that balance, and I wish you all the best of luck!