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Six of South Asia's top Valorant contenders have convened in Chennai, India, to compete for the prestigious AMD Skyesports Champions Series (SCS). The tournament will determine the region's representatives for the VCT 2022 Stage 2 APAC Challengers, in addition to offering a grand prize pool of $30,000.
Orangutan Esports, a newly formed multinational Valorant roster, is one of the favorites to represent South Asia on the global stage. Comprised of players from India, Pakistan, South Korea, and the Philippines, Orangutan is the first multinational Valorant roster in the entirety of South Asia.
Their squad comprises of Mustafa "shooterR" Kamal, Vibhor "Vibhor" Vaid, Prabhdeep "Ghost" Bhatia, Jm "tesseract" Ignacio, and Yang "Persia" Zi-on. After a 4-1 run in the Group Stage and a 2-1 victory over Global Esports in the Upper Semifinals, Orangutan has now progressed to the tournament's Upper Final.
Orangutan discusses their performance at Valorant AMD Skyesports Champions Series
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, members of Orangutan shared their expectations for the tournament, detailing their experience at the AMD Skyesports Champions Series so far.
Q: Orangutan defeated Global Esports in your opening match of the playoffs. GE is a team that has a reputation for being one of India’s top esports organizations. What do you think helped you guys grab a victory over them?
Vibhor: I think everyone kept their mental strength up. No one gave up, even when we were 10-8 down. Everyone was motivating each other, and I think that's what kept us in the game; that's what kept us going. That just helped us string some rounds together and we were able to close the game out.
Q: You will be up against Enigma Gaming in the Upper Bracket Finals. They are unbeaten so far in the tournament. What are your thoughts on that matchup?
Ghost: I am pretty excited. I played for Enigma for 6 months last year. So, I'm just waiting to step onto the stage, sit on the chair, and just get into the game.
Vibhor: To become champions, you have to defeat the champions.
Q: You’ve tried your hand in 3 different esports, Overwatch, Apex Legends and Valorant. What prompted you to change careers so frequently, and what is it about Valorant that made you take it up as a career?
Persia: I took up Valorant since it's by Riot Games. It's much more competitive.
Q: Orangutan concluded the Group Stage with a near-flawless run. How do you think your team performed, when compared to the expectations you had for the team prior to the tournament?
Ghost: I had no expectations, to be honest, since we were a new team. We just wanted to practice with the team, play together, and just dominate the LAN. We had the mindset to take them one at a time, and nothing more than that. That's what was running through our minds.
