TenZ suggests an invite-only league for Valorant pros, akin to FPL

Valorant has a well-known problem that has been its Achilles Heel for a long time. The issue is with ranked matchmaking at the top skill levels like Radiant.

Tyson "TenZ" Ngo, the sensational Valorant player who was last seen playing for Sentinels in the VCT NA Stage 1 Masters, recently commented on the issue.

Really think adding some form of FPL or Pro 10 man hub would be super beneficial to the top players who don’t want to touch ranked. I know for a fact that the Pro players that do play ranked only play it because of their streams. Reasons why it would be so good to have 1/?

— TenZ / Tyson (SEN) (@TenZOfficial) April 14, 2021

In Valorant’s competitive mode, ranked matchmaking has been shaky from the get-go. Although Riot Games made some tweaks to address it, fundamental issues still plague the ranked game mode.

Smurfing, obnoxiously long queue times for top players, and unbalanced matchmaking are some of the most notable problems.

Pro players who play ranked matches in Valorant now do so out of compulsion, as Tenz pointed out. Due to the lack of an in-house league like FaceIt Pro League (FPL), in-game ranked matchmaking is the last resort for pro players because they have to stream competitive content.

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TenZ’s solution for the ranked matchmaking issue faced by the Valorant pros

In his tweet, TenZ advocated for an in-house league like FPL in Valorant.

Admission to the FPL can only happen when another professional player vouches for a new admit. That means only top-notch players and known faces in the league face off on a fair and competitive playing field where issues like stream-sniping, trolling, and griefing are non-existent.

This also means higher stream viewership for pro players as all matches they play would have 10 popular players in the lobby.

Another huge benefit is players could stream freely without having to add a massive delay and even worry about being stream sniped, I know for a fact my win rate off stream compared to on stream is at least 20% higher. Just want to have a place where we can play and improve 5/?

— TenZ / Tyson (SEN) (@TenZOfficial) April 14, 2021

Valorant viewers who want to learn the game can have an abundance of resources on how the top players coordinate with each other in a team environment.

The cohesiveness of top skilled players is an exquisite thing to watch for Esports lovers.

Sound like because when I play ranked, people barely ever talk which makes it just extremely emo at times. Viewers will also learn how to play the game more efficiently just from watching how experienced players work together for an example low number situations 3/?

— TenZ / Tyson (SEN) (@TenZOfficial) April 14, 2021

The history of FPL in other competitive games like CS:GO and DOTA 2 only attest to the above-mentioned benefits of the system.

In fact, there is no reason for this not to be the case for Valorant as well. With TenZ’s tweet, the issue might finally get the attention it deserves.