Oxygen Esports’ Dapr has weighed in on the dying tier-two scene in competitive Valorant by saying ‘the writing was on the wall’ for the league and that he doesn’t see things ending well.
Dapr jumped from professional Counter-Strike to Valorant in 2020 alongside others looking for a fresh start. He eventually landed on Sentinels, who were seen as one of the most powerful teams after multiple tournament wins.
However, a decline in overall performance during the 2021-2022 season forced Sentinels to make roster changes, which were implemented before Sentinels was accepted into franchising. Dapr’s fall from grace from the original squad landed him back in the tier two scene.
Dapr played briefly on G2 Esports in the VCT Asencsion league before being recruited by Oxygen. Now, the player who was once at the top of the scene reflects on how franchising damaged players’ chances for opportunity.
Dapr blames Valorant franchising for dying T2 scene
Dapr shared his thoughts on franchising in a post on Twitter/X on December 20, shortly before the start of the new 2024 season.
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quit CS because of a dying T2 scene then after 3 years VALORANT has a dying T2 scene
hate to say the writing was on the wall but it truly was as soon as franchising was announced and an artificial line was drawn
hope everybody affected lands on their feet
— dapr (@dapr) December 21, 2023
“I quit CS because of a dying T2 scene, then after 3 years Valorant has a dying T2 scene,” said Dapr. “Hate to say the writing was on the wall, but it truly was as soon as franchising was announced and an artificial line was drawn. Hope everybody affected lands on their feet.”
People in the comments beneath the post agreed with Dapr’s sentiment. Additionally, another Valorant pro who shared time in both tier one and tier two, Vanity, said there was nothing like watching ‘the same thing happen again’.
“Franchising. Is. Bad. For. Esports,” said one user. “It literally doesn’t work, and it gate keeps possible underdogs.”
Valorant will continue to have a split scene as it enters its second year of franchising, with a select few teams within Tier 2 being able to ascend to the big leagues. This is similar to The Guard, who, by winning Ascension in 2023, secured their spot among the franchised teams.