Valorant fans go all out to support teams in VCT Pacific

SEOUL — With things slowly returning to normal after the COVID-19 Pandemic, spectators are once again in attendance for big events like concerts and sporting events.

It's no different for esports, even though most of the audiences of the industry come from online.

"I think it is very important to have tournaments onsite. Supporting my favorite teams [elevates] the whole experience to a different level!" said Een Mercado, a cosplayer and brand ambassador for different esports brands. 

Mercado flew to Seoul, South Korea during the Valorant Challengers Tour (VCT)-Pacific League to support Team Secret in the playoffs. She and Filipino streamer "amara" were the only supporters of the Adobo Gang present, going against home crowd favorites DRX and Gen.G Esports. The two were also featured in the official Twitter account of the tournament.

???????? REPRESENT!

.@amaraui and @eenmercado came all the way to Seoul for some #VCTPacific action. pic.twitter.com/uxMnrlpsXJ

— VALORANT Champions Tour Pacific (@vctpacific) May 22, 2023

Mercado relished the experience of her first onsite tournament.

"[It was] so exciting. Seeing the matches live makes the games more exciting than just watching online. LAN tournaments since pandemic were few but with health restrictions relaxing, LAN tournaments are now coming back. This makes fans more immersed to the game," Mercado told Philstar.com.

Besides experiencing the tournament live, Mercado enjoyed meeting new and fellow fans of the different teams, as well interacting with team booths as well as the Riot Games booth which offers different merchandise.

She adds, "[The live events] make the community feel alive by meeting fellow supporters and making new friends."

As a Valorant player herself, Mercado believes that the game is really close to the hearts of Filipinos.

"Filipinos are very good at [first-person-shooting] games. Besides that, Valorant released a character named Neon, and she represents us Filipinos. It's a very gender-friendly game which is why Filipinos really love it."

Esports events have slowly returned to onsite events, even in the Philippines.

Joining the trend, the second half of the VCT Philippines' playoffs of the current split will happen during the three days of CONQuest from June 2 to 4. It will be the first time that VCT Philippines will have a live audience since its creation back in 2021.