- Former CS:GO champion Happy moved to VALORANT as Excel's leader
- Happy spoke in an interview about what he thinks could change in VALORANT esports
- The player wishes that the competitive scene becomes more open with a wider variety of organizers making events
CS:GO Major champion Vincent “Happy” Cervoni Schopenhauer moved to VALORANT. He reflected on the differences between the two games' esports scene.
An Open Circuit Would Be Better
Vincent “Happy” Cervoni Schopenhauer is one of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive professionals that moved to VALORANT. Happy has won a CS:GO Major and has played in various events by different organizers. He even came close to becoming Team Secret's in-game captain but decided to switch the game. In his case, it wasn't because he was disgruntled with Valve's approach but rather because he really liked VALORANT.
Having substantial experience in both games, the player spoke with Dot Esports about the things he likes and dislikes about VALORANT.
While Happy appreciates the constant care Riot Games puts in balancing and patching the game, he is not happy about VALORANT events being smaller and offering fewer opportunities to players. According to him, people get fewer chances to meet organizations and fewer matches to play. Happy pointed out the VALORANT Champions Tour in Europe:
“Yes, there's a losers bracket, and that's nice, but that's it: two losses and you're out. It kinda sucks, to be honest. I would wish for a better system. I would love to see more tournaments and teams being able to fight against teams that are not really represented in other regions.”
As currently, VCT is the main VALORANT esports event. Getting eliminated can leave you out of the big competitive scene for months, as it happened with FaZe Clan.
Happy is wishful that one day Riot's first-person shooter will embrace a more open circuit, although he doubts it will actually happen. He wants VALORANT to have more non-Riot-sponsored events like those in CS:GO.
“I do believe (an open circuit) is for the best, but they're going to do what's best for them.”
Excel's Lineup Has a Promising Future, According to Happy
Despite missing the opportunity to become Team Secret's captain, Happy is now the captain of Excel's VALORANT lineup. The professional esports athlete explained that being a captain in Riot's game is both harder and more rewarding. He elaborated:
“I love the tactical aspects, all the shenanigans that you can create. Overall it's just a lot of fun to play the game. For a tactician, it's a nice game to play because you can explore all these different tricks. So a good tactician that's also good at calling on the fly is going to do really well.”
Happy will strive to be the best leader possible and help his teammates shine. Excel recently added two new players to its roster – Muhammad “Moe40” Hariff and Ruben “RUBINO” Villarroel Brødreskift. The latter, much like Happy himself, is a CS:GO veteran who is a crucial addition to the team. Happy praised him for being communicative and team-oriented. Moe40, on the other hand, is promising support whose skills will be a valuable asset in Excel's arsenal.
The new roster debuted in the VCT's third stage qualifiers but was defeated by UCAM Esports Club. Nevertheless, Happy is optimistic about Excel's future.
