Riot Games is organizing the Valorant First Strike tournament for the first time. The upcoming competition details are finally here.
The Valorant First Strike competition will take place next month, and the rules are out. The tournament details are quite familiar except for one or two exceptions.
According to Riot Games, all competing players must be above 16-years-old. Under typical sports that involve violence, it is a normal rule. However, that poses a threat to young Valorant stars.
In this age of eSports, there are undoubtedly teenagers who are excellent at the game. This was the case with Sumail Hassan when he won the Dota 2 The International when he was 15 years old.
However, these Valorant young guns are getting restricted by such tournament rules. Teams might wait a little longer to sign in these potential ace players.
Unplayable new agent and map
With that said, the tournament will take place from November 9-22. That being said, Riot Games is banning any new agents for two weeks after its release.
This means that the latest agent, Skye, will not be available for picking during the First Strike qualifiers. Besides Skye, the latest Valorant map is banned as well.
According to Riot Games, Icebox is prohibited for four weeks after its release. The new map was released last October 13, and the four-week ban covers the qualifiers too.
There are advantages to the map ban, though. It gives teams more time to practice the map in the unrated game mode.
However, there are downsides to it as well.
Banning the new map removes the chance to see how teams adjust on certain maps. Haven, Split, Ascent, and Bind are out for several months now. Pro players have already studied specific strategies for these four maps.
Nonetheless, the Valorant First Strike is an exciting tournament. It gives Riot Games more control over what is happening. Plus, it provides players more chances to showcase their talent.
Images [1] & [2] used courtesy of Valorant
