Ludwig calls out Head of Valorant Esports over “frustrating” Tier 2 changes

Ludwig has called out the Head of Valorant Esports amid a string of promised Tier 2 changes after criticisms from players over the 2023 Challengers season. 

VCT Ascension for all three regions wrapped up in mid-July, and it has seen Bleed, The Guard, and Gentle Mates all qualify for the next two seasons of their respective VCT Leagues. 

However, despite these success stories, many of the orgs and teams across all three regions who participated in hopes of ‘Ascending’ have since dropped their rosters for the rest of Tier 2’s lengthy offseason. 

As a result of issues stemming from the long offseason and limited incentives for teams to participate in the Challengers scene as a whole, Valorant Head of Esports Leo Faria attempted to quell worries with promises of changes. However, he has now been called out by the likes of VCT players, coaches, and even Ludwig over these proposed adjustments.

Ludwig calls out Head of Valorant Esports for “frustrating” Ascension system

Ludwig, mega streamer and co-owner of Moist Esports and Moist Moguls in the NA Challengers circuit, called out Faria for some of the issues which the Challengers circuit faced, in particular its promotion system.

In his response to Faria’s tweet, Ludwig asked a simple question, “Can we fix relegation after The Guard proved Tier 2 is better than many Tier 1 teams?” 

This tweet was in reference to the fact that after two seasons in VCT Americas, The Guard will be relegated to Challengers, which has been a point of criticism from many players. This was on full display when players weren’t happy with Faria’s tweet responding to Ludwig calling the Ascension slots, “guest slots”. 

Faria said about the Ascension slots, “Call it guest slots, visitor slots, Ascension slots, non-partnered slots, it doesn’t change the fact that teams qualified for a two-year stint at international leagues. It also doesn’t make them less then.” 

However, Ludwig was not convinced by Faria’s explanation, responding, “I’ve been pushing for relegation for VCT teams or creating expansion teams to add true value to Ascension teams.” 

“When The Guard crushes VCT teams and they are forced to descend because the clock strikes midnight for Cinderella – it’ll be incredibly silly,” Ludwig added. “That combined with Tier 2’s long off season makes the whole situation more frustrating.”

Moist Moguls came one series away from qualifying for Ascension, only being beaten by The Guard in the NA Challengers playoffs and finishing third. However, the team can take some solace in knowing they have qualified for next year’s NA Challengers.