Nick ‘nitr0’ Cannella gave his honest assessment of the current struggles of the North American Valorant scene, saying that the players don’t tend to work as hard as their European counterparts.
North America claimed bragging rights during the first half of 2021 after Sentinels coasted through VCT Stage 2 Masters Reykjavík, the game’s first international LAN.
But by the end of the year, it was apparent that the region had lost steam, its place as the dominant force taken by EMEA. At Valorant Champions, the quarter-finals were the furthest that a North American team managed, as Sentinels and Envy both crashed out of the tournament in the group stage.
This had led to a heated debate in the scene as to whether North America got complacent after that early international success. There have also been suggestions that the region’s players have prioritized streaming and content creation over practice.
Nitr0 weighs in
Nitr0 bore witness to the slow decline of North America during his time with 100 Thieves, with whom he reached the semi-finals of the VCT Stage 3 Masters event.
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For the 26-year-old, who returned to CS:GO and Team Liquid at the end of 2021, EMEA rose took over as the No.1 region because their players are “harder workers.”
“They might not be better individually, so to speak,” nitr0 told Dexerto. “And I’m not even a hundred percent sure on that one.
“I think every player is pretty much on the same level right now. But I think they work harder.”
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Nitr0, who has won several international titles with Liquid in CS:GO, suggested that a change in mentality is necessary for North America to return to the top of the esport. He said that he experienced firsthand with his 100 Thieves team the impact that having the wrong mindset can have.
“I think they [EMEA players] are putting more time into practice and dealing with teammates,” he said. “Whereas in NA, I feel that a lot of people are just looking for content.
“I hate to even say that, but that’s honestly how I feel. And sometimes I felt that with my old team.
“It’s just one of those things where if you put that extra energy towards practice and improving, there’s a chance that you just become two times better immediately. Because all we have is time. Time’s the only consistent thing we have.”
North America will be represented by two teams at the VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters, one fewer than EMEA, as per the slot allocation for 2022 announced by Riot Games on January 27. The LAN event will take place from April 15-29 at an undisclosed location.
