WIT eSports enjoys life on the road at Valorant College Invitational

Five members of the Comets eSports team got their first taste of a "road game" at the Valorant College Invitational last weekend.

Away from the familiar comforts of the WIT eSports arena, head coach Cale Conner and Valorant players Pablo Delatorre, Kage Knudsen, Chris Rice and Davy Tran competed against some of the best players in North America over the two-day event held in the Scrims eSports Gaming Center in Lisle, Illinois.

"We did our best and I think we performed pretty well against those teams, because they were some powerhouses," Conner said.

Top seeds Michigan State and University of Illinois brought brand-name recognition to the LAN Event (local area network), and, along with champion Columbia College (Columbia, Missouri), boasted Radiant-tier athletes (ranked in the top 500 of North America.) So while a 1-5 record won't go on a banner in the rafters, the Comets came home invigorated by the experience, the competition the faced, the growth they demonstrated and the prospect of attending (of perhaps hosting) similar events in the future.

"It's fun anyway and it's cool to see these big name schools that get these top players, and how well they perform," Conner said. "It's almost like watching pro-play half the time. It's insanely fun and it's cool to get that experience."

Rice is WIT's in-game leader (IGL), which means he is the lead communicator of strategies, adjustments and more during competition. The sophomore hopes this trip sparks a renewed motivation throughout the team, which went toe-to-toe with some of the nation's best in matches that often came down to a one-on-one finale.

"I think we have a lot of potential to grow still," Rice said. "When we get rolling, it's hard to stop us."

Intimidation was never a factor when the Comets faced highly ranked teams with Radiant-filled rosters.

"It was like, 'Let's see how we do,'" Knudsen said. "The worst thing you could do is not try against these teams. You have to give it your all, see what you can really do to at least shake them up a little bit."

Tran said WIT maintained a healthy perspective throughout Saturday's pool play and Sunday's bracket.

"If it's a loss it's a loss, it's fine," Tran said. "What matters is we qualified, we got more experience from LAN and we're looking forward to more."

The Comets dramatic win came against Carthage College (Kenosha, Wisconsin) during Saturday's pool play. 

After racing out to a 10-2 lead in the best-of-one format, WIT seemingly had a breezy win in hand. That's when the Firebirds attack proved nearly unbeatable.

The Firebirds used Gekko's wingman ability to plant the bomb, while the rest of Carthage's characters defended WIT's attempts to defuse. For 10 of the next 11 rounds, WIT was without an answer. 

"If they get that bomb down, it was nearly impossible to (win)," Conner said.

However, right before overtime started, the Comets were able to crack Carthage's plan and take a mental advantage into the deciding period.

"We finally figured out how to stop this momentum," Conner said. "As soon as we won that round you could hear them cursing about it and getting very upset and down in the dumps.

"And we were finally hyped."

The Comets rolled the good vibes into overtime, where they prevented Carthage from planting the bomb one final time to clinch a 14-12 victory.

The tense back-and-forth with Carthage highlighted a unique aspect of in-person eSports competition. When the Comets battle three nights a week inside their on-campus arena, their opponent is invisible and possibly hundreds of miles away. At the Valorant College Invitational, the opponent was quite literally on the other side of the monitor, where their voices could be heard not through a headset, but in a bustling room full of college eSports players. This created a palpable competitive atmosphere that is new to some eSports athletes.

"It's just a completely different experience, it's a really enjoyable environment," DeLatorre said. "Competition is just in the air."

Despite some added pressure and elevated tension, Knudsen said the in-person connection makes events like these special.

"It brings a whole new element to eSports, being able to interact with the other teams there," Knudsen said. "It makes it a bit more of a complete thing at LAN events."

Being able to observe other teams in person gave WIT the chance to compare and contrast how different teams operate.

"You get to talk to other schools and see how they communicate with each other and game," DeLatorre said. 

It was quickly apparent that WIT's calm, productive communication tactics weren't shared by all in attendance.

"Other teams would get overly angry at each other," DeLatorre said. "We do have our angry moments, but we don't keep that there. We put it behind us and we try to fix our mistakes."

What allows WIT to focus on growth rather than dwelling on the past?

"We just get a long really well," DeLatorre said. "We're just cool."

The Comets also had to adjust to unfamiliar and sometimes bare-minimum gaming stations. The Comets are used to sitting in comfortable gaming chairs, 360hz adjustable monitors and computers that run Valorant around 600 frames per second. Top-notch gear and comfort are not guaranteed at LAN events, Conner said. Some chairs weren't tall enough for the tables, monitors lacked adjustable arms, and some headsets were missing their microphones.

"It was very difficult but we try to make due with what we could," Conner said. "It's 'control the controllables.' You can't control that so don't worry about it."

Outside the goings-on of the Invitational, the Comets embraced the surprisingly rare time to bond as a team. The 16-hour round trip offered a forum to get to know both the geography and each other. And there's only so much homework, YouTube and strategy review one can spend their time on.

"You're in that car for eight hours, you're going to talk about something," Knudsen said. "Definitely just learning more about everybody will stick with me."

Tran enjoyed conversation about "things that (we) basically never talk about," as well as seeing more of the midwest.

"What really stuck out to me during the road trip was just all the places that I explored," Tran said. "I've never really been outside (Siouxland). We don't have a lot of time on our hands, so it's really nice to get out of Sioux City.

Everyone on the team hoped this was the first of many Valorant LAN events, and Conner said it was important for him to get the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Overwatch 2 teams the opportunity to compete in person as well.

"It was definitely cool being able to travel for this event, and I'd love to do more of these events," Knudsen said. "This was a very cool opportunity and experience I got."

While the road was a unique element, hosting a LAN event would allow WIT to show off its facilities and future classes of Comets.

"I'd love to compete in it or cast (host) it," Rice said, before a long pause. "We might need more PCs though."