So, in this case, let’s take it step by step. MIBR, the Brazilian Valorant team that revamped its entire roster, is not going to participate in any of the offseason tournaments. Their megastar, the one and only aspas, was the reason behind this colossal decision. His surgery was beyond the significant level. Moreover, the whole squad has been under this medical condition for the past few weeks, and they haven’t had any joint practice session since the new lineup was introduced. The rumor about this issue came from the goat himself, aptly through a report by Bruno Povoleri. What a horrific beginning, no?
This is a massive problem for the casuals. The offseason is a period when crew members become friends through playing, develop strategies, and evaluate the rival’s strength before the actual VCT goes down. MIBR being absent means that they will be at a disadvantage, and it is quite significant. But, of course, the health issue always has priority over all else, doesn’t it? A player shzhv13 precisely explained the attitude in the replies: ‘Health is the number one priority using this time to get completely fit and build up the team’s chemistry can really be more rewarding than any offseason result.’ No doubt about it.
But what really happened to aspas? The tweet didn’t provide any information thus leaving everyone in suspense. The replies were full of inquiry and, of course, some not-so-good gamer humor. One user, who goes by praisemoxy, directly asked; ‘What kind of surgery is he getting?’ Then thereafter a small detective thread began. Another user, vin20519889, said that he had seen aspirant recently posting a photo with an eye doctor but wasn’t too sure because he is not American and doesn’t know the right term. SanoBoosted added to the conversation by informing about the different types of doctors for eyes: ‘Optometrist for common eye doctors or Ophthalmologist for eye surgeons.’ Well, that was a great help, Austin.
Some were speculating in a different manner. User rodrigofdn_ was guessing it might be a wisdom teeth removal, saying that it sounded like a procedure “that should get done quickly but at the same time was not dangerous/serious.” GenPeej, by contrast, just said, “He got nerfed.” LOL. The user LevialorantBR even gave us the ultimate sign of a very committed fan: ‘like if you would give your arm to aspas.’ No doubt about the devotion, folks.
However, the main worry was regarding the future of the whole team. Mtxtun voiced a general concern: ‘Damn hope this doesn’t really impact how this team gonna perform early in the season… they’re going absolutely underprepared.’ A very frightening concern indeed. The new MIBR lineup is undoubtedly very very experienced and has a lot of potentials, but if they have not even scrimmed for the first time together, then how can they be ready? KnVG0D was the optimistic one trying to point out that ‘this new roster consists only of experienced players and aspas has already played with all of them except zekken so everything’s going to be okay.’ Maybe. But teamwork is not something that comes and goes with the assumption.
A few of the replies were pure hype for aspas, referring to him as ‘the goat’ and ‘one man army.’ DigitStakGamer went as far as calling him ‘the greatest to ever touch the game.’ High-ranking praise like this gives rise to very high expectations, which would be the scenario in the very day he comes back. But this also indicates the pressure. It looks like the group has been formed around him so much that dracul_gras even cracked a joke, ‘may as well call the team aspas and the gang atp.’ (For those not in the know, ‘atp’ stands for ‘at this point’).
Besides, there were the rivalries along the way. YashvantSi31740 tagged NRG to find out if they were ready to be squashed, while a whole other thread was arguing who the real ‘goat’ was between aspas and TenZ. RITAM63161591 was adamant it was the latter, which immediately drew counter responses such as ‘nice joke’ from Seijuro4k and ‘in your dreams, maybe’ from Guilher76515352. Fan wars are always on; not even a medical emergency can stop them.
So, is there any silver lining? The chance of a terrific comeback saga. Z33l0 imagined it: ‘Picture a Street Fighter style tournament run.’ The esports scene, including major events like Worlds, thrives on these narratives. While the team recovers, fans on PlayStation and Xbox will be watching.
