Riot Games Esports Strategist, Riley Yurk announced that coach slots are coming to Valorant in the foreseeable future.
Valorant has rivaled Counter Strike: Global Offensive in the competitive scene in many regions, with several players jumping ship to join the hype. Most of these players have been from North America but some European players are also making the switch. With the rising number of organizations entering Valorant daily, the CS:GO scene is beginning to fade.
While the two FPS titles are comparable, they each feature unique differences that make them more enjoyable. One of those features is the ability to have a coach slot while playing a competitive match. Coaches have played a big part in CS:GO’s success over the years, but this factor has recently been its downfall. Some coaches have abused the coach slot and in-game bugs to give their team a competitive advantage during the game. This has forced Valve to ban several coaches, and this has only hindered the online scene.
With CS:GO being completely online due to COVID-19, there were new ways to cheat while coaching. In January of this year, Valve finally decided to ban coaches from online matches. Teams were still able to have coaches on their teams, but they were not allowed to interact during games.
Will Valorant coaching end up like CS:GO?
Riley Yurk explained Valorant’s excitement for coaches to become a bigger part of matches in his response on Twitter. Riot Games owns and operates League of Legends, one of the most successful esports titles in the world. This is why they have spent so much of their time attempting to refine the esports scene for Valorant.
hope it's not a surprise but coach slots are on the way. we're excited for coaches to be a bigger part of matches.
— Riley Yurk (@rileyurk) February 23, 2021
The recent controversy with CS:GO coaching is a great example of what not to do with Valorant. However, a lot can still be added to incorporate coaching. Valorant could add an additional slot to custom matches that would allow for a coach on either team. Two observers currently fill this slot to showcase the match during events. This forces coaches to take the side-lines during matches.
Valorant has already pushed back against possible competitive advantages with First Strike. They forced 100 Thieves to remove their “support” staff from the room while they played matches. This included their coach and analysts who were cheering them on. Valorant will hopefully have a coaching slot added before the Masters division of Champions Tour.
