VALORANT Masters Bangkok: Players discuss their experience in Thailand

VALORANT Masters headed to Bangkok for the first time, kicking off on February 19th at UOB LIVE in front of the live audience. 

Known for its street life and cultural landmarks, the city will be the host to some of the best VALORANT teams from around the world for about two weeks. 

Masters Bangkok will feature the top two Kickoff teams from each International League, all set to battle it out on stage. While the teams are hyped for their matches, players are equally excited to explore the city—especially those visiting Thailand for the first time.

G2’s IGL, Jacob ‘valyn‘ Batio, shared during the pre-event press conference that he has been enjoying tuk-tuks rides while traveling around.

“We had a lot of people, so we took three of them [tuk-tuks] and it felt like we started racing on the road. It was a very unique experience,” Valyn said. 

However, with the event’s tight schedule, finding time to explore the city entirely has been challenge for them.

“We’ve been in our rooms practicing a lot, so we haven’t had time to experience much yet. But hopefully, we can find some time to explore Thailand,” Valyn added.

For Team Liquid’s Georgio ‘Keiko‘ Sanassy, who is half-Thai, the event is a homecoming of sorts. He has been showing his teammates around the city and they are hoping to explore more depending on how their tournament run goes.

“Keiko is showing us everything—telling us what we should eat, what we shouldn’t, where to go, what to watch—all of that. He’s taking care of us this time, and it’s very cool,” said Ayaz ‘nAts‘ Akhmetshin. 

He added: “We do have plans, but let’s see how the tournament goes. There are a lot of matches in a row, and we haven’t had a day off yet. Only on the first day did we get to see something, and that was our only opportunity so far.”

While G2 and Team Liquid have been having fun in Bangkok, DRX players have had a harder time adjusting to the heat. 

“It’s way too warm here—the first time I stepped out of the airport, I felt nauseous and dizzy because of the heat. I’m still getting used to it, but it’s definitely tough,” said Kim ‘MaKo‘ Myeong-kwan.

His teammate, No ‘freeing’ Ha-jun, agreed: “Yeah, because of the weather, we don’t really go out much. We stay in our hotel, but I think I’m getting used to the heat now.”

So, fans traveling to Bangkok are advised to bring hats or umbrellas, especially if they are not used to high temperatures.

Commenting on Thai food and the local atmosphere, Zhang ‘LuoK1ng‘ Zhanpeng shared” “After coming to Bangkok, I feel like I’ve gotten used to the atmosphere here. This is also my first time trying Thai food, and it’s quite good.”

One of the biggest challenges for teams traveling internationally is adjusting to different time zones. Sentinels and G2, for example, traveled nearly 20 hours to reach Bangkok all the way from Los Angeles, California.

However, despite the long journey, the Sentinels roster seems to have adapted and rested well.

“We feel like a million dollars [laughs],” Marshall ‘N4RRATE‘ Massey said. “When we got here, we fixed our sleep schedules pretty quickly. I don’t think jet lag is really affecting us. I feel like it’s a bit of an excuse to say it is. We’ll definitely be ready for our match, at least.”

The opening day of VALORANT Masters Bangkok will feature two matchups—EDG vs. Team Liquid and DRX vs. Sentinels. The livestream will begin at 9:30 AM GMT, with all matches streamed live on VCT’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.