As one of the international debutants at this year’s VCT Champions, BOOM Esports comes in as an unknown name to anyone not used to following the Asia-Pacific VALORANT scene.
For both seasoned VALORANT enjoyers and casual fans, seeing what this Indonesian team could do at Champions will be a treat.
As a part of our goal to prepare you to get the most out of watching the 2022 VCT Champions tournament, here is a profile of some of the newest faces this year.
Who is BOOM Esports?
Though BOOM Esports might be a new name for many people watching the VCT (especially English-speaking viewers and other fans from Europe), the team is not a new name in Asia. The organization itself was one of the first esports orgs in Indonesia, established in 2016. They also have teams in several other professional leagues, in a variety of games.
Their VALORANT team was first put together in July of 2020, right on par with other major teams and regions, and since then the team has maintained an entirely Indonesian roster despite shuffling around several of their players.
While other Indonesian players have found success on other Asian teams, including Paper Rex’s f0rsakeN and mindfreak, the players on BOOM are making history as the first Indonesian org to participate.
The roster they bring to VCT Champions in Istanbul has a mix of veteran and new players, and even includes a star player on loan from another Indonesian team. For a team that has gotten used to finishing second and third place in their region with international LANs just out of reach, it is pretty clear they are in their top form with this current roster and coach.
Current BOOM Esports roster
- Saibani “fl1pzjder” Rahmad
- Gary “blaZek1ng” Dastin
- Rizkie “BerserX” Adla Kusuma
- David “tehbotoL” Monangin
- Fikri “Famouz” Zaki Hamdani
The team also has a Korean coach, Dong-jun “Meow” Ji.
The team’s star is Famouz, a player who excels on a variety of different agents. He only slotted into the existing roster earlier this year in July. Though he is technically on loan from Persija Esports, a much smaller Indonesian org, Famous might just be the best player on the BOOM roster.
Another player to watch is BerserX, who normally slots in on Jett, Neon, and Chamber. He plays all of these agents well, and he and Famouz together make a formidable offensive force for the team.
How did BOOM Esports get to Champions?
BOOM’s journey to VCT Champions wasn’t an easy one.
The APAC region, though not one of the strongest in the world in the beginnings of VALORANT, has grown their teams into challenging opponents. Powerhouse regions like North America and EMEA have been thrown for a loop by some of the different styles that appear at international tournaments when APAC teams are around.
BOOM follow fellow Southeast Asian teams Paper Rex and XERXIA to represent their region this year at Champions.
To get their LCQ spot, BOOM had to go against teams that are only getting stronger every stage. But in the APAC LCQ this year, BOOM never lost a match, making sure they clinched their spot and didn’t finish second once again.
The most notable difference between BOOM Esports and their other APAC counterparts is that both Paper Rex and XERXIA have stood on the international LAN stage before. Some of the players have become fan favorites and draw cheers as they walk on stage.
For the players on BOOM, this is unfamiliar territory.
While most experienced and longest-tenured player blaZek1ng is no stranger to heated esports competition, coming to professional VALORANT from CS:GO, the rest of the roster is young with little experience outside of their region.
And, unlike some other Champions debutants, BOOM didn’t get Masters as a warm up.
VCT Champions is a huge opportunity for BOOM. While they have been incredibly consistent in Asia, the opportunity to take their gameplay to the next level is here and now. Unfortunately for them, they face what could be their hardest match yet straight out of the gate against Masters One winners OpTic.
BOOM plays on 10am CT on Sept. 1st, the second day of Champions.
Published: Aug 30, 2022 10:58 pm