After failing to reach the finals in last year’s Palarong Atenista Valorant bout, the Computer Studies (CS) Chameleons came on top in an epic comeback over Business and Management (B&M) Vipers, 3-1.

The Chameleons core behind their win were Jhon Glenn “gLeNn” Fabul, Tristan “Aether” Lemana, Ethan Rey “Syrichta” Calio, Riadyn “Staphey” Laquite, Karl Justin “mugiwara” Natividad, Jan Florenz “Furenzu” Tenebroso and Angelo Renzo “0MCdecrepify” Gomez. 

Meanwhile, the B&M Vipers’ lineup, who are defending champions and now the second runner-up, was comprised of Myka Mae “AWE Maky” Naquila, Glen Luis “MrPrince” Visitacion, John Benedict “Mabes” Costoya, Sebastian Niccolo “Tofu” Escalona, Eugene Roy “Vain” Serado, and Jose Alfonso “Scooter” Jimene.

The Vipers started the series strong with a clutch in the first round defusing the spike with 35 milliseconds left on the timer. MrPrince ramped up his individual performance, giving their team an early edge in the match. However, the Chameleons made the match competitive with a highlight by Syrichta, fragging behind the smoke in round 21 and striking back against the lead of the Vipers. 

Despite the Chameleons’ best efforts, the Vipers held on strong to their lead and finished the match 12-10. The following games were later postponed due to poor internet connection.

Despite the loss, Chameleons stated that they did not lose their morale or “tilt” by having fun, frequently communicating, and focusing on the match. 

“Having fun and having nothing to lose was our mentality, which paid off in the end. Our main strategy was just key communication and playing together. During timeouts, we watched some Subway Surfer gameplay to keep our moral[e] and focus high,” the champion team collectively answered.

The Chameleons started their comeback by dominating the following matches, starting with an early lead of 5-2 in game three. They ended the round with a flawless win led by Aether’s quick double kill, shifting the tides on their side and forcing the Vipers to an early timeout.  The Chameleons continued their run until they reach match point.

In the last game, Chameleons continued their dominance until round 13; only to be cut short by the Vipers’ Mabes, stepping up by soloing 4 players and a ninja defuse in round 16. This led to a clutch and tied the game at 8-8. In the following rounds, both teams tried to one-up one another but it was breakeven until round 22.

The Chameleons pushed A and were able to get themselves into a post-plant situation. In the crucial matchpoint of the 23rd round, Chameleons’ gLeNn and Vipers’ AWE Maky were pitted against each other in a duel. With time on the side of the Chameleons’, gLeNn took advantage of the time constraint while AWE Maky was under constant pressure. The two eventually met crosshairs and gLeNn came out on top, securing the match and bagging the championship.

The Chameleons expressed their joy in winning the title as they did not expect to win.

“… it just goes to show that if you don’t try, you will never really find out and that sometimes you might even surprise yourself.”
The Valorant championship was live streamed via the SAMAHAN on October 13.