Tokyo, Japan April 3, 2023 – Brave group and The Mynavi Corporation are proud to announce the successful conclusion of the MyNavi e-College VALORANT tournament series, held on March 22, and present the following report summarizing the event.
~The MyNavi e-College Finals~
Semi-Finals Round 1
Nihon University – Nihon Penguins Team A vs Kindai University esports Circle
Map: Ascent
Final Score: 13~9
The match between Nihon University and Kindai University started with the Nihon Penguins Team A as the attackers and Kindai as defenders. The Penguins came out strong putting the Phoenix character to good use and their athlete cL0wN bending smoke to their will as a countermeasure tactic giving the team a 5-0 lead, Kindai then calling for a time-out. Coach SurugaMonkey doled out some advice and motivation which reoriented The Kindai University esports Circle well enough to win some consecutive rounds mid-match. Here ade, the experienced coach of The Penguins Team A, reinvigorated his own team, saying after the fact “everyone was in the zone and I wanted to use that to our advantage.” It was true, as the audience saw smiles and excitement plastered on the faces of ade and the whole Nihon Penguins Team A.
Climaxing with some neck and neck action, eventually Nihon Penguins Team A solidified their lead with a resulting 13~9 score. Remember though this match was Kindai University esports Circle’s first major offline tournament outing, and their coach SurugaMonkey made sure to note “You’d think they would be nervous but the team communication was very solid, amazing how focused they were.”
Both teams formed strong bonds with their teammates and coaches, and their efforts boiled into a show worthy of the “MyNavi e-College Finals” opening match!
Nihon Penguins Team A Keep Their Cool
The Kindai University Team Clearly Having A Great Time
Semi-Finals Round 2
Nihon University – Nihon Penguins Team B vs Meiji University – Meiji eSports Club
Map: Fracture
Final Score: 20~18
The Meiji eSports Club and Nihon Penguins Team B truly put their all on the line in this fight-to-the-death spectacle. The former found themselves in the beginning as the attackers, the latter as defenders. Utilizing a double-duelist strategy, the Nihon Penguins cleanly clinched the first round. Yukishiro, one of the storied commentators, chimed that you could really see plays exemplary of their coach Clutch_Fi in the match and added “splending retaking and line management all around, both Clutch_Fi and Zerost (Meiji’s coach) are on fire!” As the long battle continued on, both teams traded blows as attackers, but the Nihon Penguins earned another decisive point as defenders.
The next in-match round saw The Penguins establish the Spike, but the single player with the most flare had to be Meiji’s ZelC scoring the most points with a perfect cross-action, taking out two Penguins in the process. Ultimately though those same Penguins would get the last laugh, with their most charismatic teammate YackY jumping for joy at their victory. Zerost applauded his team’s endurance, the connection he built with them obvious. Clutch_Fi and Meiji wore somber faces, as the coach expressed regret over not pounding more into the team.
Nihon University’s Nihon Penguins Team B Ecstatic About Their Victory
The Meiji University e-Sports Club Mid Match
The MyNavi e-College Finals
Nihon University – Nihon Penguins Team A vs Nihon University – Nihon Penguins Team B
ROUND 1
Map: Fracture
Final Score: 13-9
Nihon University dominated the finals with both of their teams standing off in the best of three final round. The beginning of the finals saw much color thanks to Team B’s Gongon! He managed to best all five of team A’s line up in a spectacular play. Yukishiro, commentator extraordinaire, was generally surprised by the enthusiasm he brought to the table. Though, Team A’s coach Ade launched his next strategem post a time-out. Determined to not let the game slip through their fingers, after it seemed like Team B had control of the game with 9 rounds Team A racked up 13 by the time the clock ran out, making it their win.
ROUND 2
Map: Haven
Final Score: 13 vs 4
The haveven made its first tournament appearance in the second round of the finals.. Starting off as defenders Team A quickly gained a 9~3 lead on Team B. They flexed in the last round of the first half, with a three-operator team engaging in experimental strategies. You could see Team B struggling valiantly, but the fatigue of 62 individual rounds across the final set into their bones. uron, Team A’s leader, took down Team B leader Pan Kobo in a climax worthy of bringing the first ever MyNavi e-College finals to a close. In a following comment, he expressed gratitude for getting plenty of practice in and believed his ironclad will pushed him to victory.
With that, a new page was added to the history of Japanese collegiate esports.
Pan Kobo, leading his team to the bitter end.
The Victors: Nihon Penguins Team A and their coach ade.
Not only the coaches, but the emcees and commentators alike all express admirative jealousy that all the teams could experience this fiery real life match emblematic of their youth. MyNavi was also thanked for facilitating a formal esports environment for the students of today, additional sentiments given towards the proliferation of esports boding well for all.
Event ambassador Moe Iori gave a thoughtful comment, “The spirit of youth is in the air! I hope as older players graduate each year, new ones come in to take their place. Along with the tournament itself of course, it would be nice if esports became a tradition more and more university students took part in”
She added she wished she could have talked to the students more, and gave thanks that not just the participants but everyone involved with the tournament took it seriously enough to make it a splendid outing for themselves and the audience.
The commentary and emcee team who added color to the festivities.
About The Venue
While the doors were not scheduled to open until 11:00, by 10:30 a visible line to get in already manifested. Many in the audience said it was their first time to ever come to an in-person esports tournament, who were given inflatable clappers to show their support for the competitors. The wild second round of the seminal finals drew in over 200 spectators, on a weekday morning remember, necessitating a limit on new audience members. Largely attended by students on their spring-break, many said in the after-match questionnaire that they would love to join Nihon University and stand on that stage themselves. The MyNavi e-College Finals not only stands as proof for the future of collegiate esports for athletes but also audiences and an ongoing fan-fervor.
Fans lining up.
Fans getting into the game.
About The MyNavi e-College Championship
esports as a phenomenon has outgrown the boundaries of hobby and fun alone, now offering college students a multitude of ways to learn and come together with one another. Now something worth spending one’s dear college years on, this tournament exists as a way to give students all over Japan an esports event they can all enjoy as they fight their way to victory.
This first iteration of the MyNavi e-College tournament centers around VALORANT, a game with over 20 million players worldwide with a large number of university students following the game. This tournament shall crown the best VALORANT team in the Japanese university scene.
Date: March 22, 2023 (Wed)
Doors: 11:00 AM (JST) Starts: 12:00 PM (JST)
Location: Bellesalle Akihabara 1st Floor
https://www.bellesalle.co.jp/shisetsu/tokyo/bs_akihabara/
Game: VALORANT, By Riot Games
Mynavi e-College Finals Live Streams
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mynaviesportscollege
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mynaviecolle
Event Line-Up
Tournament Ambassadors: Moe Iori, Clutch_Fi
Tournament Commentators: OooDa, Taiga Kishi, yukishiro
Coaches: ade, SurugaMonkey, Zerost, Clutch_Fi
Participating Teams:
Nihon University – Nihon Penguins Team A
Kindai University – Kindai University esports Circle
Nihon University – Nihon Penguins Team B
Meiji University – Meiji e-Sports Club
