tarik wants more trash talk at Valorant Champions: “We should pay them when they talk sh**”

Declan Mclaughlin
tarik Valorant

Valorant Champions has seen an explosion of trash talk as teams from different regions take shots at each other during the group stage. Valorant’s most popular streamer Tarik ‘tarik’ Celik said in a recent broadcast that he wants more.

The Valorant world championships have been awash in trash talk as this year’s competitors are not afraid to call other teams out or talk down their next opponent. One of the main antagonists of the tournament has been Evil Geniuses and their IGL Kelden ‘Boostio’ Pupello along with the Chinese sides EDward Gaming and Bilibili Gaming.

Boostio has been pretty open with his thoughts on the Chinese region as a whole in Valorant while EDward Gaming’s Zheng ‘ZmjjKK’ Yongkang has shot back at him and other players. BLG has also showcased a willingness to bite back at Western teams who don’t give them the attention they might deserve.

All this has resulted in a spicy tournament that has had some fans questioning if the trash talk has crossed a line, or has become distasteful in some way.

tarik gives verdict on Valorant Champions trash talk

tarik, the most popular Valorant streamer at the moment, has had back at that narrative. He said if anything, there should be more trash talk at this event, and pros should be encouraged to create these storylines.

“I think the players should be incentivized to talk sh**. We should pay them when they talk sh**, okay. It should be the opposite of what it currently is. If mother f****** are talking sh**, we should reward them,” tarik said.

Riot Games has shown an advertisement to trash talk, and antagonist behavior in-game before, going as far as banning or fining players for cursing on broadcast or teabagging enemies.

So far, Valorant Champions has had players curse on the live broadcast, shoot bodies and teabag enemies across multiple matches. The trash-talking and heated storylines from each group in the tournament have shown no signs of slowing down any time soon.

About The Author

Based in Indiana, Declan McLaughlin is an esports reporter for Dexerto Esports covering Valorant, LoL and anything else that pops up. Previously an editor and reporter at Upcomer, Declan is often found reading investigative stories or trying to do investigations himself. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Indiana University. You can contact him at declan.mclaughlin@dexerto.com.