SteelSeries took the opportunity to speak with Lincoln Leung, the Canadian MVP of the Red Bull Campus Clutch Valorant competition.
Recently, Canada has finished their national Red Bull Campus Clutch in Valorant. SteelSeries is proud to select an MVP — a player with exceptional performance in the Grand Finals — to award them a full suite of SteelSeries gear and $250.
During Red Bull Campus Clutch, we are selecting an MVP in over 30 regions globally. This will culminate at the World Finals in Brazil in December, at which the SteelSeries of those Grand Finals will be awarded $2000 alongside stellar SteelSeries gear.
In conjunction with this effort, we have paired up with artist ExCharny to create Limited Edition SteelSeries MVP mousepads. This global initiative will bring these limited mousepads to retailers. Stay tuned to our channels for details.
"By creating these artworks we were trying to put forth values of innovation and creativity that embody the company values of SteelSeries," said ExCharny. "And when it comes to creating a new character, the first step is to research how other designers represent the idea of a similar nature. Instantly some other popular examples come to mind, like Killjoy from Valorant, Zenyatta from Overwatch or Crypto from Apex Legends, just to name a few."
Interview with the Valorant MVP in Canada, Lincoln "Link" Leung
Our MVP for Canada is Lincoln "Link" Leung. Link is currently 22 years old and an engineering student at University of Toronto. He's a huge fan of FaZe Clan, and he wants to turn his skills in data analytics into a career as an analyst for Valorant teams.
Let's get to know our MVP from team Big Pizza (props for that team name) with the questions below.
How did you get started in esports?
I started playing CS:GO back in 2013 and have been playing FPS games ever since a young age. When Valorant came out during COVID-19, I had a lot of free time to play, since I was home the whole time. I mainly played ranked.
What are your goals in esports?
I honestly never knew that this day would come, being able to represent Canada in a global world tournament. However, as much as I love competing and playing, my goal is to combine my expertise in Data Analytics that I have gained from school and apply it within Valorant, to provide a competitive advantage for teams as an analyst.
How did you get connected with Red Bull / Red Bull Campus Clutch?
I participated last year in the Red Bull Campus Clutch Tournament and my team got 3rd/4th place, after losing to BTR (the team that travelled to Spain last year).
How do you prepare for a tournament?
Whenever it's tournament day, I usually try to just do 2 or 3 deathmatches, just to warm up my aim. I try not to think too much about what's happening but rather just to focus on the upcoming match.
Speaking of practicing for tournaments, don't forget that you can up your Valorant skills anytime using 3D Aim Trainer, which also has a Red Bull Campus Clutch competition starting now! ~ Luke
How many tournaments have you won?
With my old team, Elysium, we have won around 3-4 smaller tournaments, but with my current team participating in Red Bull Campus Clutch (Big Pizza), we have won the qualifier, as well as the Canadian nationals, sending us to Spain.
How have you done in other tournaments?
With my old team, we regularly finished either in the top 8 or top 16 in tournaments, which in of itself is a good accomplishment, considering that we played against signed teams.
With over 25,000 students who participate in over 400 events across 50 countries around the globe, what does being named an MVP mean to you?
Being named MVP is a special privilege, where knowing that there is just 1 MVP across Canada is a really special honor. This would have never happened without my teammates, so I need to give them a shout out. This really wouldn't be possible without them.
What does this MVP program mean to esports as a whole?
I believe that granting MVP is important to not only recognize their skills, but also to get the individual recognized in the community as well as the competitive space of Valorant. It allows others to see that this individual is a standout player, who makes a big impact on the game.
Who are some of your favorite esports pros/teams?
My favorite esport pro would probably be Marved, because I love watching him play smokes, but also him as a person in general. My favorite team in esports is definitely FaZe, as I love watching their content as well as their pro teams in CS:GO and Valorant.
When did you start playing Valorant?
I started playing Valorant when it first came out in beta, constantly playing ranked everyday trying to hone up my skills. I eventually joined Elysium, which started my path in the competitive scene, until I decided to focus and dedicate all of my time for Big Pizza and work toward representing Canada in Brazil.
What games do you play when you’re not competing?
If I'm not playing Valorant, I would be playing Apex Legends. However, recently, I picked up Overwatch 2 and it is pretty enjoyable.
What were your favorite games as a kid?
I got my hands on my computer when I was around 10, and one of the 2 games that I enjoyed watching and playing was Left for Dead 2, as well as Starcraft 2.
How do you balance esports and school?
As an engineering student, it is definitely difficult to have a work/play balance, but I believe that if you attend all classes and have proper time management, it is possible to have enough time to practice. Personally, I love to work in the library right after school, to finish all my work, so that my night can be spent on gaming or just browsing social media.
Follow Link on his Twitter and we wish him a bright career involving esports and Valorant! Congrats to our Canadian MVP.
