Talon Esports, an organization from Southeast Asia, has announced the launch of its academic division for playing Valorant. The new team consists of five players from Thailand, including the well-known player Surf, who previously competed in the main roster. The academic team will participate in the VALORANT Challengers 2025 Southeast Asia tournament.

This move became possible following changes made by Riot Games in August 2024, allowing academic teams owned by professional organizations to compete in the Challengers tournament. In response, Talon Esports announced the recruitment of players for the new team in September. Applicants were required to have knowledge of both English and Thai, as well as be between the ages of 16 and 20.

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In addition to Surf, the academic team is joined by four new players: snappy, tbloy, thyy, and canady, who have no previous experience in professional teams. The new Talon Esports roster will be exempt from promotion and relegation matches between seasons, despite the fact that the team will not be able to qualify for the Ascension tournament, even if they win in Challengers.

New Talon Esports Academic Team Roster:

• Thanachart "Surf" Rungapajaratkul
• Nakarin "snappy" Sritakorn
• Techodom "tbloy" Saetiao
• Anupong "Thyy" Preamsak
• Napatr "canady" Worajak