One fine day, just as Paratroops were close to breaking the monopoly of sponsored organizations in the top echelons of the Indian Valorant scene, their Sentinel, Abhay ‘Xhade’ Urkude was commissioned a ban on his Valorant ID for using ‘third-party softwares’ to gain an advantage in the game.
The Esports Club allowed Paratroops to field a substitute in what was a controversial but fair decision as they started their conversation with Riot South Asia and India in the meanwhile in an attempt to get clarification on the reason behind Xhade’s ban.
Xhade denied the cheating allegations and the fact that he had any illegal third-party softwares at the time and immediately after the ban. With the scene frantically divided into two factions, one claiming Xhade was innocent and willing to back the youngster while the other branding him a hacker.
However, Xhade has himself come out and admitted to using cheats during a live stream on Mithul ‘Binks69’ Nayak’s channel, who is an integral part of Paratroops’ roster along with being a content creator for 8bit. The Paratroops Sentinel admitted that he used cheats in Valorant but only for three games as he ‘wanted to reach Radiant’.
His responses in the Discord Voice Chat to questions posed to him by prominent professionals in the Indian Valorant scene and his demeanor, in general, did not seem too apologetic as he added that he did not use ‘aim assist, only wall hacks’.
Xhade has since deleted his YouTube channel and while he did commit an act that is considered heinous in the eyes of Esports purists, we wish to issue a heartfelt appeal to the Indian Valorant community and the Esports community in general, to spare the youngster or his relatives any hate, undue or otherwise, as he comes to grips with the reality of his future in the Valorant scene.
We hope this is a lesson for any other ‘cheaters’ or ‘hackers’ that are present in the Indian Valorant scene. It is better to either come forward and accept your deeds now or leave the competitive scene or be prepared for the storm heading your way. For, the behaviour shown in Xhade’s case by the pros, community and even the media, does not set a precedent. Rather, it comes from a place of care and pity for the youngster.
