João Papel

Lost in the Esports universe since 2006.
Played a game or two competitively.
TCG's enjoyer. Riftbound Player for @growupesports.

[Testas ➡️ RQ Barcelona @testasgg]

#Riftbound
Bologna Regional 🇮🇹

Pre Regional 4-2
Main 5-3
Regional Rebound 4-2

Played Ezreal all weekend.
+1 platted Reksai.
Results and decklist below.

Lille next 🇨🇵

[Miguel 'Reliquary' Galante @ReliquaryTCG]

Riftbound Regional Qualifier - Bologna 🇮🇹

Brought Renata to chase Best-of Legends and finished 4-3-1 in the Main Event.

Switched gears in the side events with Draven and secured 2 Metal Legends:
6-0 Pre-Regional Challenge
4-2 Regional Rebound

Back to work. Lille 🇫🇷 is next.

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

First European regional was won by an Ezreal Deck. FeelsLuckyMan

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

Not bad for my first overnumbered pull 🤩

[Mega Crit ⚔️ Slay the Spire 2 Out Now! @MegaCrit]

The Spire awakens once more in Steam Early Access on March 5, 2026! ⚔️

New characters, enemies, environments & more await you in Slay the Spire 2, the sequel to the iconic roguelike deckbuilder.

Will you attempt the climb alone... or enlist the aid of your fellow adventurers?

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

Well... Since I have successfully signed up for the Lille Regional Qualifier... I guess it is time to give Riftbound a real chance 😉

[RiftboundCN @DeanZ0911]

Riftbound Lunar New Year Giveaway!~ 🎉🧧🀄
To celebrate the Year of the Snake, I'm giving away Riftbound Irelia Chinese Giftboxes and more card game goodies to 6 lucky winners!
Prizes:
🏆 1st Prize (1 winner): 1 full Riftbound Irelia Chinese Giftbox
🥈 2nd Prize (2 winners): Each gets 1 New Year Irelia + 2026 Poro Silver Coin
🥉 3rd Prize (3 winners): Each gets 1 Global Giftbox Aspirant's Climb+1 New Year Irelia card case
Everything will be shipped to you free of charge worldwide after winners are announced and shipping info is collected. No country restrictions — everyone is welcome! 🌍
How to enter (super simple):
Follow @DeanZ0911 ✅
Comment below this post and @ one friend who plays card games to share the good fortune together 🀄🃏

Drop a comment and tell me what you want to see more of: China meta, guides/strategies, or other stuff? 👇

(One entry per person only — multiple entries will be disqualified ❌)

Deadline: February 13, 2026 at 10:00 PM PST Winners announced: February 14, 2026 (results posted right here on this thread)

Let’s kick off the new year with some epic pulls and good luck! 🍊🧧 Who’s your card game buddy you’re tagging? Drop them below! 👇

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

@DeanZ0911 Would love to see china meta analysis.
@testasgg

[Grow uP Esports @growupesports]

A nossa conta original do Twitter foi hackeada em Março de 2025, e infelizmente nunca conseguimos recuperar tanto a conta como todo histórico que tínhamos desde 2009 no X foi completamente perdido! Devido a toda a situação, ponderamos muito em regressar Ajudem a partilhar! obg

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

Hoje houve cs.

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

@ActualNoimnot @LabyrinthTCG A DLC in Spain!

[Kendall Burdette @ActualNoimnot]

🚨GIVEAWAY!!🚨

Everyone already missing the DLC's? Finishing off the final DLC of 24' with an awesome giveaway.

1. Like the Post
2. Repost
3. Follow me
4. Follow @LabyrinthTCG
5. COMMENT your favorite memory of one of the DLC's OR what you hope to see in the 2025 season!!

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

@ReliquaryHS @steveaoki

[Miguel 'Reliquary' Galante @ReliquaryTCG]

I'm looking to sell my Championship 2024 Uncut Sheet Vol.1 from the One Piece Finals Paris!!!

DM's are open for more info.

[Miguel 'Reliquary' Galante @ReliquaryTCG]

Was an incredible journey at the #ONEPIECE Championship Finals! Proud to have fought my way to the 4th place with Rob Lucci.
‘Being strong isn't just about having power or moves, it’s about one’s spirit.’
Grateful for the experience and thrilled to share my deck!
@ONEPIECE_tcg_EN

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

Played Shimmering Skies Championship at Taberna Topdeck Coimbra today. 2 wins, 2 losses.
🟢🟣 2-1 🟢⚪
🟢🟣 1-2 🟢🟡
🟢🟣 2-0 🟢⚪
🟢🟣 0-2 🟢⚪

What a learning experience it was. 😅

[bencb @bencb789]

Perspective from a CEO spending $700,000 on our Valorant Team in 2 years to compete in T2:

What would you do if after pouring $700,000 into a dream, you found out it was never built to last?

(if you are an esports fan, player or somehow involved in esports, I appreciate a like and retweet for awareness)

That’s exactly the reality we faced as we sought to compete in Tier 2 Valorant.
When Riot reduced the 2 - year franchise slot to just one year, it felt like a slap in the face.
That’s when we began to reconsider our place in the game. We weren’t alone - others felt it too.

After winning champs in 2021, we were invited to apply for the VCT Franchise. It felt like everything was coming together. We even secured a final 20 spot and flew to Berlin to pitch our plans in front of the decision-makers.
But we didn’t make the cut.
Surprisingly, we weren’t too upset. Why? Well, the competing orgs had a lot more experience, a bigger fanbase, and significantly larger budgets.

Let me be clear: our impression of the Riot staff was excellent.
They were professional, passionate, diligent, and extremely friendly.
But once we descended to T2, everything changed. That’s when the nightmare began. You see, fighting for just one slot across all of Europe isn’t just difficult - it’s ruthless, but potentially extremely rewarding.
We knew we could make it and we came damn close in year one of competing in T2 by finishing #3 in Ascension.

Teams, including ours, poured money, time, and heart into the competition, paying good salaries and making massive sacrifices.

Let’s be honest: T2 Valorant has only existed for two reasons:
- Players grinding to make their way up.
- Orgs like ours investing in those players, hoping to compete for that elusive slot.

Without the franchise system as a goal, would T2 even exist? I don’t think so.

What happened to the T2 scene? Is Riot understaffed? Do they not care? Or are the wrong people in charge? Any of these possibilities would spell disaster for building a sustainable T2 ecosystem. And trust me, it wouldn’t take much to fix, definitely not a lot of money.

We’ll be diving deeper into this mess in our next podcast episode with @KrimsonAer and @ElevatedSpeaks , discussing the changes needed for a better T2 ecosystem. Stay tuned.

As for us? Competitive Valorant is a closed chapter for now. The mismanagement of tournaments, broadcasts that don't appeal to the majority, low viewership, prize money delays (even casters waiting for their 2023 payments!), a lack of communication, and the cancellation of Split 3 tournaments. It all got worse.

If we ever return, it’ll either be in a massively profitable situation (finding a low - budget team with a lot of potential) or in a more sustainable ecosystem.

But the harsh reality is, T2 Valorant has been a slap in the face, not just for orgs like ours, but for the players too. They sacrifice their time and lives chasing the dream of going pro, while countless people behind the scenes, coaches, management, editors, designers, work tirelessly for the same goal.

And let’s be real, they aren’t getting rich from it; for most, it’s pure passion. At times, it feels like we are being exploited. Too many people work in this industry for “an apple and an egg” (a German saying .. you get the point).
Yet, for many, working in esports is the dream. That said, I’ve also seen the opposite. People in critical roles being massively overpaid while delivering incompetence that ruins the progress for everyone.
Esports deserves better. Valorant deserves better. Maybe Riot’s focus is on T1. Maybe the higher-ups are unaware of what’s going on. Maybe things will change. But right now, it’s a disaster for orgs.

It's an even worse system for the players. We can pivot to other games or opportunities.
But the pro players? They’re stuck. They’ve dedicated years to mastering this game, and learning another from scratch could take years more.
They’re the ones being hit hardest. I truly feel for the countless unsigned T2 teams and players who deserve to make a living in this space.

Whether you're an org owner, an esports worker, or a player unsure of your next step - join our Discord.
Let’s continue the conversation, reach out if you want to chat, need help, have ideas. Maybe together, we can find a way forward.

You're not alone.

Stay strong, Ben

[charMzyn @charmzyn]

situation
@growupesports

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

@uPArmag3ddon De vez em quando dou uma perninha nas cartas 😉

[João Papel @traumaisboring]

Got 2nd place with Hyper Aggro 🟣🟡 in #Lorcana Championship in Aveiro today.
Not bad for a first try.