VCT Americas gained a new attraction away from the server during the live event held in Brazil. While players battled on stage, fans walked around the venue looking for a different kind of keepsake: fan-made player photocards and stickers handed out for free by Vitória Coutinho and Ingrid Kaori.
An idea that quickly caught the community's attention. Behind the concept, two fans created the cards themselves, featuring one player from each team, and handed them out in small packages, making the contents a surprise until attendees opened them. The format also encouraged fans to trade cards with each other, creating an informal collection throughout the event.
Vitória Coutinho and Ingrid Kaori at VCT Americas. Credit: Vitória Coutinho
For Vitória, the idea came from an experience she had in Asia. Last year, she traveled to China to attend the League of Legends Worlds and came into contact with the culture of photocards and fan-made freebies. The experience stayed with her and was eventually brought to other esports events. “I went to China last year. A friend suggested that I bring photocards because Chinese fans liked them, that whole culture of photocards and banners. That's how I started thinking about that Asian culture, and I brought FURIA cards to Masters Santiago and brought them here as well,” Vitória explained.
From inspiration to partnership
This collaboration, which brought the project to life, between Vitória and Kaori came together naturally. Kaori already had a habit of giving gifts to players and creating drawings related to the competitive scene, while Vitória had the idea of turning players into photocards. “She really likes giving gifts to players. She made drawings, and it all happened very naturally. She started drawing characters. I had the idea for the photocards. Then it became stickers, photocards, and we slowly kept going. It all came together naturally,” Vitória explained.
Kaori, meanwhile, brought another reference to the project. A longtime K-pop fan, she is used to a culture in which fans create and distribute freebies to one another at concerts and events. “I've been a K-pop fan for a long time, and in that community, it's very common for fans to make freebies for each other when there's a concert or an event like that,” she said. For her, holding the VCT Americas live event in Brazil was an opportunity to bring that culture into esports.
The inspiration did not come only from K-pop, as Kaori also pointed to the strength of fan culture in
VCT Pacific and
VCT China, where banners, photocards and other fan-made freebies are common. She also recalled
appearance in Brazil during the
League of Legends First Stand, when international fans created team-related freebies to distribute to attendees at the event.
Months of preparation
The VCT Americas project began months before the event. Kaori said she started planning the freebies as soon as she learned that there would be a live stage in Brazil. Initially, the idea was to produce stickers related to every team, but logistical, financial, and time constraints forced them to scale the project down. Even so, she managed to create references for five Latin American organizations in the region: KRÜ, LOUD, MIBR, FURIA and LEVIATÁN.
Brazilian caster, Nyang, showing Aspas' photocard on his livestream. Credit: Twitch/Nyang
Kaori created the artwork herself, looking for references to players and recognizable elements from each team. For Leviatán, for example, she created a reference to Neon, featuring a reference to the agent used by Rodrigo “spikeziN” Lombardi. For FURIA, she used Luiz “basic” Tessaro's Deadlock alongside the organization's mascot. The MIBR sticker featured Erick “aspas” Santos' Jett lying back in a chair, referencing a pose often associated with the player.
The surprise becomes a hit
Putting the cards into random packs was an important part of the experience. Instead of choosing a player directly, fans had to open the package to find out which card they had received.
The initiative was promoted beforehand on X, leading some fans to actively seek out Vitória and Kaori at the event. Others came across them by chance and approached them out of curiosity after seeing the activity around the cards. “I didn't expect it to become this big either, or for people to like it so much. People really liked it a lot,” Kaori said.
Kaori also made a point of encouraging fans to open their packs on the spot so she could see their reactions. “It was really cool to see people opening the little packages, seeing the stickers of the team they support or like, and getting the photocard of the player they like,” she said.
Stickers made by Kaori. Credit: Vitória Coutinho
“K-popification” of VALORANT
For Vitória, the popularity of the photocards represents a change in the way fans engage with esports. “I think I call this the ‘K-popification’ of VALORANT and esports. I think it's cool to have something small and meaningful that reminds you of the team you like,” she said.
The idea, however, went beyond simply giving fans a keepsake. The two deliberately made the cards random to encourage interaction between attendees, and that dynamic quickly emerged during the event. Fans who received cards featuring players they did not particularly like would look for other people to trade with. “I got one of a player, but I don't like him that much. You got my favorite player, and you like the one I got, who I don't like that much. Will you trade with me?” Kaori explained.
For Kaori, that interaction is one of the main reasons fan freebies work so well within the community. “I think people don't just like giving things to make someone else happier, but there's also a lot of it being about being part of a moment in someone else's life,” Kaori said. For Vitória, the fans' reaction showed that the project ultimately fulfilled that purpose. “I like making people happy, and I think it worked really well,” she concluded.
