VCT EMEA Pre-Playoffs Press Conference

The VCT EMEA 2023 Playoffs are about to kick-off. With the fate of their season in the hands of these upcoming series, the pressure is now on to perform at the highest level. Ahead of Playoffs, the Valorant press media was given the opportunity to speak with several representatives from the six teams that qualified. They are:

• Jake “Boaster” Howlett (Fnatic)
• Kyrylo “ANGE1” Karasov (NA’VI)
• Tomas “Destrian” Linikas (Team Vitality)
• Furkan "MrFaliN" Yeğen (FUT Esports)
• Igor “Redgar” Vlasov (Team Liquid)
• Emir “rhyme” Muminovic (Giants)

Below is a transcript of the live-televised press conference (featuring the questions submitted by Strafe Esports):

 

[Directed at Boaster] Having gone undefeated in the regular season, does the thought of anti-stratting from other teams concern you? Especially considering you have been running fairly standard compositions and haven’t had the luxury of losing early and being able to patch any holes.

Even though we have been winning, you can always find things to improve on. And that’s the method to keep winning. Working on ways to improve when you’re winning as well, hopefully you can keep on winning as well. Yeah, anti-strats…if there’s anything about anti-strats, I’m confident in how we play, I’m confident in how others play as well. I watch enough VODs; I play the game enough to know kind of what the meta is right now. So, nothing can be too crazy. Obviously, someone might throw a crazy comp, like Yoru on Split (laughs and looks at ANGE1). I’m not too worried anymore, I’m experienced enough now.

 

[Directed at ANGE1] NA’VI has been experimenting a lot during the regular season. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, you guys have had amazing results. However, with your players playing multiple agents and roles (example Shao swapping between controller and initiator), is there a concern for performance to be affected in any way?

Actually, I was concerned about our performance during the league because of the experiments and looking for the meta which fits us. But as we were getting closer to Playoffs, the more confidence I gained in the idea I had, the agents which I want my players to play, and how comfortable are they on these agents. So yeah, the closer we got to Playoffs, the more confident I became. Now, we’re going into this stage of the tournament with big confidence.

 

[Directed at everyone] What are your thoughts on the current VCT EMEA format as compared to the previous format? Would you say it’s now easier or harder to qualify for International events? Does it present a more consistent platform for all the teams to practice against one another or would you prefer the old format?

[Destrian] I would say for me, it’s much much better. Because you have a lot of chances. I felt like before, one slip up and you’re out. While right now, you can kind of adapt and experiment some stuff and maybe overall build your team during the tournament.

[rhyme] It’s easier to come back now. If you have a bad start, it’s easier to come back now for sure.

[ANGE1] I like the league format now actually. It brings something from traditional sports, and it’s nice to experience it. Especially having a game each week, on stage, with the fans, with the crowd. Umm yeah, I like it, I enjoy this format.

[Redgar] For me, playing on the stage is really different. But just in general, the goals never changed. If you’re winning, everything is good. It’s kind of the same format in my head right now.

 

[Directed as Destrian] Vitality’s start to the season was so strong, but after the loss to BBL, things weren’t going as well for the team. In your opinion, what was the major issue that contributed to your late season struggles?

Hmm, I would say the biggest reasons were outside of the game. So, people getting sick, people going through personal issues. Because I’ve always felt as a team, we were always strong and we believe in each other, and I think that’s what helped us get over it. Thanks to FUTBOLIST, we’re here. After we’ve fixed everything, now is our time to actually prove ourselves. So yeah, we’re feeling good.

 

[Directed at Redgar] After your Week 1 loss to Vitality, Liquid has consistently beaten every other EMEA team aside from NA’VI and Fnatic. What preparation and work has Liquid been working on to make you guys such a contender? Moreover, what can we expect to see from Liquid coming into Playoffs?

I mean, at the beginning of the tournament, I thought we would become much better during the season. That’s usually how it went in my previous team. So, I just think, training and communication were things we should focus on. And right now, we can see that we’ve become better, not just in scrims but in officials also. So, I think that’s kind of the key for us to continue to be more consistent and stronger. So, I think Playoffs is going to be really fun to play against Vitality and all the teams we lost to, to prove that we’ve changed.

 

VCT EMEA Playoffs is about the kickoff today. Read all about the details of the event here on our preview article.

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Stay tuned for updates on the Playoffs series happening next. Follow Strafe Esports for the latest news.

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Credit: VCT EMEA // Valorant Esports