In the post-match press conference on day 3 of the
VALORANT Champions tournament in Paris, Dragon Ranger Gaming reflected on their narrow defeat against T1, which came down to fine margins and late-round execution. They discussed how nerves and inexperience on this stage impacted tempo control and closing power, why certain strategic reads failed to result in decisive anti-strats, and which refinements both macro and micro, they will prioritise before the lower bracket.
Questions for Deng "NaThanD" Senqiao:
You reached double digits on the maps and pushed two into overtime. How do you evaluate your performance today, and what can be improved?
Deng "NaThanD" Senqiao: "Overall, we executed many things well, but we dropped too many clutches. With man advantages, we became hurried and failed to convert key opportunities.
Two maps went to overtime in a very tight series. Where did you feel the match slipped away?
NaThanD: We were broadly satisfied with our structure, yet in decisive moments we rushed, especially while up a player. That impatience cost us several rounds we should have closed.
Questions for Max "Demon1" Mazanov:
It’s your first time back on the international stage in a while, stepping in for Ilya "vo0kashu" Ushakov. How did it feel to slot in, and how do you assess the team’s performance?
Max "Demon1" Mazanov: On the first map, we threw a couple of rounds, we should’ve slowed the tempo. That comes with experience, and we’ll adjust. Overall, the team played well; there were mistakes, including a rough final round on Sunset in a 3v5 situation. We’ll review, play a little slower next time, and clean up details. I feel I’m fitting in again; with more practice on the other maps, we’ll be ready.
You’ve been away from international competition for some time. What challenged you most in preparation, and how would you rate your performance?
Demon1: The biggest challenge is the language barrier. Sometimes it’s hard to track everything in comms, and we just do our best to be clear. Personally, Map 1 was decent, Map 2 was rough. They hit A nearly every round while we were on defense, so I didn’t get to play as much of my game.
How did the integration and practice go? Did you have enough time to adapt? Were you surprised by the level of your teammates?
Demon1: Integration has been good. SpiritZ1 (Lin Dingyu) is insane. The aim is excellent. It was his birthday the other day, so happy belated to him. If anything, we just lack late-round experience to close tough situations, but that will come. This was the team’s first Champs match.
Photo by Jianhua Chen/Riot Games
In 2023, China was still emerging internationally. Two years later the region has a reigning champion and several strong showings. How do you gauge China’s development?
Demon1: Despite the game releasing later for them, they’ve improved dramatically. It’s evident in their championship and the quality of top Chinese teams and streams. The overall standard has risen a lot.
Questions for Lo "Flex1n" Rui
From your perspective, what made this match difficult?
Lo "Flex1n" Rui: We did not commit to the right strategic decisions at critical junctures. We often anticipated what they wanted, but our responses weren’t decisive enough. That’s where we let points slip, unfortunate, given how close it was.
What was the most challenging aspect of calling this series?
Flex1n: Early on, we could read them, but we failed to translate those reads into concrete anti-strats. Our hesitation in some mid-rounds led to poor decisions and dropped rounds.
Question for Lin "SpiritZ1" Dingyu:
In which aspects were you satisfied, and where do you want immediate improvement?
SpiritZ1: Our macro was solid and we showed our identity. What we need is clutch experience, securing the rounds we’ve earned. We’ll review and refine our approach to those moments.
Question for Zhang "Akeman" Haoran and SpiritZ1:
This was your first appearance at an international event, and it came down to fine margins. How did it feel on stage?
SpiritZ1: At the start I was a little nervous, but it faded as the match progressed. I’m aware I lack some top-tier experience and will grow with more reps.
Zhang "Akeman" Haoran: I agree. Toward the later stages we played a bit too fast and forced the issue instead of letting the round develop."
Header credit photo: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
