At the end of the GIANTX campaign in VALORANT VCT EMEA Stage 2, Eduard-George "ara" Hanceriuc reflects on a mixed but promising run, marked by decisive victories, hard-fought defeats, and lessons learned. In this conversation, he discusses the team's performance against Team Heretics, the tactical and mental adjustments made throughout the phase, the integration of Grzegorz "GRUBINHO" Ryczko, and the evolving dynamics of the team, which combines the ambition of the recruits with growing synergy.

How do you feel about your performance in this match against Team Heretics?

Eduard-George "ara" Hanceriuc: "For me, in this game, we kind of trolled a bit because we lost the pistol. If we’d gone 7–7, we would have had a chance, but they took the momentum. They won the pistol, it was 9–5, and they won the second round as well. On the second map, I don’t know. I have no words. I was just dying. I felt like I was dying through smokes, through my walls, in a lot of rounds. In some rounds, I had no chance, but that’s how the game is sometimes. I can’t complain. it was just anarchy, especially when you play Neon.

If you can give us a summary of your Stage 2, how did it go for you?

Ara: We beat Vitality, we played a good game. Then we played BBL and pulled off a nice comeback on the third map. Then we played against FUT Esports. I think that game was a bit on me because I didn’t perform that well. If I had, we could have beaten them as well. Against Gentle Mates, we played a good VALORANT. And against Team Heretics, they were simply the better team today. The things we were doing weren’t working. I think it’s a decent result, not the best, not the worst, but we could definitely have done better.

Focusing on today’s match, what could you have changed, and what was the team lacking to secure the win?

Ara: On the first map, we could have done a bit better on attack, go 6–6 or 7–5. Then we lost the pistol round on Ascent, which was a bit unlucky. And on Haven, I don’t know. We just had no chance. They were the better team; they were more prepared, with better stuff. There’s not much more to say. We approached the game differently than we’d planned, especially on Haven, and they countered everything we did. It was just hard to play.

Before Week 1, what was the vision you had for the team, and how quickly did the results catch up to that version?

Ara: Our objective was to reach the playoffs, of course, which we did after the Gentle Mates game, but we didn’t stop pushing. It’s not like, “We’re in playoffs, we can play whatever now.” We kept practicing the same way, with the same energy, focused every day. The goal was playoffs and a top seed for sure, but we’re thankful to have playoffs, and from there, anything can happen. Anyone can have a good game in playoffs, especially in playoffs.

What strengths of yours don’t show up in the stats but swing like key maps things like timeout usage, pistol protocols, or clutch setups?

Ara: We’re really good at reacting. For example, in post-plants, we’re always making moves; we don’t stand still. We’re always moving and thinking about the next step. We react very fast, and I think we’re good at mid-rounding too. Cloud (Kirill Nekhozhin) does a really good job calling in the mid-rounds, calling fakes and everything. Same on defense.

What specific responsibilities shifted to you when you joined GIANTX?

Ara: I matured a lot. Before UCAM, I was a bit more naïve. When I joined GIANTX, PipsoN (Daniil Mesheryakov), Cloud, and everyone explained the game to me in a different way. I started to see things differently and learned more. I feel more mature now in how I see the game and how I speak in-game. I’m always trying to be supportive: if we lose a round, I’m supportive; if we win, I’m still supportive. I think I bring a lot of energy and good vibes.

How would you describe the team dynamic at GIANTX?

Ara: We have a really good environment. Some teams see each other as just teammates, but in our case, the five of us are a group of friends. After scrims and outside the server, we spend a lot of time together and do a lot of team activities. We’re teammates, but on top of that, we’re friends.

With the addition of GRUBINHO and the departure of Semyon "purp0" Borchev, what has changed within the team, and what does he bring now?

Ara: GRUBINHO is a very nice teammate, always a good guy to chat with, fun to be around. I didn’t have much time with purp0, we only spent time together around the first Fnatic game, so I can’t say much about him, but he seemed nice. I’ve already spent a lot of time with GRUBINHO, and I like everything about him. He’s also a good addition to the team, especially as a Smoker main.

When you have problems in certain rounds, how do you find the solution?

Ara: I think PipsoN does a really good job in tactical timeouts, trying to understand what the enemy is doing. When we have a problem, after PipsoN explains it to us, we fix it. We’re really good at solving issues quickly there isn’t a problem that persists in our team. It’s not like PipsoN shows us something and we don’t adjust. He points out the problem, and it’s as simple as that: we adapt and fix it.

If you had to re-rank your team for playoffs, where would you place yourselves, and do you think GIANTX can become even stronger?

Ara: For sure. We’re really a rookie team we have three rookies: me, Westside (Miłosz Duda), and Flickless (Karel Maeckelbergh). We’re still getting used to the stage, and we don’t have that much experience yet, but I think we have a higher ceiling. This isn’t our peak; we can always do better, and we’re trying every day to improve. As for ranking ourselves in playoffs, I’d like to say we’re making jumps. I don’t want to make a tier list of teams, but hopefully we can make those jumps, and I’m confident about it."