On the opening day of the
VALORANT Game Changers Championship, following a hard-fought three-map match between
MIBR GC and
GIANTX GC that eventually turned in favour of the Brazilian organization, the teams answered questions from the media during a press conference. Both teams discussed the clutch moments, including GIANTX's comeback on Abyss, and also talked about their next opponents. MIBR will face reigning world champions Shopify Rebellion Gold in the next round, while GX have to wait to know the identity of their next opponent.
MIBR GC Questions:
Questions for Paula "bstrdd" Naguil:
Do you see it as a good thing to face Shopify Rebellion so early in the event, and what are you looking forward to the most in that matchup?
bstrdd: "I really wanted to play against them. When it was decided that we would face them so early, I did feel a bit anxious, but I also feel that we play much better against teams that really know what they are doing. For the rematch, I really want to beat them, and that motivates me a lot. As long as we stay calm, communicate well, and focus on our own game, I think it will be a very good match and that we can do anything.
Cypher has not seen much play recently and is not usually considered one of the strongest Sentinel picks, but you chose to run him on Abyss. What led you to that decision?
bstrdd: "In Brazil, we were still playing on the previous patch, so we did not have much time to adapt to the new one. Here, in practice, we scrimmed teams that were already very up to date with the changes, which at first made us feel a bit nerfed. Even so, we performed very well with this composition, especially on Abyss. Cypher still gives us a lot of value with the information he provides, the traps, and the way he controls space, so we decided to keep trusting that setup. For what we want to do on the map, he is still a very strong pick."
Question for Camila "sayuri" Obam
You had a good start on Abyss, but in the second half, things became much more difficult after you lost that eco after the pistol. What do you think went wrong, and how did you adapt to be able to finish it?
sayuri: "Our CT side is, in general, a bit more difficult for us, but we gradually understood how they were playing. Once we recognized their patterns, it was important to stay connected and help each other instead of trying to win situations alone. We focused on clear communication and staying calm, especially in the retakes, slowing things down, not giving away unnecessary deaths, holding the space we needed. That eco round we lost was terrible and made the half more complicated, but we eventually understood how we needed to play and how to position ourselves. That adjustment is what allowed us to close the map."
Question for Giulia "lissa" Lissa
How did you feel about your debut at this level?
lissa: "For me, it was actually a bit strange. I thought I would feel a lot more energized, or even extremely anxious, the kind of nerves that make you really tense. Instead, I felt a bit slow and dull, and I believe that was because I am sick and taking medicine for the flu. So my start to the series was really bad, honestly. As the game went on, though, my teammates woke me up a bit during the first map, and I gradually started to feel more like myself. In terms of satisfaction, I am very happy. Of course, everyone expected a cleaner performance, including me, but I believe the whole team is very happy to start the tournament with a victory. We want to grow from here and deliver more."
Question for Nicolas "srN" Niederauer
Who do you see as your biggest obstacle in the MVP race?
srN: "First of all, thank you. Second, I do not think there is anyone at this championship who is better than me. The only real obstacle is my own head. If I can manage that and consistently bring everything I know I am capable of to the game, then I believe I can reach that MVP level."
Photo by VALORANT Champions Tour
GIANTX Questions:
Question for Neslişah "ness" Demir
Last year, you started with a 0–2 loss against MIBR. This year you’ve already made more progress. What do you think was different for you?
ness: "I’m obviously upset that we lost, but I still think it was a really good match. We could even have closed it on Abyss if we had just taken one more round. Right now, though, I’m actually very proud of the team. After everything we’ve been through, we still showed a good level and a strong mentality. Even after going down 9–3 on Abyss, we genuinely believed we could come back. For me, it’s kind of surreal to see how much my teammates believe in each other. That gives me a lot of hope for the next matches, and I know we will come back stronger. I also think we still don’t have that much LAN experience as a group. We’re not playing on stage all the time, so part of today was simply about getting used to the environment again. That’s how I see it. And I’m really proud of you, girls."
Question for Maria "Toki" Perez
Did you see the fans in the back who flew all the way from Spain? How does it feel to have them cheering for you and celebrating you?
Toki: "They were my friends, so yes, I definitely saw them. Even though we were losing, they were still trying to cheer us up, and I could hear them a little from the stage. Representing my country is something I already did last year, and it was a huge moment for me then. This year it feels a bit different, like, “Okay, I’m here again,” so it’s not as overwhelming, but it’s still very special. I always want to show my best version in these games because I know that girls from Spain are watching, and I want to be a role model for them. So I will always try to show my best self on stage."
Question for Nur "eva" Çakır
What do you think was missing so that you couldn’t bring the victory, and how do you still manage to deliver some of the coolest Sova plays we’ve seen?
eva: "I don’t think it’s something terrible, but it happened. At some point we maybe lost a bit of faith, but at the same time we also had some very good halves against them. Abyss was really intense, and after that map we were a bit like, something is off, but we’ll fix it, whatever it is. Right now we’re not completely sure what exactly was missing, because we did quite a lot of things well. But we’ll review it, we’ll find what it was, and we’ll fix it."
Question for Antonio "Aska" Lozano
You will have a tough match next in the lower bracket. What do you think is the most important thing to work on before that series?
Aska: "First of all, I think pretty much every match here is going to be hard. Every team is improving a lot from one Champions to the next, so I don’t think there is any “weak” team at this event. For us, we need to refine our environment on LAN a bit more. Today’s game was good, but I still think we can do better in terms of energy and how we carry ourselves on stage. From a tactical point of view, I felt that our main issues were on defense. The mistakes we made on attack were smaller, sometimes just slightly imperfect coordination that didn’t have a huge impact. On defense, however, we felt those mistakes much more: sometimes we were a bit slow to help each other, or not fully in sync. We’ll work on that coordination and on how we support each other in those moments. If we fix those details, I believe we can become really, really strong."
Header Credit Photo: Christina Oh/Riot Games
