On Monday, after being eliminated from
VALORANT Champions Paris ahead of the playoffs, Rex Regum Qeon's players and staff spoke to the press about their motivations for next year, the lessons they had learned from the season, and their personal highlights from domestic and international play.
Question for Cahya "monyet" Nugraha:
What will be your main motivation to return next year?
Cahya "monyet" Nugraha: "Seeing Pacific teams lift the trophy this year in Bangkok and Toronto gives me tremendous motivation to keep pace. My goal remains the same. I want to see myself and my teammates lifting the trophy next year.
Question for Marthinus Jacobus "Ewok" Van Der Walt:
How would you assess your team’s performance at Champions, and what would you like to see next season?
Marthinus Jacobus "Ewok" Van Der Walt: I think we were quite lackluster this time. We know we could have done much better, which is the frustrating part. Across our season, we had extreme highs and lows. We’re trying to smooth those out and become more consistent. There are many areas we need to improve, and that is my responsibility as well, so we can perform better next time.
Now that the season is over, where did the team improve the most over the year, and what were the main issues that affected results?
Ewok: I think our biggest improvement came in late-round scenarios and overtimes. Historically, including with different players, RRQ has lost many crucial OT games. This year, we were much better at converting those tight maps, and those wins helped us reach international events. As for a major shortcoming, our starts on map one have been a persistent problem since Stage 2. When we win, most series end 2–1 because we don’t start hot enough. More recently, our pistol-round win rate has hurt us. We tried many adjustments, but there’s still a lot of improvement to be made, and we couldn’t get there in time.
Adela Sznajder/Riot Games
Question for Maksim "Jemkin" Batorov:
What was the biggest challenge for you today, especially on the first map, where your performance wasn’t at its usual level?
Maksim "Jemkin" Batorov: On the first map, we simply didn’t play as a team. What I was doing and what everyone else was doing didn’t align; we were not on the same page from the first call, and it snowballed from there. That was the main struggle.
Question for David "xffero" Monangin:
How has the journey been for you, and what was the most valuable experience?
David "xffero" Monangin: For me, the journey was both difficult and enjoyable. We struggled even last year, but we tried to resolve those issues this season. Personally, I’m proud because after such a long time, I finally made it back to international events.
Question for each member of the team:
As the season wraps up today, what is your fondest memory from the year?
Ewok: The obvious answer is winning Stage 1 it was very special. Personally, my favorite was the Talon series in Japan because of the hype and the reverse sweep. That was when I felt most proud of the team: the players stayed vocal, never gave up, and supported each other when the game was tough. That was the highlight for me.
Monyet: The lower-bracket run in Stage 2 was unbelievable for me. Coming back from 10–12 or 11–13 situations, few teams replicate, and then qualifying for Champs and finishing second in Stage 2 was pretty crazy. That’s my favorite memory this year.
xffero: For me, it was the first time we qualified for an international event. The match against DRX stands out. It has always been hard for us just to reach playoffs, and that match sent us to an international event. I’ll remember that.
Jermkin: Lifting the trophy in Stage 1. I started in the league this year, and winning a trophy in essentially my second tournament was very special.
Ngô "crazyguy" Công Anh: Qualifying for my first international event, Toronto was my debut, and it was very meaningful."
Header credit photo: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
