Karmine Corp made a winning start to their
VALORANT Champions campaign this Friday, defeating
Xi Lai Gaming 2-0. Drawn into a relatively competitive group, the French organization made a strong entrance to the competition before facing
NRG on Tuesday for a place in the playoffs.
The team's captain, Hazem "avez" Khaled, who was also making his debut in the competition, put in a solid performance in his first match. After the game, the player spoke to Sheep Esports about the match and the team's preparations for their next one.
What is your first feeling after the game?
Hazem "avez" Khaled: “I'm very happy that we won. It's my first international win in VCT so yeah, I'm feeling pretty happy.
It was your first game in Champions of your career, how did you feel before it, and what did you think about your performance today?
avez: To be honest, I didn't think that much about it before the game, because I just like to apply what I do in practice to officials. And it's not only me, but it's also the whole team, because whatever we do in practice, we're doing it in official, so I was not very worried about the game at all. And for my performance, I think it was fine. We played pretty well as a team. Even individually, I played pretty well. So yeah, I'm very happy.
How does it feel to be in Shanghai to play the competition? I know it's a particular experience for Champions. So how is it going for you so far?
avez: Shanghai is an insane city, to be honest. I like it so much. It's my first time in Asia. So yeah, it's like a lifetime experience, in my opinion and I really like it so far.
What did you expect from your opponent XLG today ahead of the competition?
avez: I didn't expect anything. I didn't even watch the VODs, because I usually don't like to watch enemies' VODs before the official. I just play, and I see what they do in the game, because everything can change. I think today they didn't play bad; we were just playing better.
Your team fell in the same group as teams like NRG, who were last year’s winner, and Nongshim RedForce, who won Masters Santiago earlier this year. What was your reaction when you saw the draw?
avez: We don't care about which teams we play against, because, in my opinion, this is Champions and any team can be good. Any team can win the whole; it's just all about momentum. Whoever has momentum is going to win in this type of big tournament. So, yeah, I don't really care about the group. None of my teammates or coaches also care about the group. We're just playing game by game and we're focusing on each game.
How do you evaluate your chance to win the competition currently? What would be the condition for you to win the title?
avez: I'm not thinking also about the odds of winning the title at all. I'm just thinking about game by game. Like, next game we’ll play against NRG, so I'm focusing on this game. I'm not focusing on the far future; I'm just focusing on the short one. I don't really think about winning or losing the tournament.
Is there any team you'll be hyped to play against during the competition?
avez: Yeah, I think EDward Gaming, because it's their home crowd. We play against them in practice. They're looking good. I like to play against good enemies. Even if the enemies have the crowd with them, I like to play these types of games. So, yeah, I'd be very happy about it.
Did you feel the impact of the crowd today? Because you were also playing against a local team with XLG. So, how was it to play with the crowd against you again?
avez: Yeah, every single round they won, they were shouting. And when we were winning rounds, they didn't. So, yeah, I like these types of games. I like when the crowd is actually against me. I think it's just a pretty fun experience.
Your next game will be against NRG. How do you feel about the team? You played them earlier this year in the EWC. What kind of game do you expect from them?
avez: I think they're a good team, and we're ready to play against them. I think they have a lot of experience. They won a lot of games in Champions. And yeah, it's going to be a fun match for sure. I am looking forward to playing against them.”
