Xi Lai Gaming
suffered a tough 2-0 loss to Karmine Corp in its opening match at
VALORANT Champions. While the Chinese side attempted to pull off a comeback on the second map, Abyss, the efforts weren’t enough to force a decider. The road ahead won’t get any easier, as XLG will next face Masters Santiago winner Nongshim RedForce in the elimination match.
After the game, XLG duelist Arthur "Rarga" Churyumov spoke with Sheep Esports about the defeat and the team’s plans heading into its next match. The team also attended the post-match press conference, where the players shared their thoughts as well.
Questions For Arthur "Rarga" Churyumov
It was a tough loss today, what do you think went wrong?
Arthur "Rarga" Churyumov: “I think it was KC’s playstyle, they are playing really good. We didn’t play against such playstyle a lot in scrims, so it was a bit hard to adapt. They were also hitting some really good shots. To be honest, we just played really badly today and we are not like that in scrims.
Aleksandr "hvoya" Eremin mentioned that issues such as ego plays and a lack of synergy contributed to today’s loss. Why do you think the team faced these issues?
Rarga: For me personally, when we were already down 0-5 or 0-6, I felt like I should make some hero plays to win the round. Unfortunately, it didn’t go my way. But I think I’ll fix it and move on to the next match.
The venue was almost full today, with the Chinese crowd coming out to support you. How did it feel to play in front of the home crowd at the biggest VALORANT event of the season?
Rarga: To be honest, it was insane. I think the last time we had a crowd like this was in Santiago, but there was no cheering for us. This time, the Chinese crowd was cheering for us, but it’s really disappointing that we played so badly in front of our home crowd. We’re going to fix it and play better.
You’ll face Nongshim RedForce next. What’s your mindset going into the matchup?
Rarga: I think Nongshim has a very aggressive playstyle, which is better for us because we can take fights. The main thing is to play together and not lose ourselves during the match again and again.”
Questions For Aleksandr "hvoya" Eremin
You used the Waylay-Yoru composition on both maps today. What was the thinking behind it, and how did you feel it played out in the series?
Aleksandr "hvoya" Eremin: “We used this composition because we wanted everyone to play roles they were comfortable with. James (James "NoMan" Man) is really comfortable on Waylay, and Rarga (Arthur Churyumov) used to play a lot of Yoru before. Obviously, it didn’t go well today because I think we lost to ourselves. I wouldn’t say it was a confidence issue; it was some other issues that we faced today, including some ego plays. It happened today, and it’s something we’re going to work on before the next match. I think the next match will be much better for us.
After a 2-0 loss like today’s, what’s the key to resetting mentally before the next match?
hvoya: I would say that today, we lost trust in each other in-game. Our synergy was really bad. You could see us throwing some rounds, like the 5v2 retake on Sunset when we had most of our utility available. It was basically an unlosable round, but we still managed to lose it. I think the most important thing we can change is fixing our communication when we lose plays and believing in each other more going into the next match.”
