TL nAts: “I think, through everything we went through, we deserve to be at Champions”

Qualified for the Champions after their victory against Fire Flux Esports, nAts and Team Liquid will now try to take their revenge against FUT Esports in the lower bracket final.

Team Liquid nAts during VCT EMEA Stage 2. Credit: Daniel Cruz/Riot Games

"I've only been with [my family] for seven days"

Team Liquid got a double result this Friday in Barcelona. By defeating Fire Flux Esports 2-0 in the Lower Bracket Semifinals of VCT EMEA Stage 2, TL kept their hopes of reclaiming their domestic title alive. More importantly, Liquid eliminated the last team still in the race with them for the region’s final spot at Champions Shanghai. By denying the VCL Turkish team a potential top-two finish, Ivo "LohaN" Albino’s side indeed secured their own qualification through championship points.

A few minutes after the match, Liquid captain Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin shared his thoughts with Sheep Esports. The Russian player also discussed his teammates’ current form ahead of the Lower Bracket Final awaiting them this Saturday.

You’ve just beaten Fire Flux 2-0, but both maps were much closer than they initially looked with the lead you had. What are your thoughts after the series?

Ayaz "nAts" Akhmetshin: "The defensive side was very good. We need to start securing our attack rounds here and there because we also made the games way closer with some rounds. Especially, for example, the 3v1 on Lotus. If we just secure that round, the game would be a bit easier. But for tomorrow, we just need to make sure we secure the rounds and play the better game, and that's it. I think we'll be fine.

You’ve now played almost every Tier 2 team, with Joblife being the only exception, and you’ve beaten all of them. Was Fire Flux as strong as you expected them to be?

nAts: I'm overall coming to every match respecting every opponent I'm going to face. There are no differentiations, especially after seeing how all of the Tier 2 teams performed and how nine Tier 1 teams crumbled against their performances. I was coming into these games with high expectations from all of them, and today I knew it was going to be hard. I didn't know exactly how hard it was going to be, but it is what it is.

Kimmie "Kicks" Laasner and Nikita "trexx" Cherednichenko seem to have brought more stability to the team compared to Stage 1. How easy has it been to work with them this split, and what do you highlight from each of them?

nAts: Overall, the environment of the team is very, very good. With trexx, with Kicks, with the rest of the boys, the environment is very good. trexx is bringing a lot of in-game knowledge, especially from the macro perspective. He helps here and there with the mid-rounding. Even though the game nowadays is very fast and it's not like it was before, how most of us used to play, he brings a lot of ideas.

Kicks brings this stability in terms of the sacrifice for the team. If he needs to do something for them, he will always be open to it, and that's also very important, that the team has this kind of player. So yeah, they just brought a lot of good things to the team, both of them.

You’re facing FUT tomorrow. What are you expecting from that match, and what do you think will be the key to beating them?

nAts: I don't think there are easy games anymore. Every single game is going to be hard. That's why I'm not looking at any game as an easy game. For me, the most important thing is that we start well and adjust in the moment if we see some changes from FUT. That's the most important thing for me.

You’ve been with TL for four years now. You joined the organization as a relatively unknown player and are now its captain, IGL, and one of the faces of the team. How special is it for you to lead Liquid to its third Champions appearance?

nAts: It's good, especially for the team. For me, it's very important to make sure that the boys can rely on me if something goes wrong on the server, if something gets tough. I'm the one who is responsible for finding a way to win the round. Macro, micro, it doesn't really matter. And I like that. I like that I'm doing it under the Team Liquid name as well. It's also very cool to do that.

You’re also a father while competing professionally in esports. How are you handling that responsibility, and what are the challenges of being away from your family?

nAts: It's a little bit too early to say it's a challenge because, unfortunately, they're not with me right now. They're at home in Russia, and I've only been with them for seven days. For me, it's kind of the same, just living alone, but overall, the responsibility is still there. Even from far away, I still need to help in any way I can. But the lifestyle, since they're not next to me right now, is the same.

Is it difficult being away from your family while travelling so much? You’ve come to Barcelona, and you’ll be going to Shanghai in a few weeks.

nAts: It's quite sad, I'm not gonna lie. Five years ago, when I was travelling alone, it was cool. Nowadays, I would love to have my family next to me. It's also such a big support from them to be at every match, supporting me anytime. So, I mean, if I had an opportunity to bring them anywhere I can, I would be very happy.

After everything you’ve gone through this year, do you feel like you deserve to be at Champions? Are you excited to go to China?

nAts: I think through everything we went through, we deserve to be at Champions. But we need a lot of hard work to make sure we show up well at Champions. There is a lot of work to be done from the team and from the individuals to make sure that we're actually at the level to be a good competitor. We deserve it, but we need to put in a lot of work.”