EMEA's No. 4 seed takes down Pacific's No. 1. After a difficult end to Stage 2,
Team Vitality made a strong return to competition by defeating
Global Esports in their opening match in
VALORANT Champions. The team will face LOUD for a spot in the playoffs.
Returning to competition for the first time since 2023, Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen impressed in his comeback with 60 kills and an ace. The Finnish player spoke to Sheep Esports about the match and his team's form heading into the competition.
What is your first feeling after the game?
Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen: “Happy, of course. It was a tight one. I knew that they were a strong team. I watched a lot of their VODs. I didn't underestimate it at all. So, yeah, I'm happy that we managed to get it. It was a little bit shaky towards the last map, but I'm very happy that we got it done in time.
What did you expect from your opponent today? I know that you told me you watched a lot of them. What did you know about their strengths?
Jamppi: I think their strengths are in the team fighting and coordination and actually doing their own stuff very well. I think they are a very managed team in that sense. They do sometimes random things, but they do it together very well. It's not like just one person peeking alone. I think that's their strength, very good coordination. You have to be ready to actually fight them, because you cannot always just fall back and let them fight.
The changes you made on the last map with Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov on Neon surprised a lot of people. How do you think it helps the team to play better?
Jamppi: It was just something new we wanted to try. I think on Stage 2, we didn't have too much time to change a lot of stuff. I think sometimes you just need a little bit of fresh stuff to get back into the game, and especially we were struggling in some maps. We just wanted to try something just to test on practice. Now we had the time because we've obviously been over one month knowing that we are in Champions. It gave us a lot of time to try a lot of different things, and this was one of them.
On a personal side, it's your first game in Champions since 2023. What does it feel like to be back?
Jamppi: It feels amazing. I kind of forgot how it was; there's just a different vibe for it. Everything is different when you come to the arena, especially when you see all these fans coming here; it boosts your motivation and your energy levels a lot. Even though you might not feel like that once you get up to that stage, you will definitely feel that it's the world's biggest tournament in VALORANT and everybody just wants to win. So seeing that by myself, but also seeing how the team handles that, brings us all together. So I love it.
Do you feel like there is a big difference between this and Masters, for example?
Jamppi: Yeah, I think so. I think it's just the bigger vibes. Everybody also starts at the same level here. In Masters, you always have teams already in playoffs. Here, everybody has to go to the same group stage. Everybody has to go through playoffs. It's a longer tournament. There are more games, and everybody knows it's Champions. Everybody wants to be the world champion.
You had a difficult end of Stage 2 when you met some issues at that time. Do you feel that everything is fixed from it?
Jamppi: Yeah, I think so. Of course you cannot fix everything. There's always going to be problems, maybe on maps and maybe on roles and stuff, but we try to do it together. I think there has been a shift of mentality from everybody because we know it's the last tournament of the year. It's the biggest tournament of the year. There is no time to look back and change if it's not needed. Now everybody builds towards the same goal, and everybody understands that.
From the outside, your group seems to be one of the most stacked or the most balanced one. What were your thoughts on it when you saw the draw?
Jamppi: Good challenge. As you said, like everyone is good, but I think also in the whole tournament, everyone is also good. So you can't underestimate anybody. So it's exciting. I think there is the match between LOUD and EDG starting now, and both have been looking good, especially since EDG will have the crowd support, so they will get some extra energy, but yeah, every team is a good one.
Your next opponent will be one of these two teams. What are your current thoughts on the level of EDG and LOUD?
Jamppi: Hard to tell. I haven't seen their maps yet. I think LOUD, especially since they had a very good Stage 2; they qualified straight by reaching the final, but EDG is always different in Champions. I think the crowd will give a little bit of extra boost to EDG, but I wouldn't be surprised if LOUD could win it also.
It’s the second win in EMEA after KC’s victory yesterday. Do you feel like the teams from EMEA will have good chances to perform in the Champions?
Jamppi: Yeah, I think so. Obviously EMEA has not been the best this year, especially since I think we were the only ones who even made the top four. And yeah, I think everybody understands that in Champions, there's always a little bit more pressure. And especially this year, I don't think there's a heavy favorite, because most of the teams had a little bit of ups and downs. I think everybody feels the pressure, so it's a little bit more even between the teams.”
