03.10.26 - 18:5103.10.2026 - 18:51·6m6 minutos de leitura·
Por Rabia Sayal
NS Rb on Playoffs Qualification: "The fact that our opponents were KC makes it even more meaningful"
Nongshim RedForce reached the VALORANT Champions Shanghai Playoffs after a reverse-sweep over Karmine Corp. Both teams reflected on the series, their tournament journeys, standout moments, fan support, and more.
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Nongshim RedForce reverse-swept Karmine Corp to qualify for VALORANT Champions Shanghai Playoffs
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Nongshim RedForce became the second Pacific team to qualify for the VALORANT Champions Shanghai Playoffs. The organisation reverse-swept Karmine Corp 2-1 in the Lower Bracket of Group Stage and sent the EMEA representative home.
Following the best-of-three series, both teams attended the post-match press conference to answer questions from the media. The players and coaching staff discussed NS’ comeback victory over KC, their journeys through the tournament so far, standout moments, and more.
Nongshim RedForce
Questions For Goo "Rb" Sang-min and Lee "Dambi" Hyuk-kyu
What are your thoughts on this accomplishment, reaching the next phase of the competition and defeating KC, the reigning EMEA champions? How challenging was the series?
Goo "Rb" Sang-min: VALORANT Nongshim RedForce was a new team with not much really to be said, but after joining, we were able to win Masters Santiago. We were also the runners-up in Stage 2. We're taking things one step at a time. We're making small or big accomplishments as we go, and honestly, it's a huge honor that we were able to qualify for Champions Playoffs. The fact that our opponents were KC makes it even more meaningful because of who they are, and because we achieved it as a team.
You had a difficult journey at the beginning of Champions Shanghai, but you've now made it to the Playoffs. How did you regain your form?
Lee "Dambi" Hyuk-kyu: This is my first Champions, and I really wanted to do well. Right after we lost our first map, I was frustrated with myself because I know what I'm capable of. I thought this might be the last map I get to play on this stage, so I wanted to pop off and perform well. I had that mentality, and fortunately, I was able to showcase it on the second map and in the decider. That's how it happened.
Questions For Kim "SilKanoN" Gyeong-min and Park "Ivy" Sung-hyeon
We saw one of your compositions today featuring Harbor, who had only appeared on one other map until now. What strengths did you see in using this composition?
Kim "SilKanoN" Gyeong-min: Since our Pacific days, that was a composition I had in mind. When putting it together, we catered to the agents our players are comfortable with and excel at. I was considering what would be the best fit for us even before we arrived here, and I continued thinking about it after we got here. As for Harbor, Rb is an excellent Harbor player, so it made sense for him to play it and for us to run the composition.
Looking back at the Group Stage, was there any opponent that left a particularly strong impression on you?
Park "Ivy" Sung-hyeon: I would have to say NRG because they were our first Champions opponent. We were a little nervous and had jitters because it was our first Champions match. They're the defending champions, and they were able to keep their heads cool. I could tell they were good, and I could feel how strong they were. So, NRG would be my pick.
Karmine Corp
Questions For Hazem "avez" Khaled, Ahmed "ZE1SH" Sheikh, and Marshall "N4RRATE" Massey
This was your first international VCT tournament. How was the experience of competing at Champions for the first time in your career?
Hazem "avez" Khaled: I think it was a pretty good experience, to be honest. I'm going to gain a lot from it, and so will all of my teammates. It's a big event, so you're always gaining experience from it. The future looks very bright for me with this team, and I think we're going to learn a lot from this. We maybe ran out of a little bit of gas at the end, but we stayed very positive toward each other and tried to find solutions. Sometimes it doesn't work, and that's completely fine. We did our best.
Now that the tournament has come to an end, looking back on your journey at Champions Shanghai, are there any experiences or moments that stand out the most?
Marshall "N4RRATE" Massey: To be honest, the fans here are literally insane. They're very supportive of everybody, and they somehow always find us outside. I didn't expect to be surrounded by so many fans, especially because we're a European team. It's not like we should have a lot of fans here, but apparently we do. It's really cool to experience that as an outsider. We felt very welcomed here, and it's been a really crazy experience.
ZE1SH: I think Chinese fans are something I definitely want to experience again. The crowd is crazy. I've been to Paris Champions, and it was insane for the final four. But even during the Group Stages, whether at Champions or when I'm watching League of Legends and other competitions, I don't see as many fans in the stadium. That's really crazy to me. So thank you to everyone who came here to support us or not necessarily us, but the game overall. Chinese fans, I hope we'll see you again.
How was your first Champions as a coach, and what stands out most from leading this team through its incredible run from the beginning of Stage 2 to now?
Ahmed "ZE1SH" Sheikh: First of all, I'm really proud of all of them. It's my first experience as a head coach in Tier 1, and we've literally gone from 0-5 to winning a trophy and qualifying for Champions. As avez said, I think we ran a bit out of gas. When you have such a really hard beginning to the year, the emotions eventually take a toll on you. It's not an excuse, and we didn't lose because of that, but it's something that needs to be acknowledged.
When you've gone through so many harsh months, you experience a lot of negative emotions, and those emotions take a lot of energy from you. Even if you manage to turn things around, you still pay the price at the end of the year. I think that's what happened to us and we're paying the price for everything we went through throughout the year. We're really tired from all the negative emotions we experienced earlier in the year. We solved them at some point, but it's like an open wound that you cover up, and it can come back at any moment because we went through so many difficult emotions.
So, as I said, I'm really proud of all of them. They're all great players and of course, we lost, but that's also what I'm trying to teach them. We lose, we learn, we win, so keep your thoughts positive.
