FNC Veqaj: "I didn't want to lose against Gentle Mates"

At the end of a spectacular yet tragic final week for his team, Veqaj came back with Sheep Esports to talk about Fnatic Kickoff and their match against Gentle Mates.

Despite a great performance against his former team M8, Veqaj couldn't prevent his team elimination from the Kickoff. Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games

"I would have like to do more and go to my first Masters, but overall, I am still very happy with how we worked, and everything we did."

For the third consecutive year, Fnatic have failed to qualify for the season’s first Masters. Despite being in a favorable position to secure their spot, the latest VALORANT Champions finalists were reverse-swept by an impressive Gentle Mates in the middle bracket final of VCT EMEA Kickoff, before suffering a decisive 0–3 defeat the following day against Team Liquid.

The narrative might have unfolded very differently for Fnatic and their new addition, Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn, who, notwithstanding a high-level individual performance, ultimately fell just short of eliminating his former team. After an emotionally taxing weekend, the French player spoke with Sheep Esports about his disappointment at missing out on his first international event.

What’s your first feeling now that your team just got eliminated?

Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn: “Well, I'm sad. Sad that I didn't get the energy I had yesterday. That’s all, I am just disappointed.

You already played against Team Liquid in the middle bracket, and you won. Were you expecting a similar type of game?

Veqaj: Of course not, we were expecting a really high-level match. They changed their composition on Corrode and on Abyss. It didn’t really surprise us, but they had the good reads in the right timings.

Do you think you recovered enough after the BO against M8, or were you still shaken from this game?

Veqaj: No, I think we weren't shaken by yesterday's loss. I think we all rested really well, but we just couldn’t make the difference today.

It was a special game for you, playing against your former team. Did you expect to meet them in such a decisive game?

Veqaj: Of course, I expected to play them in the middle bracket or wherever else. I was very well prepared. I had a lot of energy, I didn't want to lose against M8. That's all.

You did the biggest part of the job, leading 2-0, but then got reverse-swept. How do you explain you couldn’t close out the series?

Veqaj: I have no idea, I think we just didn’t manage to finish. We were kinda caught off guard. They were pushing really aggressively sometimes. They had a lot of lurkers. We were giving too much space on the map very quickly. And that's what cost us the victory.

You just lost an important BO5 and Team Liquid won four matches in a row in the lower bracket. Do you think the momentum plays a role in this type of situation?

Veqaj: No, I think the momentum is always the same. Yes, we did a very long BO5 yesterday, and obviously, it can be felt the next day. But everyone rested, we were feeling fine. We just didn't manage to get back on the game, on the first two maps, etc. They changed their composition, as I said before, on the first map. It didn't destabilize completely, but we had very precise anti-strat plans ready and they just changed them at the right time.

What are your impressions of your first split with Fnatic? Are you satisfied with your individual level and what you managed to show collectively?

Veqaj: Overall, we are satisfied, and I am very satisfied with the level we showed and that I showed personally. I would have liked to do more and go to my first Masters, but overall, I am still very happy with how we worked, and everything we did. We could have gone to the Masters, but that's how it is.

Do you consider it a failure to miss the qualification in Santiago?

Veqaj: No, it's not a failure at all. I know that Fnatic already underperformed a lot in Kickoff and didn't directly go to the Masters. We were two fingers ahead from going to it. I don't see it as a failure, I see it as a challenge, as something we'll be work on in future for the Stage 1, and the Stage 2 and try to scale. We didn't go to Masters, so we have even more time to prepare the Stage 1 and to come back stronger.

You joined Fnatic by replacing Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov. Did you feel any pressure at the beginning coming from the expectations?

Veqaj: I didn’t feel any pressure. Yes, I replace Chronicle, he's a very good player, etc. But I don't put pressure on about that. I replace a player like another; he's a human, like another, and I don't see why I would have pressure about all that. And I still started this Kickoff quite well from the beginning. I could have done better, and I should have done better. I don’t really know what exactly. We'll see it in the reviews with the whole team, and we'll see how to fix all of that.”