🏆SEN & KRU Shine in Seoul! - Valorant Velocity

Q: You played your first match against a Chinese team. How did you prepare for them and what are your thoughts on the region? (Question from on-site media to johnqt)

johnqt: We just prepared how we do usually. We studied the opponent and discussed what we wanted to do. FPX has a unique style. They play very special comps and they are very aggressive. Everyone has their playstyle and they just go for stuff. They don't care about man's advantages or correct plays. They just go for the plays and the like. The Chinese region is very strong. It's only their first year in franchising and I expect them to be even better. I think we can see a Chinese team win a Masters or Champs down the line for sure.

Q: You have made it to the Champions playoffs twice now. How do you compare the experience with BLG last year and this year with Trace? What are the biggest similarities and differences you see between the 2024 Trace and 2023 BLG? (Question from Pedro Romero to Biank)

Biank: It's the difference between the team's playstyles. I think there is a big change in myself as well. I have become more mature. In BLG, they encouraged every player and had better individual performances. In Trace, it's a lot more about teamwork. Trace has really good discipline as well.

Q: What gave the team the confidence today? (Question from on-site media**)**

johnqt: I think the confidence comes from players realizing they can be innovative and creative in the game, and not be rigid. The first game against Gen.G was an off-game. In the six days we had, we made sure to go back to our micro plays and ensure we were more creative on Defense and go for stuff. We are coming off a win and Gen.G is coming off a loss so I feel the pressure is on them.

Q: We saw the deviation from the Deadlock pick on Lotus, much to the joy of Sentinels' fans. Can we see the Deadlock still picked by the team moving forward? (Question from Sportskeeda's N Siddarth (u/SNH231) to Kaplan)

Kaplan: I think we are definitely at a point where if we ran Deadlock again and lost, I would lose my job instantly. Now, we have a little bit of buffer. You just have to stay tuned and find out if we run it back or not.

Q: How is the atmosphere and mentality of the team coming into the Gen.G rematch? Is there any pressure? (Question from Strafe Esports)

Zellsis: We don't have any pressure and I don't want my teammates to feel any pressure either. I think we have been put in this spot before. It's déjà vu all over again. The rematch will be a lot different. Everyone played pretty well today. We communicated well and showed a lot of confidence.

Q: What are your biggest takeaways from this event and your first year of franchising? (Question from Sportskeeda's Sneh to Autumn)

Autumn: In terms of takeaways from the event, we have a lot of things we can still improve upon. In terms of my first year of franchising, it's been great. We qualified for every international event and made regional finals every time. I think we have done pretty well as a team but we still have some things to work on at the international stage. Whether that's team play or gaps in our team comps, it's back to the drawing board.

Q: Having played in the Challengers League, VCT CN and the international stage, what are the differences you have noticed in these stages? Do you think the players currently in Challengers have the potential to make it to the international stage? (Question from Arnab to Autumn)

Autumn: I think the T2 scene has a lot of great players. It comes down to the opportunity and a bit of luck involved. It comes down to that. I think the big difference between T1 and T2 is that the players are better. You also play the game a lot more and there is more practice.

Q: Why did the team change the comp on Lotus and what was the thought behind the no duelist approach? (Question from Nerditud's Antonio Summer to berLIN)

berLIN: The coaches and I thought that our comps in the past were better and we have used them for a long time. However, we have lost several times before so we thought maybe we should have some change and have a fresh feel for Lotus. We used this comp in scrims and it seemed okay.

Q: FPX had a good Defense half on Bind but fell apart on the Attack side. What went wrong on the Attack side for FPX? (Question from Strafe Esports)

berLIN: It's mainly about my calling. I didn't make many changes. We didn't react that well to our opponents.

AAAAY: I don't think the problem is on our IGL and coaches. They have done a lot of research and preparation for our new comps on Lotus and Bind. My biggest rival today was myself. I could have done better in some of the rounds and clutches. I should review the mistakes I made today.