🏆VCT Champions Quarterfinals Recap! - Valorant Velocity

Q: You said you wanted to play against DRX after defeating Gen.G. What was the gameplan today and what were some of the biggest similarities and differences when playing against both of them? (Question from Pedro Romero to Kaplan)

Kaplan: Coming into every game, we look at what we need to fix, what do we want to change in order to surprise a team and what do we want to exploit in our opponents. It's an impossible question to answer perfectly. We tried our best to kind of look at how they approach previous opponents in games, and have a guess on what they might try to do for us. We wanted to stay a step ahead.

I think DRX and Gen.G are very similar teams. They have structured way of playing the game and they don't have ton of different setups or plays. They seem to prefer running the same stuff more frequently. DRX are a little more strategically diverse but are a bit more drilled with the strategies that they come in with. Gen.G are a little less strategically diverse and have a little less spice to thrown in but their players are really creative and unpredictable.

Q: Was the Neon pick by zekken prepared for today's match specifically or how different do you think the comps you played today will look in subsequent matches, considering there are VODs of it now?(Question from Sierra/zhobiii to Kaplan)

Kaplan: Zach actually picks his Agents when he locks in, and he said he wants to play Neon today. It's not information I would give out mid tournament but obviously we play around with different things and work on it. We try to keep the toolbox big so we can make smart decisions about what we need to bring for each map.

Q: Despite the 6-6 score on the first half of Sunset, the team had more control of the map. What do you think allowed DRX to make the map as close as it was and take it to OT? (Question from Sneh to johnqt)

johnqt: We had a good start to the Attack half, and we were up by 11-7. They did some good adjustments. They had a good read and we also overheated. This has been happening to us since the past where we have such big leads and then we kinda give it away and go to OT. We have a lot of reps on Sunset and we played it a lot during the offseason. I feel like we have played all types of games where we are down, up, kinda close so we have a lot of experience on it.

Q: Haven has been a struggle for DRX recently despite the strong record in VCT Pacific? What do you think is going wrong for the team on Haven at the moment? (Question from me)

termi: In Champions, specifically, we have two losses on Haven. I think both of them were due to the opponents being the better team on that day. There are things that we need to work on to make our Haven stronger. Regarding the two losses at this event, our opponents played very well on the map.

Q: I recently watched an interview featuring Gen.G's head coach solo and you. Both of you were discussing the Pacific scene and that it has made big progress in 2024. Your projections were that the Pacific teams will be doing pretty good at Champs. Coming into playoffs, only one Pacific team remains. I was curious on your opinion on this outcome. Why do you think Pacific teams had a hard time at this event? (Question from on-site media to termi)

termi: I still stand by our statement that Pacific is very strong. When it comes to Champs, it's a tight schedule and it is not a league format so no one can predict what's gonna happen. It is kind of sad that we are the only ones alive from Pacific at Champs. I still think the region is very strong and we can still improve. I think the narratives and results will be different next year. The Pacific region is on the right path and I have a positive outlook.

Q: What do you consider as one of the biggest factors that has allowed DRX to get this far? (Question from on-site media to termi)

termi: Nothing too specific or special. Although this is our fourth appearance in a row at Champs, we have always been doing pretty well at international events. We have practices as we normally do so nothing drastic changed in that aspect. Of course, we have our own practice system that we kept going with. I think if we keep grinding with this system that we have then we can hoist the trophy one day. I think the young guns that joined the roster is one of the strengths in this iteration of DRX. However, BuZz and MaKo are players that we have been playing with for a long time. They are gelling very well with the new players. Today's result definitely stings but in a wider perspective I am happy with the team's current form.