True. I just don't like that players like starxo spread hate on Twitter and then talk about being chill and relaxed in interviews. I wondered why Lar0k etc. were so pumped against M8... but then I saw starxos Twitter comments.

Glad BBL humbled him.

GG :)

BBL = amazing Valorant
marteen = amazing Valorant

This is the most thrilling EMEA match during Kickoff so far.
Both teams fully into it... like mentally maximum live and both have great shooters and comms.

marteen and Lar0k are incredible.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! GG

Now even the most "aim" oriented viewers understand how important IGLing and coaching by players / coaches who understand the game is.

NS will get a lot of teams in trouble. They play even more aggressive than PRX.

But Jemkin is without any doubt one of the best players in the world at the moment. That fella is incredible. I mean... he always was since T2, but he just played not a single bad match this season so far.

I would keep RieNs, benjy and ComeBack and get a new IGL and a new Flex. ComeBack will be insane once his English is good enough and he feels it with the team. benjy is always great when he is motivated and he is a strong team player.

I think Wo0t is insane as a Duelist, but at Heretics he is 2nd Duelist, 2nd Ini, 2nd everything and always needs to fill gaps. He can't really freely roam on his favourite positions. He could do that once... at the Shanghai major 2024 and that's when he played one of the best ever major performances in VCT history (at Champs he wa salso great, but still not Shanghai level). So either sell ComeBack again and keep Wo0t as Duelist or keep ComeBack and let Wo0t search for a new project. ComeBack just needs to find the confidence just as im Tier 2. Some people need/ed more time (Reduxx, ComeBack, Jemkin etc.), some people less (Lar0k, Alfajer, RieNs, N4RRATE, something etc.).

100% happy for MiniBoo!

jaw <3

But Keiko is def. a great smokes player. I hope NRG can sort this out. The Champions curse...

ComeBack aka Ryan Gosling is halfway healthy again and just starts to shoot everyone. xD

Kachoww the next 16 year young Turkish wonderkid...

Yes! The Russian DEMON will prove the haters wrong. :)

Since that one match in July 2025 when LewN destroyed zekken / Sentinels people started to ask themselves when he will become a true menace. I just hope that this season will be great for him because of all that BBL replacing their roster thing (even tho it was kinda obvious someone will sign LewN).

TH and G2 showed 2024 and partially in 2025 that they are very good (and back then they belonged to the best teams) but they simply have these brutal dropoffs, TH always had the higher highs but now also the deeper lows. It's just crazy. RieNs always plays good, but he rest... nah. That's not cool. ComeBack at least has the excuse of still learning English and not really being able to understand all comms, but the rest... no excuses.

GG, what a match

Hiro is currently easily one of the best players in VCT by form.
But still... no one beats Alfajer by entries.

It's called playing Split... xD

Veqaj keeps surprising me. Great player!

Some rounds looked clunky, but Fnatic def. keep improving match by match. Like every year. :)

"Big rockstars..." :D

And he is the best of that squad so far... (beside of seven).

ULF even without their two best players... s0pp and echo.

Beastwei.

f4ngeer vs. vo0kashu :)
Awesome! Was standing up early for APAC / China today... good way to start a Satureday.

RRQ was just playing one of the most beautiful Bind plays I've seen in a looong time. Last really "next level" stunning Bind plays that I remember (because those were majors) were the Fnatic vs. NRG 2023 and Heretics vs. G2 2024 - like just mechanically and meta equivalent awesome playing.

NRG had 1 insane map, MIBR had 2 insane maps. I think both teams have their strong map pools and maps where they still need to work on.

And I think for NRG it would be best to let Keiko on Omen, Brim etc. - he is amazing with those and MIBR def. needs to let zekken play Duelist and maybe put tex on Astra when they need it and then zekken or aspas on Chamber. Dunno.

Can't wait to see what both teams will cook up next.

And replace aspas now, too because he played a bad match? They scrimmed with several players.

Numbers are not everything. Look how strong LEV was with tex in 2024... ;)
aspas said tex is good and I think that's worth more than what haters say.

Btw.: Of course Demon1 is great and I really like him (actually one of my favourite players), but there is a reason why he is not in a team. The vibes / synergy has to fit.

Just give this team some time. aspas, tex and Mazino were insane together in 2024, zekken is great and Verno is great. They just need a bit of time. Humans... no robots.

ComeBack still far away from his full form at T2 but the best at Heretics today. RieNs and Wo0t also play well, but the whole system with Boo's IGLing doesn't back their aggressive playstyle - he is always so slow with his decisions.

I honestly think Heretics might should sign a new IGL for the upcoming season.

You can't but root for BBL. These boys deserve it. The loyality, the passion and still down to earth. Much, much respect for these fellas. Lar0k is just... insane.

I think for now he did the right thing. They were succesful in T2 together and now being loyal and going the T1 journey together is smart. Fnatic is just before a rebuild... crashies won't stay forever in EU and Boaster said he just agreed for another season because if the 3 grandfinals 2025. So... 2027 should be kaajak and Alfajer for sure and Veqaj maybe. They will rebuild at some point. Would be ideal to join then... earn more and be part of a big project.

Btw. FNS said this about Lar0k:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBpDSlelA6c

Incredible young man.

Lar0k = upcoming world star!

I hope he gets so cool with Cojo at some point that he joins Fnatic in future years. :P I know... probably won't happen but I wish he would.

BBL 💪🏻

That Czech duo is insane...

Honestly... what is going on with ComeBack? Yesterday I was watching some T2 stuff from him while having lunch and he destroyed everything. He looked literally insane and when I see him in VCT... his face... he looks depressed. Either it's the new location (winter in Berlin), comms in English or everything together incl. the new experienced mates around him adding indirect pressure. I hope so much he finds a way to deal with all of it. :/ Kinda feel bad for him.

Okay, at least he is smiling today here and then. I just guess he needs to adapt slowly but surely. I'm 100% sure he just needs time.

*Edit: 2nd map he looked amazing :) Keep it up, Ryan Gosling.

GG

al0 looks really good on Controller already, seven looks sharp - super flexible player, qpert great IGLing. NINJA is mechanically really good but he still does the weirdest plays sometimes and I feel like cNed is not really taking it that serious... still I have hopes for them. It's just Kickoff. They have the talent and they are def. the newest team with the least experience and 1:2 against BBL and GX (a team that made PRX look woundable) is actually not bad.

I think they just need to work on their execs. It always looked like a matter of seconds.

The Liquid squad will become very good. They have so much role flexibility.

Kinda true. He should play aggressive Initiator (Fade etc.) and 2nd Duelist maybe Raze or whatever. But yeah, as Ini he was sooo much better.

That was easily one of the best maps fragwise from john in VCT. Really exciting match so far and I'm happy for bang of course...

But also... it seems several bigger teams / players seems to have some issues after the break. Not all but some.

shinnok, rexxtoned, GSR, WanZeru, Yigox, wtex, sh0ut = biggest EMEA U18 talents since ComeBack, Lar0k, f4ngeer, s0pp etc. went to VCT!

I don't defend their Breeze - it was yikes. Where did I mention it? But it's a fact that Alfajer just came out of vacation... same last year. Same last year with PRX struggling during first matches. That's all I meant... like losing to eco rounds which they usually never lose later when they are fully into the grind. Fnatic also showed 2025 that a struggling start means 0,0 with 3 grand finals later and kaajak becoming rookie of the year and the only Duelist playing positive numbers vs. aspas during Champs.

GE looking strong but every year starts the same... PRX and Fnatic doing hella long vacation time and struggle in their first matches. xD Still nothing to worry about.

Mechanically pimmie is def. in the top 5. But of course you need to look at stats for a whole season incl. majors and all that. Let's hope 2026 primmie can play a major.

Bro, primmie is INSANE but look at aspas stats for all VCT years... 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.

2021 - 2024: Leo #1, aspas#2
since 2025: aspas #1

aspas plays Initiator KAST% numbers as a Duelist. He is the best Duelist to ever touch this game. There was only one Duelist at Champs that played positive umbers against aspas and that was kaajak (12:7 kills).

primmie is insane, but you can't compare him to aspas now. I hope so much FULL SENSE plays at a major this year and primmie can show his skills internationally.

primmiiiiiiiiiiie <3333333

Caedye plays like a menace and looks like a model. I mean look at all these Romanian popstars based in the USA... and this fella is blessed with being Japanese-Romanian and insanely skilled in esports. xD Jesus!

GGs

I mean Fnatic are every year again choking the first match, but I'm with you there. I'm a biiig fan of Lar0ks gameplay for a year now and I wished for him to get picked by FNatic when Chron left, but for now he wanted to stay at BBL - which is understandable. They won T2 together, so now they want to go for VCT together. Makes sense.

BBL is insanely strong. That team is still crazy underrated by some. Of course... with ComeBack they were even better but you can see now that ComeBack needs to learn English etc. and has a lot of issues getting comfy at Heretics. BBL just can call in Turkish and do their thing... and lovers rock / umu7 played an insane Stage 3 and Ascension.

Wish BBL all the best. And I'm sure Alfajer, kaajak and Fnatic will come back stronger after this as well (like every year).

That's actually true. Literally every seaosn starts with a wreckage of a series for FNC.

asflkjbnfvijdhasbfijhdofijds

is all i have to say

f4ngeers aim is crazy...

Dude just pulled of a 4K clutch after being stunned and not getting checked (insane):
https://www.twitch.tv/projhrzn/clip/MotionlessThankfulArugulaKeyboardCat-7q5MxvLYjc1eVXLM

Deserved!!!

M8 just got a crazy chemistry... remembers me of Fnatic. Everyone likes everyone, they are just playing so naturally well. Perfect example in the end was that bipo entry kill and then the peek with Waylay stun, then Minny and GLYPH going in and killing the rest on side. Sooooo good!

M8 finally got a team that works together. Minny already showed last season as an IGL that he is insane, but now he has even more freedom and starxo (Champs 2021 winner) has crazy experience, was a nice addition. GLYMPH experienced import (also I love that he said that trashtalk is fun... it's not serious and trashtalk is all just because of competition - what a cool fella), marteen one of the best mechanical players and bipo another great former MOUZ player (NAVI Filu, PCF al0rante as well). Just nice to see this team work.

After all... RieNs good, rest meh. TH needs to work on a lot of their maps. Boo with IGLing way too slow, doesn't fit the Meta. NAVI looks super strong... getting better and better.

GGs was an exciting match. Also... insane to see Filu and al0rante from the OG Mouz team finally in VCt + bipo as well. So 3 former MOUZ players. So nice!

Yeah, even weber said "typical Heretics" after 1st map loss. I think just like they did it at ther first 2 majors it was ideal. But in the end... humans are no robots. We will see what they will do. :) When ComeBack is fine with English etc. things will get easier for sure. Like afaik they hired a English teacher just for him because he actually needs to learn it.

After map 1:

RieNs looks crazy strong as always and Wo0t def. still got the most brutal aim, but Heretics def. need to rebuild their strats in my eyes. Same IGLing & system for 2 seasons now, while NAVI is going super adaptive with the meta... also ANGE1 as coach and Shao as IGL looks very refreshing (and Hiro is simply the nicest fella ever, seeing him destroying people is just awesome).

When it's about ComeBack I think it's 100% mentals that he is not clicking heads. Let's be realistic, you don't #1 after thousands of rounds in the strongest EMEA T2 league with those insane numbers when you are not talented af. Still learning English and needs to find a way to get comfy on the stage (he looks crazy nervous). Read so many hating comments in the chat and on Twitter and that doesn't help.