The mechanics of players like Lar0k are insanely good, but I think overall the team is a bit too "careless" sometimes. Probably because they are so young and just want to win the duels. GX had some crazy issues in the weeks before... like losing against several Tier 2 teams in the OS, but now... they keep finding their strength back and as Flickless said the energy makes a lot and they also keep on believing in the strats they made up before the matches (that was btw. pretty much how EG won Champs in 2023... they were praccing strats up to 11 hours per day and then sticking to it).

I'm sure when BBL will get a bit more chill and stay "cool" in some heated moments, they will get more succesful. Mechanically they're peak.

GGs, crazy match.

GSR and Kicks are so damn good but I didn't expect them to lose this. sunfloweR also for sure one of the biggest upcoming talents.

Just found out that "GSR" stands for a Serbian slang word called "Gaser" and that he used to pick that name before and it means something smilar to flexing regarding to Google... like "high energy lifestyle" -> so basically "fuelled". Guess it's a kinda sarcastic meaning.

Demon1 back on the US flag? Maybe smarter like that because due to VISA stuff.

tex <3

Jemkin is easily one of the worlds best players atm - and insanely consistent.

He was def. not showing T1 level.

Did they say something about the signing? Just for now or actual contract?

GGs

Boaster, I love you brother. :) Kaajak also seems to slowly but surely get back on his 2025 level. He said that he wasn't feeling it during Kickoff but is working on it, we can def. see that.

Let's gooo!

Btw.: When Sayonara sticks to Initiator roles he will quickly become one of the greatest players.

Derke just playing almost only Judge and Neon is crazy. It's insane that it still works so well on Split...

Yeah, I just meant "it doesn't look good" but you're right. I (we) don't know if it was fun, if they're usually doing this and of course under friends it's normal to mock your buddies.

I just mean it looks weird in the regard that they now said after reviewing and having discussions after the NAVI game and other games we're going different ways now. So yeah... kinda sus timing but of course, I don't know of it is actually always like that or if he found it not cool.

There were signs:

https://x.com/vctslander/status/2041901034730139881

Very, very weird comms examples popping up now which doesn't look good for TH (but of course we don't know if it s actually that serious or has anything to do with it).

Overall I think it might be the bets for both sides. He is insanely talented but I also think it would be the best for ComeBack to actually learn English if you want to play with the best teams in the world. Wo0t, RieNs, Alfajer, Lar0k, s0pp, echo, Loita... there are so many Turkish players with great English.

Honestly, I was wondering why no top NA team signed seven for this season. At TSM he was amazing and they were easily one of the top 2 teams in Tier 2 NA in the strongest Tier 2 season so far. But we probably don't know how scrims were going or what some people might thought would fit better for their roster.

Def. promoting himself very good!

I feel like PCIFIC could be so much better. In their first matches al0rante and seven were so good and it were like timings and stuff and it's the same right now but even heavier. Always 2 seconds between a genius strat and people getting outskilled by experience in the end. I wish them success, tho. It's easy to always root for the best teams and biggest talents.

Sadly not before 2028... dude is born 2010. xD

100%. I hope so much Fnatic signs him. Alfajer plays Flex anyways these days, he could play Sentinel at FNC. Boaster -> Coach, crashies will prob. go back to NA because of his family anyways and then there is Kaajak, Alfa, maybe Veqaj. With 2 players on the level of Spear, GSR etc. Fnatic can find back to old times.

And against it's al0rante and seven with the most important rounds for PCF. 11-13 first map vs. BBL def. NOT bad.

BBL and M8 have crazy issues with the Yoru nerf (and M8 even more because they have only 2 players with insane mechanics, BBL got 4). I wonder why?! I mean yes, the agent got nerfed but it's still playable... just play it and know about the different timing now. Still you can do 70% of things as good as before. But I guess it's def. goof to also have alternatives in the portfolio and I love to see Lar0k on the Initiator again!!!

I hope this will be a 3 mapper and I know al0rante played some INSANE Breeze matches in the past (remember the Red Bull quali win against Heretics with FOKUS in 2023) but this will def. be insanely difficult since BBL plays a great Breeze. At least no destruction please.

Chloric is such an insane talented IGL, this dude was not on my radar like THAT. Wow. Nice pick. Will def. watch out for him during Stage 1.

Btw.: Regarding FUTs performance I wonder what would happen if ComeBack, Wo0t, RieNs go all Turkish for 2027 (maybe not at Heretics) but i.g. - imagine with Hiro and Ruxic. xD Just as a pure hypothetical thing. But yeah, I actually want to see a strong Heretics again... like a 2024 Heretics. Of course you can't keep that hype up for years (which pushed them a lot before) but there gotta be some answers for them. Filus trashtalk after round 21 on Bind kinda sums it up pretty well... :S

Ruxic is def. one of the best Controllers itw. right now.

GGs

I think this probably won't work against every team... like usually when let's say NRG, G2, PRX, Fnatic, NS, MIBR, Heretics play a major these teams won't allow that you just stomp them with better mechanics... some of those teams also always had some of the best mechanical players on their side and yeah... it works when the opponent also just plays heavily around 1-2 players (marteen, Minny) and not playing the most adaptive and reactive strats.

Sorry, I was MUCHOS tired. xD

I meant s0pp, xeus, sociablEE and yetu.

That FUT team has so much firepower. In the end if your team is able to always get enough kills... it wins. As simple as that.

marteen needs to find a comfy way to play with Phoenix like on Pearl or they need to go back on Yoru, but in the end they only have marteen and Minny with good firepower.

FUT will def. become insanely dangerous for many teams. Simply because they have 4 aim beasts (s0pp, xeus, sociablEE and yetu). GGs Congrats to FUT!

Btw.: yetujey is the most friendly and nice guy in interviews and than during matches he roars like a lion... xD

Great debut of Sayo. His aim is so crisp and yeah... bro has an insane career ahead of himself. So damn talented with a wide pool of agents and finally a 18y talent that is NOT swapping for 2nd Duelist. I was hoping Lar0k would play more Initiator and Omen as well... he is such an amazing Flex, too.

GGs - GIANTX were a crazy phenomenon during the last season with wins against Sentinels, 1-2 against PRX and all that. I still think they should keep Cloud as an IGL and westside but otherwise maybe rebuild for 2027.

Haha, season starts and marteen is acing.

You can't make it up... he is just crazy.

Nice roster. Great to see the huge amount of great NA Tier 2 IGLs get attention. NA has by far the biggest amount of very good IGLs in Tier 2.

I wish for Kaajak to be able to find his form again... it often just needs one good game and then it makes "click" in the head just as during his first matches in VCT at all last year. But yeah, overall... I think this will be a really tough year for Fnatic. Veqaj def. can shoot but the way Chronicle played all his agents, the way he roamed and all that is a level that helped Fnatic reaching 3 grand finals in a row. Fnatic is simply not on the 2025 level so far... not even close. Alfajer and crashies are the only players that touch their last year brilliance here and then and of course it's crazy difficult when the whole team is not as strong anymore.

GGs

Better a house with a DACH than a house without a DACH. ;)

Yeah, he and al0rante are the only left hope for this and next year for the German Valorant scene (Proxh is German / Turkish).

Proxh and kozzy... let's go boys!

His 1v2 spraytransfer clutch:
https://www.twitch.tv/valorantleague_dach/clip/ExcitedSmoothTireKreygasm-lxta9ZsG3W3a3zRI

Ah okay, thanks. :)

PCFIC should get him instead of cNed, put seven on Duelist or what and Spear on Senti. Or FUT should get him, too - and oroni. :P Then they would finally be strong again.
Proxh also needs to be in VCT again without a single doubt. Dude is fluent in German, English, Turkish, is one of the best T2 players atm and insanely talented.

Okay, so s0pp joins FUT? I just hope that fromer EF player Spear finds a new team quickly... dude is INSANELY talented.

Mhyeah, true.

Maybe comms? Dunno. He is a shooter, tho. But yeah, maybe I'm wrong. Aim is not evertyhing of course.

In no world belongs Elite in Tier 2.

I was so much hoping for 3 maps but it was still a nice match. Jamelinho will get such a crazy player in the future...

kozzy just got 16... when he continues like that he will become Sayonara 2.0.
Proxh also def. one of the guys I want to see back in VCT for the upcoming season.

Sadly kinda disappointing to watch by Barcelona here... globeX was just outmatched by kozzy, Proxh destroyed anyone and MAGNUM / iluri were just IGLing way crazier.

Maximum deserved for NS and my goat Rb, but what a sad GF.

Honestly... NS played good, but not crazy insane "never before seen" Valorant.
The question is: What were PRX doing? That was not the PRX that we saw in recent weeks.

What I find so amazing is that even though NS are no direct Tier 2 team like f.e. BBL, they still 180° turned a absolute awful 2025 season in which they went downwards to Ascension all the way to a insane 2026 season with now 11 victories in a row and not a single loss in the current VCT reason with a damn major trophy in the end. They - and especially Rb - 100% deserve this.

GG

*Edit: Dambi MVP <3 Awesome. This kid is so down to earth. Perfect choice! But I'd more see this as a tournament MVP, since Xross was insane in the gf. Also - I think they should maybe redo the whole MVP thing and do it like 2021 or just as R6 Siege is still doing it - crown a tournament / gf MVP and before that a MVP for every playoffs day. So players like marteen, eeiu etc. would earn a nice "Day X MVP" as well and get something.

This will be such a crazy match. kozzy is def. one of the names people keep an eye on until he becomes 18, globeX, stonezy and Proxh 3 players who are def. VCT options for the upcoming season...

And people mocked M8 for 2x 10-13 against NS... with marteen playing a 1.41 rating with +9 KD xD

2 map veto still pretty weird, they should've changed that for years. 1 map veto is totally enough.

NS and the Rb master calling is just a perfect begin for this season.

GG Deserved as hell for the boys of PRX!

Bro... it's AGAIN like yesterday. Keiko and skuba do the work and then people keep peeking 1 by 1 while PRX actually use comms to peek (easiest thing in the world you'd imagine). If mada would always play like round 10, they'd have no issues. But keiko is also looking really rough on Breeze so far (except 2 rounds).

It's GG... NRG don't follow the most simple rules anymore while the once most chaotic team is playing super calm with comms and all.

NRG could EASILY won Abyss when they'd stop panicking.
keiko and skuba were absolute great today (keiko i.g. is so good in 90% of the matches), but still... it was always a matter of seconds to throw away a fully controlled round. I have hopes that NRG can fix that for the next match.

NS looks super strong, tho. Very, very clutch. Rb is such a masterclass IGL - insanely experienced and just calm as hell.

I've meant all of them... I've read those comments from NA fans, from BBL fans, from M8 fans and even from PRX fans after another match. All of these people are braindead.

There is no doubt about G2 playing almost perfect Valorant today for the given Meta and they (obviously) won 100% deserved, but it's baffling how many people fall for (absolute normal in esports) trashtalking by 18 years old players who are playing their first international event ever and were basically floating on cloud nine after winning against Americas #1 Kickoff team and very closely losing to the current wold champions by 1:2 and OT. G2 is one of the most experienced teams out there - beside of PRX and T1 probably the most experienced still existing core because Fnatic is almost totally new at this point.

People need to chill more. Some braindead fellas out there, now wishing death etc. to Lar0k & co. think this is a war between nations or regions while it's honestly what's connecting nations... it's just competition.

The thing is... until now we didn't see the G2 that stood before elim again. So now this is their final form.
I'd honestly love to see Lar0k etc. to continue, but G2 are so strong...

I say 2:1 G2 as prediction.

GGs, awesome match!
Dambis movement: ← ↑ → ↓

marteen, Dambi, Lar0k, BABYBAY and invy are currently the most fun players to watch in my eyes (all for different reasons).

I have G2 vs. PRX in the GF in my pickems... still have the feeling it could happen. :P

BABYBAY is so damn good.

16 years and 17 years young prodigies going maniac again!

Jesus. kozzy and GSR are INSANE!

Because people thought other M8 players could play like marteen. xD

I'm honestly so glad starxo got humbled.

I honestly feel REALLY bad for marteen, he is an insane player... he deserves way more. I hope he realizes that this team is not as good as people thought.

marteen can play Omen, Brim, KAY/O, Breach as well - he would be a big addition for most teams. To NAVI for sociablEE or to Fnatic when Boaster goes coaching 2027... all good options.

GG AG, deserved win. M8 (except marteen) played 2 really bad maps. The mistakes from bipo shouldn't happen even in Tier 2 and the slow calling / strat exec from starxo and Minny was kinda weird.

I hope so much that Fnatic will sign marteen for 2027.
Somebody needs to save this insane player from choker teams.

GGs
Great match of both teams again.

Lar0k is insane!

Let's be real. BBL has several below 20 years young players and they are just hyped af. They made photos with NRG, Lar0k played with brawk and Keiko Ranked and they are cool with each other.

When Boostio trashtalked everyone found it funny but it's not okay with BBL?!

And also - I get why they hate this "superteam" questions. Neither is NRG a superteam, nor was Fnatic 2023 or Vitality is building one - yet every 2nd media dude is coming up with "SUPERTEAM". Every team is beatable. lovers rock just plain and simple answered that and I think it's correct. When you think about your opponent as an unbeatable giant, why are you even competing?! westside brought that up last year as well, when they as insane underdogs almost beat PRX and actually beat Sentinels.