alecks: "I just let them ride the high"

Note: This article is a text port of our live interview with alecks. The video interview can be found here.

Your opening match vs G2 wasn't exactly the best, not even hitting double digits on one map. However, you've had five days of downtime before today's game. What mistakes from your opening game did you look to patch up before playing against FUT?

"It's been a long season, so we didn't really have time to work on our map pool. There's always something to do, and even then, they tossed in Abyss in halfway through and removed one of our better maps, Split. So we had to spend a lot of time on Abyss, we realized that maybe it's not the right map to spend time on, and it showed against G2. So, I think we went back to the drawing board. We put a lot of effort into making sure that the maps we used to be good on, we're good on again, like Bind, Lotus, Icebox. We also tried to work on a little bit of Abyss, a little bit of Ascent, a little bit of Haven, so it was basically just brushing up the map pool."

FUT is also a team that you've had experience with in the past. You've previously played against them in Champions 2023. Did you have any thoughts on the rematch today?

"I thought they made incredible signings, you know like yetujey and cNed. Those guys are super good, so I expected this game to be even harder, and it was. They almost took Sunset away from us. It's a map we're super confident on, so for it to be that close is a little bit alarming. I think the way they lost Sunset caused them to spiral out of control. It's not really that we were super good on Bind, but I think it's a mental thing. It was a bit difficult for them."

Ever since you began using your Sunset comp, you haven't lost once. You have a 11-0 record on the map with this specific comp – what do you think makes it so strong for PRX?

"Comfort agents and a good understanding of the map. I think we were one of the first to play Sunset in the whole scene because we played in the AfreecaTV VALORANT League. So, you know how these maps work; you get confidence on the map, and then you build on it. You feel as though it's a map that you're comfortable on, and it builds. Getting early wins is very important, and it happened for us. Also, I think most people don't play with Sage, so it's very hard for teams that aren't used to it. We try not to scrim too much to avoid people getting used to it."

Even with a 7-5 lead after your defense, FUT managed to start Sunset away from your hands with a 4-0 start to the second half. You called a timeout on round 16 as FUT took the lead for the first time: what did you discuss?

"That was a game plan change. We were trying to push really aggressively on the sites of the map, and they were running away from us. The boys recognized that, and I let them figure it out themselves after that. But I basically just told them what was happening and why we needed to either rotate or push faster. I gave them a few options, and they chose the right ones, thankfully."

Did you feel any panic start to set in amongst the team after FUT got up to 11 rounds? What did you talk about in the second timeout to stop FUT's momentum?

"I don't think they were panicking, but I was panicking. We've had some really bad losses this year, and sometimes you can really see the mental state spiral out of control. I was more worried that losing the map would make them feel like they weren't good enough again, which is something we've been trying to address. But thankfully, I thought that they played for each other, and they were helping each other out. Recently, we've been a bit too concerned about individual performance, and each player is trying extra hard to contribute, which sometimes hurts their performance. It's good to see them going back to the way they were before."

Despite taking map one 13-11, were there any problems you noticed and what, if any issues did you talk them through with the team before heading into Bind?

"I think I just let them ride the high. They were really happy to get our first map in Champions, also winning on a very comfortable map was very important. So, I didn't really say much. We just sat down, and I briefed them a little bit on what we should do in Bind."

We have only seen Bind placed once for Paper Rex ever since Shanghai, and you opted to have it as your map pick for today. Why has the team been reluctant to play the map throughout Split 2 and what have you been working on until this point?

"I think losing with the Harbor has hurt us very much. It used to be something we were very comfortable with. I think we didn't put enough effort into it. Something about Fade just bothers us when it comes to playing Harbor on Bind; the scans are too high. We block ourselves off from shooting our own scans, which doesn't make sense, and we just get shot through smokes. That took a massive hit on our confidence. After that, when you go back to the drawing board and try to fit Yoru or Omen in, trying different stuff, you tend to spiral out of control a little bit. After losing to G2, we went back and we said, 'Okay, we've got to do something about Bind. Let's try the meta comp,' and decided to try something we're comfortable with. So far, so good."

You entered Bind, your pick, with quite a bit of a comp shift, changing what were previously picks such as Yoru and Reyna to more meta picks with a double controller and initiator. Why did the team choose to change the comp heading into today's match?

"I honestly still want to run Yoru, but at this point, there's no time. This is one of those comps where you actually need a lot of time, like off-season kind of time. We cooked up a bit, but this season has been tight. Anytime you want to innovate, you're taking a huge risk, and I think we decided that risk is too huge to take at this point."

Do you think the lack of footage against Paper Rex on Bind hurt FUT in today's matchup?

"Oh, for sure. I'm very sure they prepared for a Yoru, and when we didn't run it, it threw them off. You've lost your first map, and then after that, you have to suddenly play against a comp change. It looks like your game plan, if it goes wrong, sometimes it's super hard to play. I've done it before, got the game plan completely wrong, and the comp change completely throws you off. It played in their minds as well."

The series ultimately ended 2-0 for PRX. After a rough loss previously, how do you feel about the team's form after today's performance? Do you still feel as though there are things that the team could fix?

"Of course there's stuff to work on. Lots, I think. But at least I think it's a return of confidence, I hope. The way we played today is good, and I'm hoping it continues. But I know that we're on a slippery slope. My opinion is that the players really want to perform well; they want to do right by everyone. Fans, haters, and me as well. That stresses them, and we're working on it, but I'm hoping they can feed off the energy from this game and try to go all the way. We really need to win the next game to get our lifeline back. It will help a lot."

You're now set for a rematch with EDward Gaming, making this the sixth matchup against the two of you. How do you feel about going against them again, especially off the back of their relatively good showing against G2?

"The funny thing is, I think we've only played the same lineup twice in those six matches. Even now, they're changing, so it feels like we're playing a new team every time, either because we change or they change. I'm looking forward to it. I think they're deadly now. They've gone from strength to strength. Winning VCT China with a new player is a big deal for them. They had a big performance against G2; they could have easily won that game, and then we would have been in a really big problem. So, I'm lowkey kind of happy. It's going to be an even game. I'm hoping that we figure out how to play around ZmjjKK."