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Esports.gg chatted with multiple players at VCT Masters Madrid and asked them questions about the first international tournament of the year.
Masters Madridis the first Masters event of the 2024 VALORANT Champions Tour. Prior to the event, Riot Games hosted a media day with all eight teams. And of those teams, we spoke with several Masters Madrid players and asked them all the same questions.
Here is who we received answers from:
They’re all prepared to take on the differing international talent in Madrid, that is for certain, and some were definitely more vocal than others. Read on for what they had to say regarding who they’d like to face, how they prepared for the tournament, and why they think their team will take it home.
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Note: Some answers were relayed through a translator. Respective TH and PRX teammates were spoken to together.
What team are you most excited to face?
Boo: " It’s Sentinels. I’m happy that we play them the first game. They got number one in Americas. I watched them play. I like how they play. So, I think we have maybe similar players else. I can appreciate the way they play. All of them. So yeah, I’m excited to play against them."
MiniBoo: “Sentinels actually, because I like TenZ.”
something: “Sentinels.”
d4v41: “Yeah, same . Because they beat us last time we played.”
nobody: “I want to say that, of course, PRX. Because in the previous games, we have lost a lot of times, but this time, we want to get our wins back.”
Lakia: “I wouldn’t say there’s a specific team that I really want to face, but we’re playing LOUD first. I think it’s going to be super interesting and it’s going to be a great match.”
Is there a player that scares you the most to play against?
Boo: “I don’t think I have any player like that, that’s playing here. I’m scared of some ranked demons in Europe, but they’re not playing here, so that’s fine.”
MiniBoo: “I’m not scared of anyone.”
something: “No.”
d4v41: “Not really, but if I had to choose one, I would say Less. He played a very good series against us last time.”
nobody: “The thing is, that player is not in PRX anymore. It would be Jinggg.”
Lakia: “Less from LOUD. He’s a strong player. He’s always been a top player at international events and he’s calm in every single situation. He’s pretty consistent, too.”
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What team in the VCT are you surprised didn’t qualify for Masters Madrid?
Boo: “I’m not really surprised somebody didn’t qualify. When I played in EMEA, I saw how the teams that were supposed to qualify played. It’s not enough that they maybe had a good previous year or something. Everybody’s hungry, everybody’s motivated. I’m not surprised the teams like DRX or NRG didn’t qualify, because I think the whole VALORANT level rose a lot.”
MiniBoo: “For me, it’s got to be NRG. Because I felt like that would definitely qualify, but yeah, they didn’t.”
something: “NRG.”
d4v41: “That has to be FNATIC.”
nobody: “I think I’m more surprised at who did make it. KC and TH, because this is their first time to come to an international tournament, so that kind of surprised me.”
Lakia: “I thought initially that either FNATIC or NAVI were going to make it. At least one of them, but they both didn’t make it to Madrid. So, for me, it was kind of a, ‘Huh?!’ moment.”
What was your team’s biggest focus preparing for Masters Madrid?
Boo: “I mean, honestly the biggest focus was to keep focus on ourselves. I think we kind of dropped the ball during the finals. Our focus is to get back to the form we had in the three previous games. Just focusing on ourselves, making sure we know what we want to do. Making sure the players are feeling good, communicating, feeling confident. That’s the main focus.”
MiniBoo: “Yeah .”
something: “.”
d4v41: “Probably getting used to Monyet. Getting the chemistry together. H just joined us a few months ago and this is going to be his first big tournament. I mean an official tournament. So, I think probably just getting used to the synergy with him.”
nobody: “We paid a lot of attention to map veto. We had to expand our map pool.”
Lakia: “We focused on trying to solidify our identity as a team. Focused on our own game plans, making sure that it’s solid. We’ve been focusing on our individual form and individual performance as well.”
Why is your team going to win it all?
Boo: “I think we’re going to win, because first of all, our game plans are really solid. We put a lot of work into them. When everybody’s on point, we have very clear communication and good fundamentals that allow us to get through any situation. If it’s something we need to adapt on, players pick it up quite fast. I think the firepower as well. Some of our players are can look like the best player in the world when they’re on their A-game.”
MiniBoo: “We’re going to win Masters, because we are unleashed. Each player here can perform super well. Even if they don’t, even if one of the players is not playing well, then there are four other players that can support them. And we have really good game plans and communication in the game.”
something: “I don’t know. I don’t know why, but I know we’ll do our best to win this Masters. If we go to the playoffs, it should be alright.”
d4v41: “I think our aim is, not to win the whole thing. We’ve got to take it slowly, maybe go to the playoffs. By then, we figure it out slowly.”
nobody: “Because all of our players, the five of us and our coaches, are really awesome. We are all wonderful players, they’re awesome coaches. So, we should win.”
Lakia: “I would say our friendship and how cohesive we are inside and outside of the server. We’re a very tightly knit team. We have great players with great individual form and with great teamwork. Those are the reasons why we will win Masters Madrid.”
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