Interview with AvovA, Valorant Pro Player for Apeks
Yoann: Hey, hello everyone! Today I’m with AvovA, Valorant pro player for Apeks! How would you introduce yourself?
AvovA: Hey, I’m AvovA, I’m 25 years old, and I’ve been playing for G2 and Team Heretics before I joined Apeks!
Yoann: Nice! When and how did you get into esports?
AvovA: I’ve been playing games since I can remember, I’ve always been competitive. When I was 15, I attended my first CSGO 1v1 tournament, I didn’t even play CSGO at that time, I’ve only played Source, and I still somehow won! I just had the talent, the skill for it!
Yoann: Woah that’s impressive! You joined Apeks for the Challengers 2024 season, how's it going so far?
AvovA: Really good, our first practice was on bootcamp in Norway, we got to know each other, and everything went well! I’m really happy about that.
Yoann: What changed for you since you've joined Apeks?
AvovA: I lost myself when I joined Team Heretics, I feel like I had lost my identity. When I joined Apeks, I had to redefine myself and gain confidence back. I evolved and got better as a person and as a player, the break I had was very good for me! I feel a lot more confident and calmer now.
Yoann: That’s great to hear! What did you learn during last season with Team Heretics?
AvovA: We had a lot of internal problems! Before I joined Team Heretics, Giants wanted to sign me, but I declined.
Do I regret it? No, I would do it again, I couldn’t say no to the offer they made me, but it didn’t go as planned. I learned from it, even though it was a negative experience.
Yoann: Yeah, I understand. Hopefully, this season will be better!
AvovA: Yeah, I feel like we’re 5 friends in this team, which I need as a player!
Yoann: Awesome! How would you describe Apeks' playstyle?
AvovA: I’m going to a tournament tomorrow, in Egypt. So I won’t go too much into detail! But we are really “flowy”, we have really good individual players, so expect the unexpected! You never know who will come out with a 5K, then someone will pop flash and kill 3, everyone is good individually!
Yoann: How do you build chemistry within the team?
AvovA: Apeks’ staff told us that our first practice should be in a boot camp. We trialed for a very long time, but when we assembled the team, we did all the practicing and team bonding at the boot camp, which was a very good idea!
Yoann: That’s great! You have a very strong roster with experienced players, what are your expectations for the season?
AvovA: We are going for Ascension, Molsi, Soulcas and I want redemption, we deserve it! Kaajak and Hype are very good too! I’m really surprised that I never heard about Kaajak before, he’ll definitely be in VCT next year!
Yoann: That would be awesome! Let’s now move on to the Quick Questions part, I will ask you ten quick questions, and you’ll have to answer as fast as possible, ready?
AvovA: Yeah!
Yoann: Phantom or Vandal?
AvovA: Vandal, I’m done with the Phantom!
Yoann: What's your favorite map?
AvovA: It has always been Haven, but right now it’s Lotus.
Yoann: What's your favorite agent?
AvovA: Omen, obviously!
Yoann: What's your favorite skin collection?
AvovA: The Prime bundle!
Yoann: How would you define your last night market in a few words?
AvovA: Dogshit, I have every skin, so I don’t expect anything good!
Yoann: Who are your favorite players of all time?
AvovA: I’d say Dev1ce, from Astralis, and Snax from Virtus.pro back in the day!
Yoann: Can you name the eight teams that won an international event?
AvovA: Loud, Optic, Fnatic, Gambit, Acend, Navi (FPX)... Sentinels and EG!
Yoann: Exact, good job! What’s your favorite memory as a Valorant player?
AvovA: It was definitely First Strike, it was very special with Team Heretics! I feel like we had a great bond back then, we were five guys super hungry to play, and nobody knew us. It was my first professional team, we weren’t paid well, but we grinded our asses off, and we made it!
Yoann: What kind of music do you listen to to get in the zone, before a match?
AvovA: My music taste is super wide, but I mainly listen to rap!
Yoann: Can you quote a voice line from your favorite agent, Omen?
AvovA: To be honest, I muted the voice lines haha! I played Astra a lot, and every time you win a round, she’s just screaming, and I can’t even hear my teammates! So I don’t remember any!
Yoann: Haha all good! Let’s now go back to the standard questions!
What's your preparation routine 1 hour before official matches?
AvovA: I’d usually warm up with Aimlabs or in the range. I’m not too much into Deathmatch when it comes to warm-up. I just train in the range, listen to music, and relax, getting in a good head space! After that, we go through the strategy with my teammates, and then I’m ready.
Yoann: How do you feel about the Valorant meta and map pool after the recent updates?
AvovA: I think they made a huge mistake keeping Ascent, this map is super boring. Sometimes they play Viper, but it’s like a one-time thing, you look at the VOD and you know everything. They should’ve removed both Ascent and Haven and put Pearl back in with Icebox.
Yoann: That’s for sure! What would you change to the game if you were a developer?
AvovA: Oh, that’s a good one! I’ll add a new game mode called “Retake”, and an unlimited Deathmatch, where people can join and leave freely. There should also be different modes, like pistol only, Vandal only, headshot only… That would be really nice!
Yoann: Oh yeah, that would be great! What makes Apeks a title contender for 2024 Ascension?
AvovA: We have three very experienced players, we’ve gained a ton of experience through the years compared to the other teams in Tier 2. I think we also shoot harder! I’m really happy about that!
Yoann: What are your short and long-term ambitions on Valorant?
AvovA: Short term, to work hard with the team, and become good very fast! In the long-term, I want to win Ascension, and I want to see us progress. I think we have done a lot of work already in a month, and I think we should just keep going!
Yoann: That’s great to hear! Thank you so much for your time, and I wish you the best of luck in this new season!
AvovA: Thank you!
AvovA’s socials:
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/AvovAFPS
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/avovagg
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AvovA
