Masters Madrid - Day 1 Postmatch Interview
Here’s everything you need to know after the first day of the Valorant Masters Madrid!
Karmine Corp and FPX faced off in the opening round of the Swiss Stage, with the Blue Wall walking away with the win, 2-0 over China’s second seed.
We asked BerLIN, FPX’s in-game leader about the struggles of the language barrier.
Yoann: How much impact does the language barrier have, for you as an IGL? Are you still calling both in English and Chinese?
BerLIN: Right now, I need to do the calling both in English and in Chinese and because of that, we have some miscommunication during the game. I have to call twice, which delays our plays and impacts our communication.
Here’s what their coach had to say about the format of the event.
Yoann: With this new format, how challenging is it for you to prepare for an elimination match, without knowing your next opponent?
NaThanD: I think we’ll learn from this matchup, and improve our aim and strategies waiting for the draw. We keep on improving!
Let’s now hear from the winning team, Karmine Corp, and their assistant coach, ZE1SH.
Yoann: How does it feel to bounce back, after having a tough 2023 season? What did you learn as a sub-player last season, that you can use today in the coach role?
ZE1SH: I feel very good, but I’m not doing it alone. I can work as much as I can, if our players aren’t replicating what we are working on with Engh, it wouldn’t be possible! Thanks to them for making me bounce back!
And I think my experience as a player gave me a lot of keys. Before, even though I had a good understanding of the game, I couldn’t feel what a player could feel. But since I played, things are more clear to me, and I have more patience when mistakes happen. When you understand how the pressure of the stage affects you, you understand that everything cannot go as planned, you have to accept mistakes.
It also gave me a lot of confidence, last year was pretty shit, and when I came in, we started playing better. I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to direct a team, and give what I have to give!
Yoann: How much impact did Engh have on the team, coming in as the new coach, with his winning experience with Gambit?
ZE1SH: Engh is an example for me, I’m really young, and I want to be such a good coach in the future. He is really funny and kind, but at the same time, you know that you can’t mess up. I think that there are no better coach than him in the game, and I’m excited to keep on learning from him!
sh1n: I think everybody looked up to him for what he did with Gambit in 2021. I’m really glad to play and learn with such an experienced coach. As Ze1sh said, he’s really open-minded and funny, but when you need to be focused and work, he brings this leadership that allows us to move forward!
ZE1SH: Also, when you work with him, you don’t feel the hours, because you always have a goal, we know why we are practicing and working this hard. This is a secret that he has!
The second game of the day saw LOUD and GEN.G fight, and the Pacific Kickoff champions winning by a 2-1 score.
We asked Loud’s coach about their new playstyle.
Yoann: You came this season with a very different approach on different maps, how confident are you regarding your playstyle after today’s match loss?
stkJ: Overall, we always try to find new ways to approach the maps. Today was out of normal, we underperformed. But we are still very confident, very good at what we do, and plan to improve even further!
Yoann: How do you feel about this new tournament format? Isn’t it more stressful not knowing who you will play next?
Sadhaak: For sure, it’s more stressful. But at the same time, it’s still better than the VCT Americas format! But not knowing who you will play, even if you win is stressful, for sure!
The atmosphere was completely different when Gen.G entered the press conference room, here’s what their coach had to say.
Yoann: How confident are you heading into this tournament as one of the underdog teams?
Solo: Confidently speaking, I think our goal would be to win the tournament. I would really appreciate it if the other teams would keep thinking of us as underdogs. If they keep on underestimating us, that’s going to work well for us! Keep the underdog narrative going!
Yoann: Is there a team you’d like to face off next, for the spot in playoffs?
Munchkin: Karmine Corp, personally!
The action doesn’t stop here in Madrid! Make sure to follow us on Twitter to not miss out on this Friday’s games with Sentinels, Team Heretics, PRX and EDG!
