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FaZe Clan kicked off their VCT NA Last Chance Qualifiers campaign with a 2-1 victory over NRG Esports. They met 100 Thieves in the tournament's Upper Semifinals to fight for a spot in the Upper Finals and ultimately get closer to a Valorant Champions 2022 qualification spot.
100 Thieves, as a VCT contender, built their rivalry with FaZe Clan in VCT 2022 Stage 2 NA Challengers when both teams met each other in two decisive playoff matchups. In this VCT LCQ fixture, FaZe defeated 100 Thieves in a best-of-three series to secure an Upper Finals spot.
FaZe Clan opened up the tally with a dominant 13-6 victory on Haven. However, as the match moved on to Breeze, 100 Thieves managed to equalize the score with a 13-8 map win. Ultimately, an all-out entertainer on Ascent handed over the victory to FaZe as fans witnessed them come back from a 9-3 deficit.
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In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, one of FaZe Clan's most promising players, Quan "dicey" Tran, elaborated on his team's performance in the VCT NA Last Chance Qualifiers so far, detailing their expectations for the remainder of the tournament.
FaZe Clan's dicey shares his thoughts on Valorant franchising, Chamber nerfs, and the team's performance at VCT 2022 NA LCQ
Q: FaZe has enjoyed a great start to the tournament with two straight victories and a spot in the Upper Finals. What are your thoughts on the team's performance against 100 Thieves today?
dicey: I feel like we didn't get that out-stratted today. We just felt like our aim was off. Personally, it was an uncharacteristic performance. I was missing some shots. My aim was just not on it today with the rifle. But that was probably the case for everybody until the second half of Map 3.
We started off great on Haven, and on Map 2, we just couldn't hit our shots. Then on the first half of Ascent, it was the same thing: we couldn't hit the shots. It was carried over from Map 2. When we got to the second half of Ascent, 9-3 on defense, we won the pistol round, and that hyped us so much.
In this game, if you're 9-3 down and win the pistol, you could realistically go 9-5, and I was saving for an Operator, so the bonus round for 9-6 was winnable. It was rough today, mechanically. Overall, it went pretty well, considering our resilience to bring it back.
Q: In the VCT NA Stage 2 Playoffs, you had two really close matches against 100 Thieves. How do you think they performed compared to the expectations you had for them?
dicey: I think they played well. The last two times we played against them, it was just hard to play them. They're a good team. Going into the third match, playing against 100 Thieves, it was like the same thing. They did a lot of prep work on us. We can tell that they put in the effort.
I think they're a good team that is continually improving. Hopefully, we can meet them in the Grand Finals and play the fourth one.
Q: We’ve already seen a lot of 9-3s between FaZe and 100 Thieves. Having been in a similar situation before, what was the team's mentality like heading into the 2nd half on Ascent?
dicey: Second half, when we went in, we were like, "Guys, it's 9-3, and we can still win this. We've lost a lot of 9-3s before. We just got to win this pistol," so that everybody was on the same page. We forgot about the first half, forgot about the last map, and we just went, "This is it, this is what we have to do, and let's get it done."
We cleared our minds. We were all focused. After one round, we were hyped. After two rounds, we were extra hyped. The momentum was building, and we felt unstoppable. Right when I had that Operator up, I felt like that was our game. I had a good feeling that we would be able to close it out.
Q: You are one of the best Chamber players in NA. However, Chamber might be getting a few nerfs in the upcoming patch. As someone who’s had a lot of success with the Agent lately, how much do you think the nerfs will affect the Agent? Do you like the direction in which Riot is going with Chamber?
dicey: If Riot wants to nerf Chamber, they're doing it wrong. I feel like these Chamber nerfs aren't really going to matter that much. If you watch my game today, I rarely TPed (teleported) more than once, and the biggest nerf was for the TP. That's basically all they nerfed. I feel like that's not really that big of a deal.
In pro play recently, teams have been playing a lot slower. It doesn't cause me to have to burn my TPs more than once a round anyways. I don't think it will hurt that much.
It might change the way that I fight or my timings or things like that, but overall, the Agent will still be good. I think people are still going to play him, and I feel like he'll still be dominant. He's just a solid Operator Agent.
Q: Riot Games has plans to replace VCT with a franchise league structure in 2023. What do you think of FaZe Clan's chances of earning a franchise slot for Valorant?
dicey: I feel like we have a high chance. FaZe Clan is a really popular brand, but no one knows the criteria. All I can do is hope. Realistically, I think FaZe should make it in, but if they don't, it is what it is.
Q: As a pro esports athlete, would you prefer competing in the existing VCT format, or do you think a franchise league structure is better?
dicey: They both have their pros and cons. I don't really know how franchising will work because it hasn't come out yet, and we're just guessing. I kind of like the format right now because I feel like a lot of teams are neck and neck, but a lot of them also won't make it to franchising.
With this VCT format, I feel like there are a lot of underdog teams that come out of nowhere. Just think about FaZe, for instance, and how we started this year. We started really rough. This whole run that we had right now would have probably never happened. I like this VCT format, but I don't really know how franchising is going to work.
Q: Due to the limited slots in franchising, a few organizations have already bid farewell to their Valorant rosters. As a result, the VCT LCQ teams are left with fewer opponents to scrim against. Did that, in any way, affect your preparation for the VCT NA LCQ?
dicey: Yeah, it did. It was hard to find scrims. Usually, going into a tournament, we scrim four to five times a day. However, going into this one (VCT NA LCQ), it was hard to even find four. We definitely didn't get in as many reps as we would've liked, but we're just doing what we did in our playoffs (VCT Stage 2 NA) run right before the LCQ. We'll just do what we can and make the best out of it.
Q: FaZe Clan will be up against The Guard in the Upper Finals of VCT NA LCQ. How do you expect that match to unfold?
dicey: Our EG game involved a lot of OTs. I think that will happen against The Guard as well. It should be a good game. We're all on top of our game, so we should come ahead with a 2-1 score. They're looking solid, and we're looking solid, so may the best team win.
Q: FaZe Clan missed the chance to compete at VCT Masters: Copenhagen and play in front of Valorant’s first-ever live audience. How much are you looking forward to making it to VCT Champions in Istanbul and playing in front of a live crowd?
dicey: I feel like I, and everyone on my team, would love that experience. That's what we're playing for. The experience of traveling and playing against the best across the world, playing in front of the crowd, them cheering your name, and lifting that trophy.
I have high expectations. I feel like we can make it to that tournament. We might even have a good chance of bringing it home.
