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There is no doubt that Fnatic is the best professional Valorant team in the world right now. Among the many reasons behind their success is their youngest player, Emir "Alfajer" Beder. Since the Turkish prodigy donned the orange-and-black jersey for the first time in May 2022, the team has seen ups and downs and even gone through multiple roster changes. One thing, however, has remained constant - Alfajer has been improving in leaps and bounds throughout the process.
A couple of weeks ahead of Valorant Champions 2023 in Los Angeles, Abhipsito Das of Sportskeeda Esports got the opportunity to interview Alfajer. Fnatic's go-to Sentinel player spoke about his journey with the team so far, the level of gameplay in different regions, and his expectations from the upcoming tournament.
Fnatic's Alfajer gets candid before Valorant Champions 2023
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Tuning into the online meeting room, it was a delightful sight to find Alfajer with cat-eared headphones and his toy collection behind him. Confidence radiated through the eighteen-year-old player as he answered each question with panache. It wouldn't be wrong to say that his precision in-game is only matched by his charm outside of it.
Q. You have played on the Fnatic Valorant team for over a year. What has been your biggest highlight with the team so far?
Alfajer: Winning the LOCK//IN finals was definitely the biggest highlight.
Q. As successful as you have been as a team this season, last season was sprinkled with highs and lows. What were some things you practiced as a team to get through the lows?
Alfajer: First, we changed the players. Even with Chronicle and Leo, we knew we needed time because that’s natural with new teams. With some time, we just started winning.
Q. As the youngest member of the squad, would you say the lows affected you in any specific way?
Alfajer: When we lose, I am going to be really, really upset because I really want to win. When we lose, I am fully upset and just wait for the next tournament.
Q. In your early days in Fnatic, you played a lot of Duelists. Would you like to go back to that role again?
Alfajer: (Laughs) Of course! Except for Sentinel, I want to play all the other roles because I have already played Sentinel [Agents] a thousand times. In tournaments, it is fine. But we also have four to six practice matches every day, so I am playing Sentinel that many times. I have been on this team for nearly two years, and every day I only play Sentinel.
Q. Sentinel players barely get the recognition given to ‘star Duelists.’ However, they are key parts of a Valorant team’s composition. What would you say you bring to the table as a Sentinel main for Fnatic that the team lacked in its earlier rosters with other players on the role?
Alfajer: I think all the teams have two carry players: one Duelist and one Sentinel. Duelists need to entry frag, while Sentinels need to take map control. Sentinels need to act like second Duelists. If you are executing on-site, the Sentinel player needs to be the second one in, or you need to hold the other site.
Players in both these roles need to be able to shoot very well because if either of them isn’t shooting very well, you’ve effectively lost the game.
My aim is definitely better. My gameplay is different now. I am playing full aggressive, while other Sentinels are more relaxed.
Q. You have played in multiple regional and international tournaments, and you have played against players and teams from around the world. Which region has grown the most in terms of strategy and mechanics since the earliest days of Valorant?
Alfajer: It’s not NA because they play just like Europe. I can say APAC because they are always trying something different. Paper Rex, for example, played Yoru and Raze on Bind. They have different Agents and different strategies. Their gameplay is all different. I also like EDG and Leviatan.
Q. As a Sentinel main. Where would you put Deadlock in Valorant’s Sentinel meta?
Alfajer: Deadlock is not that strong at the moment because she is not a full Sentinel. She is more like an Initiator-Sentinel hybrid like Chamber, who is a Duelist-Sentinel.
Q. Is there a Valorant pro player that you look up to?
Alfajer: It used to be XANTARES (CS:GO player) and ScreaM. But only ScreaM came over to Valorant. Right now, I don’t have an idol, but it would be ScreaM if I had to choose.
Q. Valorant Champions 2023 in August is next for Fnatic. How much do you want to win the tournament? If you had to name a team and a player that you wish to face off against there, who would you choose?
Alfajer: I want to face strong teams because otherwise, I am going to get bored. I mean, everyone is strong if they are making it to Champions, but I want to play teams of the same level as us. Maybe LOUD, or EG, or Paper Rex. Big teams.
[What about a player you'd like to go head-to-head with?]
Maybe Boostio. Because after every round he won, he would stand up and smile at the viewers. When we finally won, I was fully happy because of Boostio.
Q. Have you noticed any major changes in your approach to playing Valorant and in yourself as a person between Champions 2022 and 2023?
Alfajer: I joined Fnatic only 3-4 months before Champions 2022. It was my first European team, so I had to learn a lot of things. It was hard because, in Turkey, we did not have any strategies. If you shoot well, you win.
In Europe, things are different because everyone has good aim, and they have good strategies. I came to Fnatic wanting to play Sentinel, but I had to play Duelist. So it was hard for me.
This year, I have played Sentinels, so I can contribute more to the team. My skills have also improved. I used it in LOCK//IN and Masters, and we won.
Alfajer will be playing with Fnatic at Valorant Champions 2023 in August 2023. The team's first match is against ZETA Division from Japan.
