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One of EMEA's most reputed Valorant organizations, Team Liquid, entered Stage 2 of the VCT 2022 EMEA Challengers with a landslide victory over BIG. After kickstarting their campaign with a remarkable performance, Liquid has come closer to their goal of qualifying for the Masters: Copenhagen.
After a disappointing end to their Masters: Reykjavik campaign, Team Liquid entered the Stage 2 EMEA Challengers with hopes of qualifying for the upcoming Masters tournament as one of the EMEA region's three representatives.
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Liquid's best-of-three matchup against BIG kicked off with a 13-5 win on Icebox, followed by a matchup on Split. While BIG were strong in their attempts to contain Team Liquid on Map 2, the latter's defensive stronghold earned them a convenient victory on the map, pushing them atop Group B in the EMEA Challengers Group Stage.
Team Liquid's IGL Jamppi talks about their performance against BIG at VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers
In a conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, Team Liquid's in-game leader (IGL) Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen discussed the team's performance in their opening match at the VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers.
Q: Team Liquid had an incredible start to the VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers, claiming a huge win against BIG. How would you describe your team's performance in that matchup?
Jamppi: I think our performance was pretty great. The game went as planned and just like how we have been playing in practice lately.
I think we're just super confident and had luck with the gameplan that we have been playing recently and did good executions that we talked about beforehand. Proud of all the guys and how they played today.
Q: Out of the teams in Group B of VCT EMEA Challengers, which team do you think will give you the toughest fight?
Jamppi: Personally, I still think M3C is still the strongest from our group. I think we've lost to them twice in a row now, so we want to play against them and get our revenge. It's going to be a good match when we face them in a few weeks.
Q: We witnessed a few first-time Agent picks from Team Liquid in the matchup against BIG - soulcas on Astra and Fade, and ScreaM on Raze. Although Liquid are not new to diverse Agent picks, who's idea was it to try out this particular gameplan, now that Sliggy has stepped down?
Jamppi: It's our new coach who brought it up. I think it's about our playstyle. I used to play Breach and Astra on Split, but now I'm playing Omen. I can play more freely now. I can lurk and play aggressive, which suits my playstyle.
I think it's made the news though that today on Icebox and Split, I had more freedom. I'm pretty good at some point when I have a lot of freedom to work on my own, I get timings to lurk and make some aggressive plays that suit my playstyle.
Q: Sliggy stepped down from the role of Team Liquid's head coach just a few days ago. How much of a loss is his departure from the team?
Jamppi: Sliggy leaving was a big loss. He's my best friend on the team and he's the one who messaged me right from the start. And of course, his work ethic. I have never seen a guy who works more than him.
It's a big loss, but I can only respect his choice and I think he'll find a great team. Whoever gets him should be really proud of getting him. He's a really great guy who will work super hard in every situation. We just have to move on and bring in new stuff.
Q: One of your recent streams sparked up conversations online about your potential return to CS: GO after the ongoing VCT season concludes. Can you clarify the situation?
Jamppi: I've been saying for the past year that at one point, I'll be going back to CS: GO. I'm not sure why people still take it as a big thing. Ever since I got unbanned, I've been saying that I'll go back to CS: GO at one point.
I still think about it. I don't know when it will be. I still have goals that I want to achieve in Valorant and I'm not leaving before I achieve those. It could be in five years, two years or even one year. It's really in my own process. It's nothing serious.
Q: Next week in the VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers, Team Liquid will be up against BBL Esports. What are your expectations for this matchup?
Jamppi: I think it's going to be a good match. I think they showed already by beating NAVI that they are a good team. They always had the potential, but it was more of the fundamental things that they were missing. I hope they are finally working on those, as they beat NAVI very convincingly, especially on the last map.
It's definitely going to be a good match against them and I hope there will be a lot of nice moments for both of us. It's going to be a tough match for sure.
Q: Team Liquid have consistently been one of EMEA's top representatives at major VCT events. What can your fans from all over the world expect from the team at Stage 2 of VCT 2022?
Jamppi: Our fans can always expect a lot from us and we need to deliver it. I don't think we've been playing that great lately and that's one of the things we have been focusing on.
You just need to expect the same level of performance from us, and hopefully, we don't make the mistakes we have made in the past and just qualify for the next LAN and Champions and win those tournaments.
