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Rishi "Rvk" Vijayakumar is an emerging Valorant star. The 21-year-old Indian prodigy currently plays for Enigma Gaming.
Enigma Gaming was the runner-up in the recently concluded AMD Skyesports Valorant Champions Series (SCS), losing in the Grand Final against Global Esports by a 3-2 scoreline. However, both teams will represent the South Asian region in the VCT APAC Stage 2 Challengers.
Enigma Gaming will start its journey in Play-Ins against Made in Thailand today. However, Sportskeeda Esports' Rishab Chakladar spoke to RvK ahead of the event, and the youngster, while sharing his experience with SCS, revealed the teams' plans for the upcoming APAC Stage 2 Challengers.
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Q. Congratulations on your qualification for the VCT APAC Stage 2 Challengers. How are you feeling?
RvK: Thank you so much! I’m feeling super excited actually. It’s just something completely new for all of us as a team!
Everyone was working hard as we tried to qualify for the VCT APAC Stage 1 Challengers last time. But it ended as a disappointment. Even after performing exceptionally well in the Qualifier, we choked in the Playoffs.
However, we again performed well in the AMD Skyesports Champions Series and this time we did it. Though we lost the Grand Final, our performances have been excellent. Hence, we are very confident of ourselves ahead of the APAC Stage 2 Challengers.
Q. APAC is starting tomorrow. You will be facing Made in Thailand in your first game tomorrow. How are you and your team making yourself prepared for the event?
RvK: We are not doing something totally different. We played several practice games against teams from Singapore, Thailand and other sub-regions. We’re just tweaking some of the strategies that we used in previous events. As a team, you always need to update yourself to the evolving meta and we are just doing that. Apart from that, we are ready for every team.
Q. Global Esports and Enigma Gaming, both Indian teams, have a comparatively tougher pathway this time in the starting phase itself with several big names in the same group. According to you what needs to be done to come out top against these sides to proceed further in the event?
RvK: I believe to be the best you have to beat the best and these teams are arguably the best teams in our region. If we want to compete globally in the top level in the near future, we have to start it by beating this team only. We just need to adapt to their playstyle and bring of something unique of our own to counter them. The perfect combo of these two will be necessary to come out top against these teams.
Q. Let’s come back to SCS. You guys played exceptionally well throughout the event, winning every game except the Grand Final against Global Esports! What went wrong for your side in that game?
RvK: Honestly, I think we were less prepared for that game. We wanted to change a bit in our playstyle for the Grand Finals but eventually it didn’t go in the way we’ve thought. We’re mentally broke in the last game. But up until then we were the best.
Q. What are the areas you feel your team needs to work on before the APAC Stage 2 Challengers?
RvK: As a team, we are very well organized. It’s just minor mistakes in the game that can be avoided and we’ve to do that as much as possible. Apart from that, we are very confident.
Q. Some teams have performed exceptionally well in SCS. Which other team has impressed you the most in this event?
RvK: I want to mention the name of Reckoning Esports here. The team has some serious potential and has given some hard time to Big Fish in the competition. It was very unfortunate that they failed to qualify for the Playoffs but they played exceptionally well.
Apart from that, Orangutan Gaming was amazing in this event. Despite being a new team, filled with players from different regions, they’ve done quite an impressive job.
Q. You played back-to-back two LAN events in two months. One of them was your first LAN event as well. Tell our readers about the experience you had at these events.
RvK: Oh! I think it was amazing. Though I have played LANs before unofficially, this was a unique experience. Traveling to the hotel, meeting with other players and content creators physically, people cheering your name; it is a completely different feeling altogether.
Q. According to you, what makes a LAN different from the other online events?
RvK: In online events, you can play from a complete comfort zone. Your set up, your chair, and most importantly your own home-atmosphere. But in LAN, you have to adapt to the conditions and the atmosphere of the arena. Each mistake counts here. A player will definitely feel pressure while playing on the stage.
Q. Anything to say to the fans ahead of the APAC Stage 2 Challengers?
RvK: First of all, I would like to thank each and everyone for supporting us through the SCS. Everyone now calls us the "Group Stage King." Hopefully we can prove it again in the VCT APAC Stage 2 Challengers and reach the Playoffs.
Keep supporting us and keep the chant #FEARTHEENIGMA throughout the event.
