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VCT 2022 Stage 1 NA Challengers has entered its playoffs stages, after five weeks of enthralling matchups concluded the tournament's Group Stage. Eight of the best teams in NA will compete among themselves to decide the two participants for the Stage 1 Masters.
After enjoying an unbeaten run in the Group Stage, Group B leaders Version1 took on Luminosity Gaming (LG) in a three-map entertainer which saw the latter progress to the semi-finals of the tournament.
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Version1 had a rough start to the series on Bind (10-13) as a good defensive setup from Luminosity denied them a map win. While Version1's efforts earned them a 13-8 victory over Ascent, the overtime showdown on Fracture (15-13) ended in favor of Luminosity.
Zander talks about Version1's performance against Luminosity at the VCT 2022 Stage 1 NA Challengers Playoffs
In a conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, Version1's in-game leader (IGL), Alexander "Zander" Dituri, elaborated on his team’s performance after their defeat to Luminosity Gaming in the quarter-finals of the VCT 2022 Stage 1 NA Challengers.
Q: Version1 entered the VCT NA Challengers Playoffs as one of the favorites to win the tournament. Where do you think the team faltered in the matchup against Luminosity?
Zander: I think today was the worst Valorant we have ever played since I joined the team. We made a lot of sloppy decisions, had a lot of sloppy rounds. We won only one pistol round out of six. Nothing much that we can look back at and be sad about, but we will work hard to be better.
Q: After entering the playoffs as the fourth seed from their group, Luminosity managed to pull off an upset against an unbeaten team such as Version1. How would you describe their performance?
Zander: LG played well. I think some of the stuff they were doing threw us off-guard. A lot of the stuff we were doing countered theirs as well. We adjusted prematurely while they adjusted pretty well to what we were doing. They played smart, so props to them.
Q: Version1 enjoyed a good start to the defensive half on Bind, but faltered during moments in attack. Where do you think the team lost momentum?
Zander: I think we had a bad read on what to do in certain situations. Sage being played instead of Viper is something we weren't used to at all. We tried to go fast because we felt like there was no delay on the site Sage didn't play. We were kind of playing slow, but fast at the same time. It's really hard to say.
Q: We have been seeing you perform on Astra and Viper for the last few months. As a Controller player, how do you feel about the changes that came up in Patch 4.04?
Zander: I'm really happy with the changes. I think it provides different things to do. Astra was the one character that was always played, but now I feel like all of them can be played - Astra, Brimstone, Omen, and of course, Viper on certain maps as well. It provides us with more variation in the game.
Q: Version1 enjoyed an perfect run in the VCT NA Challengers Group Stage, defeating teams like Knights, Rise, NRG, OpTic and Sentinels.
Looking back, how would you describe Version1's performance when compared to the expectations that you had for the team prior to the start of the tournament?
Zander: A lot of people doubted us for a small bit. But as soon as we started dominating some of the teams like Knights and Rise, people gave us a lot of respect and thought we could go 5-0 in this group. I think people did underrate us, but now we are fairly rated.
Q: Version1's last appearance in a VCT Masters event was in VCT 2021 Stage 2 Masters: Reykjavic. Considering your current form, how confident are you in cruising through the lower brackets of the tournament and claiming a spot at the VCT 2022 Stage 1 Masters?
Zander: We're really confident. I think if we just go back and watch this game against LG, we will learn from our mistakes. I think we are really strong on all the maps. Honestly, we don't have too much to worry about. We just played sloppy this match but we'll have energy for the next.
