"We could have won even quicker" - DRX's stax on winning against Global Esports, missing Masters Madrid and recent roster changes [Exclusive]

By N Siddarth

Modified Apr 09, 2024 12:40 GMT

DRX's stax at Valorant Champions 2023 (Image via Riot Games)

DRX has started strong in the VCT Pacific Stage 1. Their latest victory against Global Esports yesterday puts them on a 2-0 record in the Group Stage at the moment. DRX has had a tumultuous time so far in VCT 2024.

The Korean roster notably missed out on VCT Masters Madrid and has also had a lot of roster changes within a short time. Stage 1 of VCT Pacific could help the team find its footing and return to domestic domination as well as international relevance once again.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, DRX's IGL Kim "stax" Gu-Taek shared his thoughts on the win against Global Esports alongside various other topics such as the team's struggles at the moment.

DRX's stax talks about Foxy9 on the Sentinel role, the team's atmosphere, and more

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Q: Congrats on the win against Global Esports! How are you feeling right now?

stax: I am very happy that we got the victory today. Now we have a bit of a gap before our next match so I am happy we have that extra time to prepare.

Q: It's been an interesting year for DRX as it was the first time in a long while that the team did not make an international event. How did the team react to the failure of not being able to make it to VCT Masters Madrid?

stax: It's kind of like a "take some-leave some" moment. I obviously feel bad that we could not make it to Masters Madrid but I also thought we had a lot of extra time to try out things that we never could before. There are also some issues that I can't really say and it's out of our control. We just had to take what we could and we ended up preparing quite well during this extra time.

Q: DRX is a team that has rarely made roster changes throughout its history in the VCT. As an IGL, how has it been adapting to a slew of roster changes in a short time frame?

stax: As mentioned before, there are certain things that are out of control. The rest of the players that were on the team took it as an opportunity to control whatever was possible and prepare well. Our teamwork has been lacking recently but we are always cheering each other up so the atmosphere has been very good.

Q: I would like to focus more on the series DRX just won. It was a pretty comfortable time for the team across both maps despite playing mirror team compositions. What were some of the reasons that allowed DRX to have a clear edge over Global Esports today?

stax: I think we made a lot of mistakes during this series. There were some miscommunications and mistimed scenarios. If we had more time to work on our teamwork then I think we could have won even faster. Even though we lacked time, the team prepared very well for this matchup.

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Q: Lotus is generally seen as an Attack-sided map in pro play right now. However, DRX had a 9-3 Defense half today. What were some factors that helped you put up a strong Defense on Lotus?

stax: As I am in the center overseeing everything, I can tell that my team's shot calling and communication were very good in this series. I think that's why we were able to dominate the Defense half. If we did not have any slight miscommunications or mistakes, we would have taken it 12-0.

Q: Foxy9 has had some great performances in the Sentinel role so far after the addition of BeYN to the roster. Can we expect Foxy9 to be the permanent Sentinel in this iteration of DRX or can we see BuZz and Foxy9 swap roles similar to the 2023 version of DRX?

stax: It all depends on the meta. Right now there is a vacancy in DRX for the Sentinel role and I am just very thankful to Foxy9 for filling that role. If the meta fits our strategies and our teamwork then maybe we can see BuZz and Foxy9 swap roles.

Q: In the post-match press conference, termi (Head Coach) expressed that DRX were not favorites heading into the matchup against T1 as the team is not in its peak at the moment. Do you personally think it would be a much closer matchup considering you have a good amount of prep time before the series?

stax: In a way I do agree with termi. Even though we have all this extra time, I don't think it will be quite enough. That being said, there is a lot to learn here. We will just prepare as much as we can heading into this matchup and hopefully, we can come out of the series with something new to learn.

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Edited by Ritoban "Veloxi" Paul