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One of APAC's leading Valorant organizations, XERXIA, returns to VCT Masters as the region's second representative. After a defeat to FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) in their opening matchup, XERXIA was sent to the elimination bracket of the VCT Masters: Copenhagen Group Stage.
In an enthralling best-of-three encounter, XERXIA put on a valiant attempt to overthrow the EMEA giants. After an overtime defeat on Map 1 (Bind), XERXIA put on a promising performance, claiming Ascent. However, a close encounter on Haven sealed the series in favor of FPX.
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XERXIA were seeded alongside FPX, DRX, and Northeption in Group B of the tournament's Group Stage. Upon failing to overthrow FPX in their opening fixture, XERXIA have been pushed to the Group B elimination match, where they will meet Japan's number 1 contender, Northeption, in a best-of-three matchup.
XERXIA's head coach Zeus discusses performance against FunPlus Phoenix in VCT 2022 Stage 2 Masters: Copenhagen
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, XERXIA's head coach, Yuttanagorn "Zeus" Kaewkongyai, detailed the team's defeat to FunPlus Phoenix in their opening matchup, talking about his experience at the VCT 2022 Stage 2 Masters: Copenhagen so far.
Q: XERXIA were inches away from winning over one of EMEA's elite VCT contenders today. What are your key takeaways from this defeat?
Zeus: I think it's a good thing for us. We learned a new experience today since we played against a new team. Normally, we play against OpTic, as seen quite a lot in the past. It's good to learn something new from a different team. I think they took advantage of our mistakes so I think they deserve to win this match.
Q: XERXIA has never managed to defeat an EMEA team in VCT events. Do you think this is due to EMEA's playstyle as a region, or were all the defeats situational?
Zeus: I think it's mainly because of the situation and partly due to the support for our region as well. We might not get support on the same level as they do. Maybe that is the reason.
Q: Do you think the fact that XERXIA has never won against an EMEA team added more pressure to the players prior to the match?
Zeus: Not really. I think the fact that we've never won against EMEA teams is good for us, so it reduces the pressure on our team and we can kind of follow up with them faster. We play in our own style. We just try to do our best with our playstyle.
Q: Surf had one of the best individual performances in the tournament today. We saw him on LAN for the first time in Iceland. He’s had more time with the team now, so how much has he improved since then, and how important is he to the team's playstyle?
Zeus: I think Surf is doing really well. This is what the plan that we, as a team, have for him. All we have to do is support him and push him to be a bit better than what he is now.
Q: XERXIA couldn't make it past the Group Stage of VCT Masters Reykjavik. How much have you been preparing to ensure that you progress further in the tournament this time around?
Zeus: In fact, we expect to win against any team we play against. But due to our own mistakes and with our opponents playing quite well, it is difficult to resolve the situation in the game right then. But as the coach, I will try my best to support them.
Q: At the last masters, there was news around Crws possibly retiring from pro Valorant. He replied at a recent VCT press conference, saying that he will play as long as the team needs him. As the team’s coach, how integral do you think Crws is to XERXIA's success?
Zeus: From my perspective, he's very important to the team and he plays really well. But I think from his perspective, it's quite tricky to play in his position. We talked about it. We just want him to try to improve his skill and he should be okay.
Q: XERXIA arrived in Copenhagen a couple of days before the tournament kicked off. Have you had the opportunity to scrim with any other teams at the tournament?
Zeus: When we first arrived, most of our players were jet lagged, so we were really tired. So we had the first day off to relax. On the second day, we just had a bit of a warmup. We didn't have a lot of scrim time, to be honest. We didn't practice much.
Q: You will be up against Northeption in your Group Stage elimination fixture. Considering they are the current best team in Japan, what do you expect from this matchup?
Zeus: We practiced with them a while ago. We have some things planned out for them when we play them.
Q: Aside from XERXIA, which team would you consider as a strong contender for the VCT Stage 2 Masters: Copenhagen?
Zeus: If you don't count our team, I would say DRX because they play really well.
Q: Despite the defeat, XERXIA are still in contention for a crucial playoffs spot. How confident are you in winning your remaining matches and making it all the way to the Grand Finals?
Zeus: Our performance today was not as good as expected. We also played against one of the top European teams as well. But we will try to improve, and we will try to prepare ourselves and practice for the next opponents.
