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VCT 2023: Pacific League consists of ten Valorant franchised teams from the Asia Pacific region. It kicked off on March 25, 2023, and will continue until May 16, 2023. The event is being organized by Riot Games in Seoul, South Korea. The squads that manage to secure the top three spots in the tournament will be on their way to VCT 2023: Masters Tokyo and eventually to Valorant Champions 2023.
After Week 2 Day 1's matches concluded, Rishabh Kalita from Sportskeeda esports got the opportunity to have a conversation with T1 ban. Joseph "ban" Seungmin is a professional Valorant player who has several accolades to his name and currently plays for Korean team T1.
During the conversation, the athlete shared several intriguing insights regarding their team. He also went in-depth about the role of Controllers, the difference in the Valorant scene in NA as opposed to APAC, and more.
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T1 ban talks about team's upcoming opponents in VCT 2023: Pacific League, his experience with Omen, and more
Q. What are your thoughts on how you and your team performed today?
ban: I think we could have closed it out a lot sooner, but we won at the end of the day. I think we showed that we are capable of winning pretty well. So, I think we're good.
Q. Did Talon pose any unexpected challenges during the game?
ban: No, not really. I mean, we just played our own game, and we won pretty good. So, I am satisfied with how we played.
Q. In your opinion, what are some of the areas where T1 is currently lacking and needs to work on before their next match?
ban: I think we just need to focus more on individual stuff in certain situations. But team-wise, we are doing really well. So, I think we can show a better performance next time as well next week.
Q. Can you tell us why you didn’t play the second map, Haven?
ban: We are basically rotating me and iNTRO out for certain maps. And also, I want to get comfortable with smokes, so it's part of like of a learning system that we are doing.
Q. Xeta had mentioned that Talon is a "readable" team, while Talon Sushiboys countered that they purposely allow T1 to believe that. What are your thoughts on this exchange?
ban: I think the results show it at the end of the day. So, he (xeta) was right. [Laughs].
Q. Having played in NA before and now being in the Pacific scene for a while, what are your thoughts on the differences between the two regions in terms of Valorant's esports scene?
ban: I think in NA, they (players) were way more fundamentally good in the sense that CS players were coming up to Valorant. But I think, in APAC, it's more like, I guess strategies, I think, so I think those are the main differences.
Q. As someone who primarily plays Controller Agents, what do you think are some key things that a Controller should pay attention to when playing both on the attacking and defending sides?
ban: Honestly and personally, I can't really say because I am not a good Controller player just yet. I want to get better, and I am getting better. So, I think if you ask me that question next time, maybe in a couple of weeks or so, I can answer it perfectly.
[But you are playing Controllers at a professional level so...]
Yeah, I mean, especially when you are playing Omen, I think your paranoia, the blind, is what your teammates get the most value out of, and I think that's one of the most important skills. In terms of anchoring sites and throwing smokes at the right time, you have to be aware of the map at all times.
Q. Speaking of Controllers, which Controller Agent and Gekko duo do you think will be the most effective?
ban: It's definitely Harbor, in my opinion, because of the orb and how Gekko can plant.
Q. Which teams do you consider to be your most challenging opponents in VCT 2023: Pacific League?
ban: I think it's too early to tell, but definitely, as everyone says, it's probably DRX that are probably the top contenders. We'll see in about seven weeks when we go against them.
Q. You will be facing Paper Rex next. What do you think of them?
ban: Honestly, I am not really worried. I think we'll be fine as long as we keep doing how we are doing right now, so.
T1 will be facing Paper Rex in their upcoming VCT 2023: Pacific League match. The match is scheduled to take place on April 8, 2023, in Seoul, South Korea.
