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The opening week of the VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers witnessed some of the best European teams engage in top-tier Valorant action for the first time since the Masters: Reykjavik.
Prior to the start of the Stage 2 EMEA Challengers, LDN UTD and OG Esports joined forces to compete at the VCT 2022 as a single entity. After benching Dreamas and acquiring a new talent, OG LDN UTD (OGLU) is now ready to take on the rest of EMEA.
OG LDN UTD took on the 2021 Valorant Champions, Acend, in their opening matchup. Although OGLU were strong in their efforts to overthrow Acend, they eventually conceded to the reigning champions after fierce encounters on Icebox and Split.
hype talks about his debut for OG LDN UTD at VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers
In a conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, OG LDN UTD's newest Tautvydas "hype" Paldavicius shared his thoughts on his debut performance at the VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers.
Q: How was the experience of playing your first official match for OG LDN UTD at a stage as big as the VCT EMEA Challengers?
hype: I think the experience is all that really counts. I just need to keep my chin up and go for the next match while really immersing the experience I get from this match. Even though I played badly, I don't really care. Hopefully, we can win the next one.
Q: What are the key differences that you can find between OGLU and your former team, Alliance?
hype: We had way more structure in Alliance, and we knew how to structure ourselves in the way they played. Back then, we knew what kind of plays we could make and what we could do. I'm just trying to fit in with OGLU right now. It takes time to fit in, but I'm trying my best.
Q: OGLU was forced to replay a round due to technical issues on your side, towards the end of your match on Split. Can you tell us what happened there?
hype: So, it was 1:17 (round timestamp) and my whole PC crashed. I couldn't even communicate to them to pause or stop the round.
Q: Out of the teams in Group A, who do you think will be your toughest opponents?
hype: The toughest are Acend, FPX and G2. I'm pretty excited to face my former teammate Enzo on the Fnatic side.
Q: Two of your former teammates from Alliance, luckeRRR and Enzo, are also competing in the VCT EMEA Challengers with other teams. Are you looking forward to playing against them?
hype: I'm very excited to play against Enzo, and hopefully, I meet LuckeRRR in the playoffs, if we can make it through.
Q: OGLU will be up against Fnatic in Week 2 of VCT EMEA Challengers. What are your expectations for that matchup?
hype: It's hard to expect anything, but they are definitely going to have some structure. Enzo could really bring the mid-round plays and help them out with mid-round stuff. They also have their new Sentinel, Alfajer, who is an insane aimer.
Q: LDN UTD didn't make it out of the Challengers Group Stage in Stage 1 of VCT 2022. How confident is the team in making it to the tournament's playoffs this time around?
hype: Last season, I didn't have the experience of playing against really good teams. However, I think we can pull through. If I find my right fit in the team and if I do what I can, I think we can definitely pull through.
