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After a week of enthralling matchups, VCT 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers headed into Week 2 of their Group Stages. FunPlus Phoenix faced Gambit Esports in a Bo3 thriller to earn a crucial victory in their Group A outing.
FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) upset BIG in their opening match of the VCT Challengers. Facing the CIS powerhouse Gambit, in the match that followed, FPX unveiled their arsenal in exciting fashion over three maps - Fracture, Bind and Icebox.
FPX squandered a 12-3 lead on Fracture to take the match to an excruciating overtime run that saw them win on a 17-15 scoreline. On Bind, however, Gambit was valiant in their efforts to take the match to a decider.
In their final showdown on Icebox, FPX managed to topple Gambit and win the series as they claimed the map in an overtime victory (14-12). After Week 2 of the VCT Stage 1 EMEA Challengers concluded, FPX leads Group A and remains the only team in the group with two wins.
ardiis talks about FunPlus Phoenix's performance against Gambit at the VCT 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers Group Stage
In a conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, FunPlus Phoenix's Ardis "ardiis" Svarenieks shed light on the team's performance in the VCT 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers, and gave his insight on playing with Chamber for the first time.
Q: FunPlus Phoenix has had an excellent run at the VCT 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers so far. What did you think about the team's performance today against Gambit?
ardiis: I think it went well. We weren't bad on Bind, but we lost a lot of clutches and pivotal rounds. Overall, I think the effort of our practice bore fruit.
Q: After being up 12-3 on Fracture, FPX conceded 10 rounds in a row to Gambit. Despite your team eventually claiming the map, what do you think led to this mid-round madness?
ardiis: Gambit called for quite a few technical pauses. I think they were trying to arrest our momentum, which ended up working for them. We lost our rhythm. I feel like when we went 12-3 up, we thought that we had already won the map. It was a good learning experience for us as well.
Q: This is the first time we've seen you pick up Chamber in a VCT match. What do you think about the Agent? Do you think Chamber is viable in competitive Valorant?
ardiis: Honestly, I don't like playing Chamber. TSM and several other North American teams use the Agent on every map. I do think Chamber has a place in Valorant's meta, but only in one or two maps. On every map, he's just not viable.
Chamber can be a good pocket pick on Bind. Otherwise, teams will have to trade their Jett or Cypher to pick him, and in turn lose access to a few valuable utilities. In Breeze, in particular, if you replace Jett with Chamber, you don't have anyone dashing into the site, making it hard to gain entry into the bombsite.
Chamber has his place in the meta, but I wouldn't play him on every map.
Q: Gambit are renowned for being one of the best teams in Valorant esports. How do you think they performed against FunPlus Phoenix in your Week 2 matchup?
ardiis: Gambit are the best team in Europe by a mile. I think they were really strong. We all expected this from them.
They are going through a small transformation period, as all of them are trying out different roles right now. Nevertheless, I think they played well. I still think they are the best in Europe, but are going through a rough patch right now.
Q: FunPlus Phoenix is scheduled to face LDN UTD in their Week 3 fixture of the VCT 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers Group Stage. Based on their performance so far in the VCT Qualifiers and Challengers, how would you rate them?
ardiis: I heard about LDN's opening match against NAVI, even though I didn't get to watch it. We will leave it to the coach and analyst to give us a breakdown of their performance. To be honest, they are strong opponents, but I haven't seen a lot of their matches.
Q: You were part of the fish123 roster that was later signed by Team Liquid in 2020. Over the next few weeks, you will be facing some of your former teammates at Liquid, as well as a few familiar faces at NAVI. How do you feel about that?
ardiis: Only a few of my former teammates from fish123 are left in the current Team Liquid squad. Nevertheless, I'm excited to face the team later on in the Group Stage.
Our match against NAVI will be a good one. We played them in the VCT Qualifiers. It was a great best-of-five series, and they will want to avenge their defeat in our next match.
Q: Prior to joining FunPlus Phoenix, a majority of your Valorant career was spent at G2 Esports and Team Heretics. How did your previous stints help you in shaping your career as a professional esports athlete?
ardiis: G2 was really fun. They have a great atmosphere and are one of the best teams I have ever played for. I have really positive memories of G2. However, we made a lot of mistakes towards the end, which resulted in a drop in performance.
My time at Heretics was the worst period of my life. Looking back, it was the wrong decision. I didn't learn anything during my time in the organization.
For me, G2 was the best part. We won a lot of things and enjoyed our time there. I hope to continue my winning streak here at FunPlus Phoenix.
Q: FunPlus Phoenix have won both of their Group Stage matches at the VCT 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers so far. How confident are you in earning one of the playoff spots and eventually qualifying for the Stage 1 Masters?
ardiis: I'm taking everything game by game and not rushing into things. Our goal is to qualify for each and every LAN tournament and see what we can achieve there. We have already seen teams from NA and EMEA win the VCT Masters tournaments in Reykjavík and Berlin. I know we have the skills to compete at those stages.
Last year was the worst year of my life. So, I just want to compete and become one of the best players in the world with FunPlus Phoenix hereon.
