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With the return of VCT 2022, teams from all over the world are preparing to compete at the highest level of Valorant. In the Stage 1 NA Challengers, eight of the best teams from the region have qualified for the tournament's playoffs.
In the opening match of the VCT 2022 Stage 1 NA Challengers quarter-finals, Pittsburgh Knights, the 4th seed from Group A, took on Cloud9, the Group B champions. Despite their efforts on Breeze and an all-out engagement on Ascent and Haven, Cloud9 came out victorious in this matchup.
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Knights and Cloud9 began their bout with a close encounter on Ascent (12-14) that ended in an overtime victory for the latter. However, Knights answered back with their calm approach, claiming Breeze (13-8). Ultimately, it all came down to a showdown on Haven (6-13), which Cloud9 claimed with relative ease.
ban comments on Knights' performance after their defeat to Cloud9 at VCT 2022 Stage 1 NA Challengers Playoffs
In a conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, Knights' Joseph "ban" Seungmin Oh discussed his team's experience at the VCT 2022 Stage 1 NA Challengers, while talking about their performance in the 1-2 defeat to Cloud9.
Q: How would you describe Knights' performance against Cloud9 in this VCT NA Challengers quarter-finals matchup?
ban: I think we played really well on Breeze. Cloud9's Haven is really good in my opinion, especially with the Breach. On Ascent, we did get a little antsy in terms of retakes, and that cost us a lot in the beginning, but that's easily fixable.
Going into these matches, it's a huge place, you know. I feel like there's definitely a lot on the line. We have young players on the team who definitely do get nervous; the rounds do get hectic at times. Next time we play, we will definitely fix the mistakes we made today on Ascent.
Q: This was your first time playing against this Cloud9 roster in an official VCT match. How do you think they performed?
ban: I think Cloud9 played well. On Haven, especially, their retakes were insane and their site executions were good. They're one of the best teams in NA for sure.
Q: You have consistently been one of the best players for Knights since your arrival. Despite the defeat, what do you have to say about your individual performance in this matchup?
ban: Honestly, I think that I could have played better; everyone can say that. I definitely made some mistakes and I know to not repeat them in the next round.
Personally, I love adjusting mid-game. If I make the mistake of over-peeking or not being patient, I definitely just tell myself to make sure I'm patient next time and I fix my mistakes mid-game.
This whole series, I feel like I should definitely have been more aggressive, especially on Haven. On Ascent, I did not get the important kills and that's something I have to fix as well.
Q: Knights had a great approach to the series on maps like Ascent and Breeze. However, on Haven, we witnessed the team being overpowered by Cloud9 in the second half. Where do you think Knights faltered in attack?
ban: The pistol round was really close, it came down to a 1v1. It happens; we lost a round. The second round was an eco; we lost that as well. But in the first gun round, we kind of had a disconnect between us when we were executing. After that, they were being aggressive on different sides of the map. Their retakes were also great, and all of that cost us the map.
Q: So far in the VCT Stage 1 NA Challengers, teams have played 2 matches on Patch 4.04. How do you feel about the changes that came up in the new meta?
ban: The new changes are really good. For a long time, the Astra meta was making the game boring for the ones who were watching because everyone would just play default and the Astra, in her astral form, would just suck people in and stun them.
Since that's over, Astra isn't viable on every single map. A lot of teams basically execute sites heavily now, and it feels like there's room for more agent comps and plays.
Q: VCT 2022 Stage 1 NA Challengers is by far the biggest competition in Valorant we have seen Knights take part in. Looking back, how would you describe your experience in the tournament's Group Stage?
ban: We have young people in the team. We have Frosty, who is 17 and skuba who is 18. I only have around 2 years of experience in FPS since Valorant was my first FPS game.
We are playing at the highest stage and I'm still trying to get better. Every single match that we have lost so far, I feel like we have gained something out of it and we have improved by just bringing ourselves to the playoffs.
