"We are conditioning ourselves to be lifting another trophy": Fnatic mini on playing against Bilibili Gaming at Valorant Champions 2023

Fnatic has been the best Valorant team in the 2023 VCT season. The side is known for its pin-point executions and superior mechanical abilities. After winning both international tournaments held during this season, Fnatic has its eyes set on the final stage. Winning Champions 2023 will not only declare them world champions but also bring a cash prize of $1,000,000.

Until now, they faced relatively easy opponents in ZETA DIVISION from Japan and Bilibili Gaming from China. As expected, the team sailed through both matches. One would expect Fnatic's head coach, Jacob "mini" Harris, to be happy with the performances. However, his expressions on broadcast seemed to suggest otherwise.

---

Why was mini frustrated despite Fnatic winning rounds against Bilibili Gaming at Valorant Champions 2023?

Mini's team won 2-0 against Bilibili Gaming (Image via Twitter/@FNATIC)

The casters of the Fnatic vs Bilibili Gaming match kept drawing attention to how there was disappointment and disapproval on mini's face even when his team was winning rounds.

When Abhipsito Das of Sportskeeda Esports asked mini about the same post-match, he responded:

"I think on defense, we were not letting the rounds play out properly, essentially letting them win. We know how much better than them we are, so its really frustrating [to watch]. Teams that are better than Bilibili [Gaming] will just punish us harder."

He further added:

"Moreover, it doesn’t matter that it was Bilibili. What matters is the question of whether we are conditioning ourselves to be lifting another trophy. Some of these mistakes that we do lose us rounds. So that’s what we need to focus on."

The team was indeed dealt an easy hand in the group stage of Valorant Champions 2023. However, beyond this stage, the competition will only heat up, and with a target on their back after winning two international trophies, even minor mistakes could cost the team dearly.

Fnatic Valorant team at the post-match press conference (Image via Riot Games)

It will be interesting to see how Fnatic performs in the playoffs stage against big names in the Valorant esports scene, such as Paper Rex, DRX, Evil Geniuses, and more.