'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
As the Valorant Champions Tour 2022 kicks off, teams in EMEA will compete at the Stage 1 Challengers to earn a coveted Masters spot. Week 1 of the tournament witnessed BIG take on FunPlus Phoenix in their opening match.
BIG and FunPlus Phoenix faced off in a Bo3 thriller that concluded in FPX's favor. After enjoying a victory on Bind (13-7), BIG went on to lose on consecutive maps, namely Haven (8-13) and Split (11-13).
Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar had the opportunity to talk to BIG's obnoks after their opening fixture. The player provided some insight on the team's preparation and experience so far in the Valorant Champions Tour 2022 Stage 1 EMEA Challengers.
Obnox talks about BIG's experience at the for Valorant Champions Tour 2022 and their preparation for the remaining Group Stage matches
Q: BIG had a good start to the series, dominating both halves on Bind, the first map. What did the team encounter later on which led to the defeats on Haven and Split?
Obnoks: We tried our best. However, on Haven, they abused us on Garage and C-site. They found a hole in our strategy and we didn't really have an answer to that.
On Split, we may have lacked concentration, but it was the mistakes we made that eventually brought us down.
Q: Can you give us an insight on the team's preparation ahead of Valorant Champions Tour 2022?
Obnoks: We had many practice sessions where we tried out different compositions. A few of our players tried out different Agents. We watched a lot of VODs on our opponents as well. It wasn't different from our usual method of preparation.
The team usually scrims five to seven times each day. We have two teenagers in our squad (Kaspe and Twisten) who are still attending school, so that takes away some of our practice time.
Q: This was the first time we've seen BIG play against FunPlus Phoenix. What do you think about their performance ?
Obnoks: They played really well. Individually, each of them hit several good shots. We had trouble playing against them on Split, but we had a good match on Haven. They were quite strong. FPX played a unique comp on Split; one that we have never played against, not even in practice.
Q: What do you think about the remaining teams from your group based on their performance so far in the tournament?
Obnoks: Team Liquid and Gambit belong to Tier 1 in Valorant esports, and are our strongest opponents. The other teams, in my opinion, are defeatable. We're excited to face London United next week because I heard that they challenged us. We will just work more now, analyze our mistakes, and focus on fixing them.
Q: We are yet to see anyone from BIG pick up Chamber or Neon in an official Valorant match. Do you think either of them are viable in the game's ongoing meta?
Obnoks: Neon is a bit unique, so I'm not sure if anyone will play the Agent. Chamber, however, is playable. I would categorize him as a good Sentinel who can play an aggressive role as well, which fits into some comps.
Q: How does it feel to have a veteran like gob b as the team's in-game leader (IGL). How much does he contribute to the team?
Obnoks: It's one of the best things that's happened to us. Ahead of every tournament or important match, he always takes his time to watch the VODs of our opponents. He is always the one who calls everyone to the server, prompting us to learn new things. He's enthusiastic and motivated to be the best and tries to achieve the best for the team as well.
Q: BIG had a near-flawless Qualifiers run leading to the Stage 1 EMEA Challengers. What do you think the team can achieve from this tournament?
Obnoks: The EMEA Challengers are our first experience in a Tier 1 Valorant tournament. Our goal is to enter the playoffs, but it will be hard since there are a lot of good teams in this tournament. We have Fatih (Gob B) who is experienced and has played in similar high level tournaments. We just have to learn from each match and we'll be on our way towards our goals.
