The international competition VALORANT Champions Tour 2022 Stage 2 Masters Copenhagen is being held from Sunday, July 10th in Copenhagen, Denmark. Japan national team NOR THEPTION (Nth) played against FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) who passed the 2nd place in the EMEA area on Day 4: Thursday, July 14, and lost with a map score of 0-2. It has been decided to leave this tournament.
Nth pick’s 1st map: Fracture starts from the development that Nth of defense start makes a number advantage with JoXJo player with 3 kills, but Shao player returns 3 kill clutch. Shao’s calm multi-kill pulls the flow of FPX, and with the composition of Nth that bites into it, it is a slightly disadvantageous turn with a round score of 5-7 in the first half. In the second half, he won the pistol round and caught up with the round tie, but FPX won with a round score of 9-13 so as to shake off the biting Nth.
FPX Pick’s 2nd Map: Although xnfri’s 1v3 beautiful clutch can be seen at Ascent, Nth at the start of defense continued to have to gradually lower the front line due to the bargaining of abilities, and the round score was 3-9, which was a rather painful turnaround. To. Nth turned to attack and repeated rounds steadily with JoXJo’s clutch etc., but FPX who took a time-out showed a response, and FPX won with a round score of 9-13 and a map score of 0-2.
As a result, FPX advanced to the playoffs that FNATIC awaits, and Nth was decided to be eliminated. In this article, we will deliver a joint interview (press conference) with NOR THEPTION immediately after the match.
—It was a disappointing result, but I think it was a very good match. Please tell us your feelings now. **
BlackWiz: I’m very disappointed that I lost to FPX while I had a strong desire to revenge on DRX. However, I think that I came to the world championship for the first time and enjoyed it with a really fun and happy time without regrets.
-Both maps were defeated in a few more rounds, but in what ways do you think they are different from FPX? **
xnfri: After all, FPX was superior in individual shooting ability. Even in the scenes where the situation was superior, there were also scenes where the strength of the shooting made it possible to take a round.
—What lessons and lessons do you think you learned through this tournament? **
JoXJo: First of all, I am grateful to my teammates who have won together so far. In the future, in order to aim for higher heights, I would like to focus on understanding the strategy of the other party and making quick decisions and coming up with it.
—Did yesterday’s match affect today’s results? **
JoXJo: I was tired from yesterday’s match, but it also means that the previous match led to the FPX match. In any case, I don’t think it had much effect.
—With today’s results, Nth will be challenging LCQ (Last Chance Qualifying for Champions) and will be competing against Korea, China and Japan’s Crazy Raccoon. What are your thoughts on this? **
xnfri: We learned a lot through this MASTERS and gained confidence, so I would like to participate in the Champions that won the LCQ. I’m looking forward to seeing what the team can achieve.
—What kind of time do you want to spend after finishing this MASTERS? **
Coach bail: After returning to Japan, I’d like to take a rest for a few days, but I want to prepare well without wasting time until I participate in LCQ.
–Why did you pick the fracture? **
After receiving the results of the bail coach scrim, we decided that the players could play with great confidence.
–What kind of impact do you think the franchising next year will have on the VALORANT scene in Asia? **
Coach bail: We know that the franchise model will cover the whole of Asia, but we haven’t got any detailed information yet so we can’t talk about it at this time.
-Shao’s very strong shootings have been seen many times, but how did you feel when you were actually shooting? **
Meteor: I’m the type who usually goes to shoot with confidence, but through the shoots and matches with Shao today, I feel that there are many people who are better than me in the world, and I feel that I have to grow further. rice field.
—After experiencing three games in the official tournament, how do you feel that you have grown not only as a team but also as a player, including local scrims? **
BlackWiz: Through this tournament and scrims with areas that you can’t usually do, I think there was something to learn about meta and individual strength. Personally, I feel that I have a clearer understanding of how well I can pass and what kind of play I should play, so I think I was able to grow in that respect.
ー xnfri said at the last press conference that there was pressure from the fans. Did such pressure affect your or your team’s play? **
xnfri: Of course there is an impact. It’s really hard to live up to the expectations of the fans, and it’s also hard mentally. But at the same time there was a lot of support, which had a positive impact on us.
—To what position do you think FPX will win in the future? **
JoXJo: It seems that you can fight with full members in the playoffs, so I think you can at least make it into the top three. In a hurry one fought as a sub player, but they still did great results.
Although the FPX match was a disappointing result, it was the first time in the VALORANT competition scene to win one victory in the first world tournament, and it can be said that it is a victory that confirms that the level of Japan as a whole is rising. And NORTHEPTION got the right to participate in LCQ (Last Chance Qualifying) to Champions which decides the world’s best in the VALORANT competition scene held in Istanbul, Turkey. I have high hopes for future growth as to whether we can show ourselves fighting in the world again.
In addition, based on the result of NORTHEPTION in this tournament, Japan’s ZETA DIVISION has decided to participate in Champions. We are also paying attention to whether we can achieve good results in the world again.