VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo. NAVI at the press conference!

Before the start of the Omega group at the VCT 2023: LOCK//IN São Paulo, a press conference with the players of the tournament was held. Two NAVI VALORANT players took part in it: team captain Kyrylo "ANGE1" Karasov and Dmitry "suygetsu" Ilyushin.

Below you will find out if we should expect Harbor from suygetsu, what Mehmet "cNed" Yagiz Ipek brought to the team, and whether ANGE1 watches movies with subtitles.

Kyrylo "ANGE1" Karasov

Now representing NAVI, you’ve kept all your FPX roster apart from ardiis. How does cNed differ from ardiis in terms of playstyle, and what can we expect from him throughout the season?

cNed is a more “explosive” kind of duelist. He likes to take duels, he knows how to do it. He would rather take a risk and win than lose. I would say his playstyle is more aggressive. Playing with him and learning how to fit him into our team is very interesting. Super interesting.

You had a really solid last year with FPX. Unfortunately, you missed out on VCT 2022: Stage 1 Masters - Reykjavík, but had awesome showings at other international events. We also mentioned a key change was replacing ardiis with cNed. I want to ask if you can carry some momentum into this year or if you believe it is a totally fresh start with VALORANT partnership and a change of scenery now that you are in NAVI.

I don’t think it’s possible for anyone here to carry something from the last year because the competition has become three times harder. Every organization gathered the best rosters they possibly could, and I think anyone who wants to win at least some tournaments this year needs to work 3-4 times harder than before.

I’ve been made aware of a cardinal sin you are committing, by d00mbr0s, actually, so I wanted to ask you. Is it true that you hate subtitles on movies and watch everything dubbed? Are you for real? What’s going on?

No, no. It's all his lies. What did you expect from him?

So the Alpha bracket was a bit of a tough start for EMEA since first-round eliminations, and they were out by the second round. New meta, start of the year, new teams, single elimination tournament, so not too many warning signs ramping of things for you to look out for. Do you foresee the region performing better with you, Liquid, and Fnatic in the Omega bracket?

I think on paper we, Fnatic, and Liquid are the strongest teams. Unfortunately, we have been placed in the same bracket, so we won't see an all-EU final, but who knows how the tournament will go? Single elimination. 32 teams, new meta, new maps, new agent. It is going to be pretty wild. But I feel an EU team should win this part of the bracket.

Photo Credit: Valorant Champions Tour Photos

Dmitry "suygetsu" Ilyushin

Typically you play a Sentinel role with some Viper thrown in there. Recently, we have seen the rise of Harbor. With the change in meta, it's a brand new year, so do you still intend on staying in that Sentinel role with a little bit of Viper here and there, or may we see a big change from you?

This meta, actually… I don't know why every team is playing Harbor, I have no idea. As my captain says, it is the least-picked agent in the game. I will probably stick to my Sentinel role with Viper or Killjoy, so you probably won't see Harbor from me, perhaps on some map, I don't know. Let's keep it a surprise.

What are your feelings after being crowned Masters champions and maintaining the roster, except for ardiis?

I don't think there have been many changes. It's a great team, as everyone will see in Brazil. I don't know what else I can tell you about my feelings right now. Everything is good. I feel fine.

Questions to NAVI players start at 1:56:00

In the first match of the tournament, NAVI confidently defeated KRÜ Esports with a score of 2:0. The next match against Team Secret will take place on February 25th at 18:00.