Team Liquid have locked in their spot for Valorant Champions Shanghai. They clinched the position after a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Fire Flux Esports in the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Lower Bracket Semifinals.
The victory eliminated the final team that could challenge Liquid for the region’s remaining Champions spot. Fire Flux really needed a top-two finish to stay in the race, but with their exit, Liquid moved forward thanks to their championship points.
Liquid’s captain, Ayaz “nAts” Akhmetshin, sees this qualification as a hard-earned reward for everything the team has pushed through this season. That said, he was quick to point out that just getting to Champions isn't the finish line.
“I think through everything we went through, we deserve to be at Champions. But we need a lot of hard work to make sure we show up well at Champions. There is a lot of work to be done from the team and from the individuals to make sure that we're actually at the level to be a good competitor. We deserve it, but we need to put in a lot of work.”
Team Liquid Still Have Problems to Fix Before Shanghai
The match against Fire Flux was a bit of a mixed bag; it showed off Liquid's potential but also highlighted a few cracks. Even though they walked away with a 2-0, the maps ended up being tighter than they probably should have been after Liquid let some key rounds slip through their fingers.
nAts was happy with how they held up on defense, but he’s looking for a lot more consistency when they’re on the attack.
“The defensive side was very good. We need to start securing our attack rounds here and there because we also made the games way closer with some rounds. Especially, for example, the 3v1 on Lotus. If we just secure that round, the game would be a bit easier. But for tomorrow, we just need to make sure we secure the rounds and play the better game, and that's it. I think we'll be fine.”
This qualification is also another chapter in nAts’ four-year run with Liquid. Since he joined, he’s stepped up as a captain and IGL, becoming the person the team leans on when the pressure is on.
He truly embraces the responsibility of being the problem-solver whenever things start to look shaky on the server.
“It's good, especially for the team. For me, it's very important to make sure that the boys can rely on me if something goes wrong on the server, if something gets tough. I'm the one who is responsible for finding a way to win the round. Macro, micro, it doesn't really matter. And I like that. I like that I'm doing it under the Team Liquid name as well. It's also very cool to do that.”
With the stress of qualifying behind them, Liquid can finally focus on preparing for Shanghai. But first, they’ve got to handle business against FUT Esports in the VCT EMEA Stage 2 Lower Bracket Final.
While their spot at Champions is in the bag, nAts’ mindset makes it clear that they aren't satisfied with just showing up. The real goal is to hit the stage in Shanghai ready to take on the best in the world.
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