NRG successfully took down KOI today in the opening match of the VALORANT LOCK//IN tournament—and star player Ardiis commemorated his in-game leader’s calling.
Ardiis told Dot Esports that in-game leader FNS’ calling was “unbelievable” and he contrasted his style to that of his former IGL Ange1 at FunPlus Phoenix, the team that won Masters Copenhagen in July 2022.
“It’s really structured,” Ardiis told Dot Esports. “[FNS] knows that he has a plan in his head, it’s exactly what you want from your IGL. I can’t fault that at all.”
Ardiis said the structured style FNS brings to the table helps him as a player since he is able to rely on the playbook rather than making rash decisions. “I like to have structure, I like to have protocols and know what everybody is doing without looking at the mini-map,” he said.
Ardiis, who is usually at the top of the scoreboard when he plays a professional match, had to make way for his teammates s0m and crashies today. Ardiis produced 27 kills in NRG’s match against KOI, while crashies and s0m both led their team with 36.
S0m, who is known for his large stream alongside his professional career, has unprecedented shoes to fill with Marved, largely considered one of the best controller players in the world, out of the team. But Ardiis said that s0m is underrated and his impeccable performance today against KOI was nothing out of the ordinary.
“It might be surprising to our fans, but I play with him day in day out in practice and that’s a daily thing for him,” Ardiis said about s0m’s performance. “A lot of people underestimate him.”
NRG are set to face off against the victors of Giants vs. DetonatioN FocusMe, which will be decided later tonight.
