After their 2-1 defeat in their first match of this VALORANT VCT EMEA Stage 2 and a tight match to the end on the decider map of this BO3 between Fnatic and Karmine Corp, Dmitrii "SUYGETSU" Iliushin talks about the recent performance of KC, his goals with his team and his goal to represent the Blue Wall at Champions.

How did it feel to be back in the VCT stage for Split 2 after a short break, despite the loss against Fnatic?

Dmitry "Suygetsu" Ilyushin: "It's boring, but good. There's so much missing, it's basically just trolling rounds. If we turn around less, we'll win more. To be honest, we prepared hard. We only had two days to prepare, but we did everything we could. We prepared for this, it was our mindset: we are better, and we know everything they are doing. As a team player, I feel good. We won Lotus not through individual performance, but through teamwork.

What was the atmosphere among you and your teammates after losing Icebox and the match?

Suygetsu: We've already managed to avoid this kind of round. We're moving forward every time. So, if we say go next round, then we'll move on. For us, it was in the previous round, and we're focusing on the right moment. There is no single general rule. There are a lot of points to consider. We just need to play and enjoy our game. Then we will win everything.

You seemed a bit frustrated on this last map. What happened?

Suygetsu: Yes, of course. It was so close at 13-11. I remember this unfortunate shot from kaajak (Kajetan Haremski). I mean, we were trying to make a comeback. Basically, we played a good map. It was a good Icebox in general. I was a bit disappointed with the first half, but I managed to come back in the second. It was very positive for me that I didn't fail. It just proves that I'm a good player against a good Fnatic team. Unfortunately, in the last round in Valorant, there are some clutch moments that you just can't win. If you win those, you win the game.

How did the previous Esports World Cup match against Fnatic influence your strategy or preparation this time? Have they changed their approach?

Suygetsu: They literally didn't change anything. They didn't have that much time. We just played Bind, which we were going to win, but unfortunately, we lost because we were slacking a bit. In the EWC, we weren't mentally prepared to play against them. We were actually ready mentally on that day, but we made a lot of mistakes. This match showed us that we can learn from our mistakes and still win, as you saw. The EWC was a very good lesson for us. We're still trying to learn from it, and week by week we'll try to adapt and improve, and show our best side.

What was the mood in the team after the match? Heading into the rest of the split, are you feeling confident and motivated, or are there still issues from this game that you want to work on?

Suygetsu: Of course, we're feeling confident and motivated right now. You might not see it on our faces because we're frustrated. We just lost the game, guys. It's going to be like this. But looking to the future, things are looking very promising. We just need to work hard on our mistakes and enjoy playing. If you compare the Kickoff with now, it's literally not the same. If you watch EWC against Fnatic now and compare it to today's match, it's two different games.

Looking ahead to Split 2, what goals have you set for yourself? Is there an area of your gameplay that you would like to improve?

Suygetsu: There are some things I need to focus on more in our team calls, such as calming down my players. I feel like they are rushing a little bit in some moments. I just need to be more present and focus on mistakes. We should talk more in pairs. There is a lot of stuff I'm not going to mention, but I have things to fix and improve.

KC recruited new teammates like you, Efe "Elite" Teber, and Hazem "avez" Khaled. How did the team build synergy with you and the other new players?

Suygetsu: In general, we are young players. Of course, we're going to be close to each other. We're very honest with each other, we just want to win games, we just want to help everyone in our team improve, and we're here to win, of course. That's how it works.

The Champions 2025 will be in Paris, mostly in the KC Arena at Évry-Courcouronnes. What does it mean to you?

Suygetsu: It means everything to us. And of course, it means everything to KC fans. It would be great to have KC represented in Paris, with lots of fans cheering us on. I'm very excited to qualify there. We'll do everything we can to qualify."