Lakia says great teamwork and synergy are reasons why Gen.G are the best VALORANT team in VCT Pacific right now

South Korean powerhouse Gen.G Esports have a brand new roster for VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2024 and this brand new team has so far been unstoppable in VCT Pacific.

After winning the VCT Pacific Kickoff championship earlier this year and coming in second at VCT Masters Madrid last month, Gen.G continued to prove that they’re the team to be feared.

Following Gen.G's victory over Talon Esports in VCT Pacific Stage 1 on Tuesday (9 April), Yahoo Southeast Asia caught up with former Counter-Strike-turned-VALORANT pro Kim "Lakia" Jong-min for an exclusive interview.

Experience, synergy key to Gen.G's dominance

Lakia attributed Gen.G's meteoric rise to the top tier of the pro VALORANT scene to the team's experience and synergy, all grounded in their shared experience and camaraderie.

“The veterans on this roster have a lot of experience just playing as a team,” said Lakia.

“So I think and we're so we're all used to being in a team environment, and the one player who doesn't have that experience has insane aim. I think overall, we have great synergy, and also, our players are all very close outside of the game, and I think that helps a lot."

This also extends to Gen.G's coaching staff, Lakia said, as the team's support staff have been instrumental in keeping the players focused on playing their matches and improving their gameplay.

“And finally, our coaching staff really provides what we need so that the players can just focus on the game and the coaching staff takes care of the rest,” added Lakia.

Reflecting on his debut in the VCT Pacific League, Lakia expressed his aspirations for the season ahead.

"I think the experience of playing all those matches in Kick Off and Madrid really helped me out,” he said.

“Now with those games under my belt, I want to be able to show the type of player I am as a veteran heading into the season."

The important of health in esports

Even so, not everything has been smooth sailing for Gen.G as of late. Lakia shared that before their match against Talon Esports, two of his teammates caught a cold, and this subsequently spread to everyone in the team.

"I think we all did our job, thankfully," Lakia remarked. “We were feeling a little bit under the weather... But overall, everyone did what they were supposed to do, so we got the win."

Gen.G's initiator also openly said that the team was playing loosely and was “happy gaming” in the second game of their match against Talon. Despite this, the team was still able to secure the win in a 2-0 sweep against their opponents.

To help avoid these situations, Lakia shared that he and his teammates have also been trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle outside of competition. Physical health is still very important in esports, after all, you can't exactly move your mouse and click your buttons effectively if you're sick.

"Outside of the game, my main goal is to exercise regularly. I have started exercising recently and I'm trying to wake up a bit earlier at around 11:00 to go to the gym before our practise for the day,” said Lakia.

“Now going to the gym regularly... I think that's the hard part.”

Lakia shared, however, that aiming for first place, helps with his personal goal of being fit and going to the gym every day.

"I think being first place gives me the confidence to chase both in-game and out-of-game aspects."

“Being first place [in the game] does give me confidence now,” he said. “But now, being first place also means that I need to work that much harder to keep it up,” he added.

To him, this includes being disciplined in other aspects, including his fitness, so both of these goals are intertwined with each other.

A honeymoon phase?

Looking ahead to their upcoming match against Paper Rex, a formidable opponent, Gen.G remains focused on their objectives.

Paper Rex's Khalish "d4v41" Rusyaidee recently said in an interview with Sportskeeda that Gen.G was in their “honeymoon phase” and that they were “the strongest team in the Pacific right now.”

Lakia agrees with this, saying “They're not wrong. I think we do feel some of that as well.” He also acknowledged the team's early successes but stressed the importance of maintaining focus throughout the season.

“Just because we've put up a few good results at the beginning of the season, doesn't mean we're losing focus for the rest of the season,” Lakia added.

“I think we're all of us, feel like we're starting again from square one and we're going to focus for the rest of the season.”

As the competition heats up in VCT Pacific Stage 1, Gen.G remains undeterred, poised to overcome any challenges that come their way. With their sights set on victory, they refuse to underestimate their opponents, including Paper Rex, who are determined to return to top form with Jinggg's return.

“Sure, PRX definitely have the potential to stop us from winning stage 1,” Lakia shared. “Now, of course, our goal is to win the whole thing, not just [against] PRX.”

"A lot of different teams have the potential to beat us," he admitted. "We're just going to focus on what we are doing and make sure we are playing our own game."

At the end of the interview, Lakia thanked all of Gen.G’s supporters but had a message for those who haven’t supported the South Korean powerhouse yet.

“I don't think it hurts to support us because we're going to continue to work hard and play well,” he promised.

Gen.G is set to play against PRX on Saturday (13 April) at VCT Pacific Stage 1.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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