After showing impressive skills in the First Strike qualifiers, the unsigned team “Orgless” drew the short straw in quarterfinals to go up against G2, the favorite to win the EU First Strike tournament. Although Orgless ended up losing that match 0-2 and being eliminated in the first round of the tournament, they still put up an impressive fight, very nearly winning both of the maps that were played during their match. They showed a good deal of determination and discipline throughout the match, and although they ultimately lost, they still showed that they are capable of hanging with some of the best teams in the world.
Despite losing to G2, Orgless is still proud of their performance in the EU First Strike quarterfinals. (Photo courtesy DreamHack)
We caught up with Orgless founding member Vincent “Happy” Cervoni to ask him about their performance against G2 and his future hopes for his unsigned team.
Hotspawn: What did you think about your team’s performance against G2?
Happy: I think we matched up pretty well, their playstyle against ours. We ultimately lost on technicalities. They are just a little better at what they do right now. Props to them, there is a reason they are considered the best team in Europe. When pushed against the wall they know how to answer. We also knew how to answer on a lot of key rounds, but not as many, and that was what made the difference.
We showed that we are no joke.
Hotspawn: Did G2 play the way you expected them to play?
Happy: When we drew G2, we had a mixed feeling about it. We were going to play the best team in Europe, which sucks kind of compared to playing another team that we could defeat more easily. But we have the right playstyle against them. I don’t think we over performed during that game either, we showed that we are no joke. I don’t know how people see us, but we played our average, or maybe even underperformed, and we still looked really good.
It wasn’t enough in the end, but we can be proud of what we achieved. The fact that we are the only team to qualify for First Strike EU twice during the closed qualifiers, shows something. The picture we have to paint is the whole picture, understanding all the process, we have shown consistency and that was one of my personal and team objectives.
Hotspawn: How has the synergy with your team changed over time?
Happy: I don’t think being orgless super matters. We have managed our team pretty well so far. It was just me and Pipse at first, then we brought Boo into the trio of us. The other two came in pretty late in the team life span, but they fit really well into our group. We have always prioritized having a really strong set up and structure to get everyone to feel comfortable. Everything falls into place, we have our set reactions and strategies, and I think this is one of our main strengths.
We work a lot and we do match up well against teams like G2 that like to play loose. Today, our plays just weren’t quite enough. The micro on our side is improving and we will beat them eventually as we build more experience. G2 the team, their core, they have played together for a really long time. G2 were very well polished, but we are still on the rise.
Hotspawn: You very nearly pulled off a big comeback on Split. What was changed in the second half that enabled that big round win streak on attack?
Happy: We know Split has been difficult for us, especially on the defensive side. When we switched sides, we knew our defense side was weak, and our attacking side was the strong point. When we won the pistol round on attack, we knew we could keep focused and grind out those round wins. We put up like eight or nine rounds in a row on the attack side, partly because our individual skills kicked in.
It wasn’t dark magic, we were just following our strategies and playing the game. When we finally started getting ahead, we made some silly mistakes and couldn’t close out the map. It’s hard to ask us to be perfect, next time we will make better calls and get better kills and get the game.
Hotspawn: What is one thing you want VALORANT fans to know about your team?
Happy: One key thing I want to talk about is the crazy fortitude within Orgless. It happens so many times where we are down and we manage to come back and win the game. I think it’s something we deserve some praise for. You can never count us out, no matter how much we get beaten up. We showed that today, we turned it around on both maps, and it’s something that I want to highlight within the team. We keep our composure, no matter what.
Hotspawn: What is the next step for your team?
Happy: We are still looking for an org. We are really hard workers and we want to be represented by a strong organization. No matter what, we will keep working. That will tell you a lot about us. Our fortitude in the game comes from our work ethic, that is one of our strengths compared to some of the other VALORANT teams. We like the game and we want to be at the top.
