A legend of the game, DRX veteran Kim “MaKo” Myeong-kwan’s wait for a global title continues. His side was bested by Fnatic 3-1 in the lower bracket final of VALORANT Champions this past weekend, triggering their elimination from the Paris competition. After the defeat, Hotspawn spoke to MaKo for an interview.
Hotspawn: What do you think caused the loss against Fnatic today?
MaKo: So simply, I think we played differently and the atmosphere was different to the other games. And if I have to pick one, I think it was just the difference of atmosphere.
Hotspawn: It looked like, especially on Bind, the atmosphere wasn’t great for DRX, with little to no celebration even after HYUNMIN’s ace.
Did you feel during that map that you guys had lost confidence?
MaKo: So I actually began to feel this in the second map. I think it’s because of the place that we were in or what was at stake that made us feel the pressure. And when we won, the reaction became smaller, but, however, when we lost, we [were] actually devastated more and we could see one another being devastated by the loss. And we had to cut that off, but we fell short to cut that off, because I felt that we as players had so much to lose when we played that game.
Hotspawn: Despite the loss, you’ve still completed a very admirable run, and most other teams would see third place at Champs as a huge achievement.
How do you reflect on VALORANT Champions 2025 and the season on the whole?
MaKo: So we were at a position where we weren’t even going to make Champs, and we came here in this tournament as a fourth seed. Overall we just came into the tournament saying, ‘Let’s just have fun’, but we didn’t expect to make it this far. So I just want to say that I think my boys did a really good job, and I think we could do much better next year.
Hotspawn: Despite being universally considered one of the greats of VALORANT, you’re still yet to have lifted a global title.
What do you think you need to do to go that final step further?
MaKo: So in order to win, I think when we’re having a bad atmosphere, I think I need to learn how to cut that off and bring the positive energy to the team, and just focus on the game and not think about the other things.
But I feel like we also need some luck in order to win Champs, but I think I am not getting the luck. However, as a professional, we just try our best and keep moving forward.
