RRQ has had a year full of ups and downs on their way to VALORANT Champions, with a dominant Stage 1 win at VCT Pacific followed by a quiet Masters Toronto, then an insane lower bracket run that saw them finish second in Stage 2. For RRQ’s Maksim “Jemkin” Batorov, the experience was about steady growth, resilience, and the belief that confidence matters more than anything else on stage.
Hotspawn sat down with him after last week’s loss to Fnatic, discussing the defeat, his personal improvements since Stage 1, adapting to the current meta, and the lessons he wants to carry forward into the future as they beat BLG and now must overcome MIBR to make it to the playoffs.
Hotspawn: Thanks for joining us after a tough series.
How are you feeling right now?
Jemkin: “A little bit tilted because I know we could have won if we make proper adjustments, or played a little bit better. But yeah, we cannot change anything already.”
Hotspawn: You’ve had a long season.
Since Stage 1, how do you feel you’ve grown as a player?
Jemkin: “It was mostly playing a lot of scrims because I don’t really play ranked, so I cannot really practise in ranked. So basically since Stage 1, I played almost every map. So I had a lot of play time and practise time. So, slowly towards the end, I was getting better and better. So yeah, that’s how it went.”
Hotspawn: What kept the team pushing even after falling to the lower bracket?
Jemkin: “Just trying your best because there’s no point quitting or not trying your best, because you played the whole year. You cannot really give up before the lower bracket because what’s the point of playing almost six months, seven months if you want to give up?
So I think everyone was just trying to keep their heads up and was trying their best to go and win the game.”
Hotspawn: How is your team feeling at Champions so far?
What are your goals?
Jemkin: “We cannot predict [anything] but we’re hopeful, because we don’t really have anything to lose. Like not titles to defend or anything. We just need to play our game and do our best.
“But the only thing I want to see is everyone trying their best in the game. And if everyone tries their best, it’s okay if we lose. Or if we win, it’s also good.”
Hotspawn: Who’s the funniest on the team?
Jemkin: “Usually it’s Monyet, he’s a jokey person and he’s just a really funny guy, so I think him.”
Hotspawn: What is one of the most important things that you’ve worked on as a professional player.
Jemkin: “Always confidence, because there’s no point if you’re not confident in yourself. Be confident in your head. Always think you’re the best.”
Hotspawn: Looking back at the Fnatic loss, what went wrong?
What do you think you can improve on for your upcoming games?
Jemkin: “Listen better to each other and just be more calm.
“I think the first map was good but [it] can always be better. I feel like we just didn’t adapt properly in the second half. Because I would say the first half we played good, we could have one more round but it was okay. We won seven rounds.
“But yeah, our defence side, we just didn’t adjust, didn’t adjust properly, they kind of started snowballing us.”
Hotspawn: The meta’s been shifting towards Yoru and Waylay, and you guys have been using them both very effectively.
How do you see the VALORANT Champions meta right now?
Jemkin: “It [Yoru] was something that was strong before, like the old meta, and it’s just something that everyone’s comfortable with. Every person on that agent is very comfortable.
So it was a little bit [of a] no brainer to try it, so we started playing it.”
Hotspawn: Do you have a favorite agent right now?
Jemkin: “The favorite is maybe Jett still. At least on some maps. But I’m comfortable on anything, so it doesn’t matter for me.”
Hotspawn: Which teams do you want to face most at this event?
Jemkin: “Which team? I mean, to be honest, doesn’t really matter which. Maybe Liquid right now. I like nAts. I like how he plays and I feel like they have good playstyle and a good team, so it’s always fun to watch them.”
Hotspawn: You had a bit of time here off-stage.
How did you like the city? And what’s your favorite dessert?
Jemkin: “Yeah, we had like one day, so I think it’s a nice city. It’s very historical outside, like the buildings and everything. So it’s kind of nice to explore them and look at them. And the food, I think, is good overall. My favorite dessert so far? Maybe chocolate croissants.”
Hotspawn: Any last words for your fans?
Jemkin: “Shoutout to all the supporters of our team and all the fans. Please keep supporting us, and I hope we can show a good performance on the next match.”
For Jemkin, this year hasn’t been perfect, but at the biggest tournament of the year, his and RRQ’s jourmey isn’t over yet. With yesterday’s win over BLG, their confidence is definitely stronger and RRQ have demonstrated their lower bracket runs can be tournament-defining in the past. With more time to refine their adaptations and keep building on their resilience, their match against MIBR tomorrow will decide their playoffs hopes at Champions Paris.
