SRG Noia: “Now I have much more confidence making my own plays”

There is a unique kind of tension in the air when a reigning champion enters a tournament not just as a favorite, but as a team on the cusp of history. For the past two years, Shopify Rebellion Gold (SRG) have been the unrivaled queens of Game Changers: defending champions in 2023 and 2024, one of the most mechanically terrifying rosters assembled in the scene to date, and arguably the first true dynasty the circuit has produced. Now, arriving at the 2025 Game Changers Championship in Seoul, SRG are aiming to achieve what no women’s VALORANT roster has ever done: a three-peat.

At the heart of that is Noia, the team’s superstar sentinel main whose clutch rate is one of the highest in GC history, whose impact rounds regularly break Twitter, and whose composure under pressure feels superhuman. After the match, Hotspawn sat down with her in Seoul to talk about nerves, clutch mentality, team chemistry, and how SRG are preparing for what could be their most important run yet.

Hotspawn: This matchup had a lot of hype behind it since it was a rematch of last year’s final.

Take us through the game, how did it feel playing them again, and how did that dominant first map feel?

Noia: I was nervous for the first map, for the first three rounds, and then I wasn’t. Then meL started calling a double fake in our fourth round and I was like, ‘yeah, she’s just locked in. We’re just going to win. She’s just going to carry us. I’m going to trust what she says and do what she tells me to. I’m going to trust the game plan and we win.’

Hotspawn: People always talk about your clutch potential.

How do you do it?

Noia: I don’t know. People ask me what I think about in the moment, but I don’t think anything. I can’t remember most of the clutches. All I can remember is I’m touching my keyboard, I’m touching my mouse, and then I win the round. ‘Oh, I guess I just won that,’ and then it’s next round. I just zone out.

THE CLUTCH GENE IS REAL! @NoiaFPS with another CRAZY 1v3! #VCTGameChangers pic.twitter.com/nS7BX8PfjT

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) November 22, 2025

Hotspawn: Another big storyline this tournament is the potential three-peat. Do you feel like you’ve already dominated the GC scene?

And beyond that, what are your personal goals in VALORANT?

Noia: It would be nice to get a three-peat. I think that’s pretty hard to beat for other teams after us. It would be a historic moment. But obviously I’d like to play in tier two more and maybe one day tier one. Even if it’s just for a few games or an event, it’s always going to be a dream of mine.”

Hotspawn: Speaking of tier two, you made it to Challengers this year.

Even if the result wasn’t what you expected, what were your biggest learnings?

Noia: You have to play against teams who are better than you to improve. Constantly aiming for bigger things, like Challengers — the first time we didn’t win any games, the next time we won one game. Even if we got relegated again, next time we get there, we’re going to do even better. It’s going to take time, but if you constantly play against better people, you are going to improve.

Hotspawn: MeL mentioned you’ve had some insane scrims here.

Have you learned anything new or changed your playstyle? How has scrimming the local teams felt?

Noia: You can lose any round. No one gives up on a round, even if it’s a 3v5. They try their hardest and try to find gaps. My awareness has significantly increased. I feel aware of every timing because here they take every timing. If you leave a tiny gap, they’re going to take it. You become more and more aware of it. I feel a little more confident after all our scrims.”

Hotspawn: How has your time in Korea been? Have you had time to explore?

Noia: We’ve been walking around a little ,and honestly, I love the city. I would love to live here for a bit. It’s so nice. I’m gluten-free and there are a lot of gluten-free options. I’m not allergic to soy, so I’m pretty set. I’m used to walking around in Europe, so not having that in the US is super sad, but having it here is nice.

Hotspawn: Your next game is against KC. Is there anyone in particular you think will be a big challenge?

How do you feel about the matchup?

Noia: I’m trying to think if I played any of them when I was in Europe… We’ve played BBL before, so Alkyia was on the team, but when I was in Europe I think I played some of them. It’s been a really long time since I’ve played any other European team since G2. I want to be excited because it’s been so long. I want to be able to measure myself amongst my peers.

Hotspawn: Do people still ask when you’ll return to Europe? Or have you been adopted as an honorary NA player?

Noia: I think people think: okay, if EU wins GC, EU wins. But if SR wins GC, EU also wins.

Hotspawn: What about the newest patch? Did you feel you had enough time to adapt?

Noia: We were one of the teams that had the most time. Before, we had a problem adapting to new metas, but I think everyone started to realise, ‘okay, we need to play long, we need to figure out what’s good, what isn’t, and constantly communicate what feels bad or good.’ We’ve gotten way more efficient with that. With the time we had, we’ve definitely been able to manage.

Hotspawn: How do you feel about the changes overall? Good for the game? Annoying?

Noia: I don’t think it changes as much as people think. I don’t think Veto is as good as people think he is. He’s only good on like two maps: maybe he’s only OP on one map, really. He’s pretty good on Bind. On other maps it’s more like: are you comfortable playing this agent? If not, there are other options.

And for the changes in general, when people asked for util changes, they meant more during the Tejo/Breach meta. I thought the game was in a good state before, but I also think it’s in a pretty good state right now.

Hotspawn: Can you explain how you got the nickname “President”?

Noia: I don’t even know. MeL called me that a few times, then her chat picked up on it, then my chat picked up on it, and then everyone started calling me the President.”

Hotspawn: Do you like being the President?

Noia: I think it’s a good nickname. It could be way worse, honestly.

Hotspawn: What would be a really bad nickname?

Noia: “There’s this guy in CS that gets made fun of because he has a really low headshot percentage. A feet-shooter person. I was like, no, I don’t want to be called that, because, well.

Hotspawn: Last question — how has it been having dodonut play instead of Flor? How’s the atmosphere?

Noia: Everyone else has improved individually ever since Flor left. It feels like people have more room to grow now. Even if Flor was so good, I don’t know if we had the space to grow if she was here the entire time.

When it’s such a big star player, it’s hard to feel individually— it was always about setting up Flor, setting her up to make a play. We trusted her and she was insane, so of course we were going to trust her. But personally, I feel like I have much more confidence now in making my own plays and playing well myself.