Gen.G t3xture: “I want to prove myself on that bigger stage and showcase that I'm a duelist of a world-class caliber."

After Gen.G won the VCT Pacific Kickoff Tournament finals, THESPIKE.GG had an opportunity to sit down with one of the winners, Gen.G Kim "t3xture" Na-ra to chat. During our conversation, we asked him what it means to showcase a dominant start of the season and how comfortable he is being back in the duelist role. Here is the entire conversation between THESPIKE and Gen.G t3xture before VCT 2024 - Masters Madrid.

Disclaimer: The following interview has been conducted with the aid of an on-site translator.

Interview with Gen.G t3xture

Congratulations on winning the VCT Pacific Kickoff and also securing your spot for the Madrid Masters. I would love to ask you how it feels to be back on a full Korean roster and making a dominant start for the season.

t3xture: It's so comfortable to play with Korean players. It feels really easy playing on a Korean team because I can say everything I want, whether in-game or out-of-game, from a language perspective. And my teammates and I get along well, so I'm very happy.

Regarding today's game, Gen. G looked confident from the first map, and you guys took the momentum and secured the game with 3-1, but I would love to focus on Split; what happened there?

t3xture: So we obviously knew coming in that PRX is a very aggressive attacking team. On Split, we started on defense. They started on the attack side, and from the beginning, we didn't respond very well to their attack. We started on the back foot and never regained momentum on that map.

VCT 2024 - Pacific Kickoff

Paper Rex

1

X

3

Gen.G Esports

Grand Final, Best of 5 - February 25, 2024 - 8:00AM

5

Ascent

13

13

Split

4

11

Lotus

13

4

Bind

13

Paper Rex

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

mindfreak

1.10

216

58/51/19

+7

1.14

71.2%

143.6

32%

43%

3

4

something

1.04

213

58/63/17

-5

0.92

74.3%

137.9

25%

73%

16

6

d4v41

0.94

172

46/57/35

-11

0.81

73.5%

119.8

31%

50%

4

4

f0rsakeN

0.78

179

44/59/15

-15

0.75

66.3%

111.3

24%

50%

8

8

Monyet

0.67

162

41/59/11

-18

0.69

69.1%

107.6

20%

22%

5

18

Gen.G Esports

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

GEN Karon

1.23

214

64/43/25

+21

1.49

82.1%

143.0

36%

44%

4

5

t3xture

1.21

249

65/48/17

+17

1.35

77.6%

162.9

31%

50%

11

11

Munchkin

1.12

217

61/49/22

+12

1.24

80.7%

143.9

25%

64%

9

5

Lakia

0.92

176

48/55/28

-7

0.87

82.6%

117.8

26%

50%

7

7

Meteor

0.92

205

51/52/16

-1

0.98

77.9%

139.8

25%

53%

9

8

How does it feel to be back taking up the primary duelist role and showcasing the Korean Jett?

t3xture: I think I really wanted to prove myself in that regard. A lot of people saw me as a Duelist who was good but never really showed up, particularly compared to other players. So, I really wanted to break through that perception that people had. I think I've proven myself somewhat in the Pacific, but now I'm heading off to a bigger stage. I want to prove myself on that bigger stage and showcase that I'm a duelist of a world-class calibre.

Let's talk a bit about playing with Lakia and Karon, one being one of the most experienced and the other a rookie coming in to the season; how has the experience been?

t3xture: Like you said, in the case of Lakia, he is an incredibly experienced veteran. So I was never worried about him. I think I was very confident that he'd be able to figure out what he needs to do on his own. Whereas with Karon, he's a complete rookie. So, I think he was a little bit nervous at the beginning of the tournament. And I felt that it was our responsibility as the more experienced players to relieve him of some of those nerves. Make him feel more comfortable on stage. One thing that we told Karon constantly was that you can be nervous but never get scared.

You have excellent aim, so never get scared of what the enemy is doing. Even if you die, we'll clean up the round for you. So, do what you want to do, make the plays you want to make, and because that's what's important in officials. Yeah, and that's how we really try to help Karon out.

VCT Masters Madrid is the next stop; what are the team goals, and how will you approach the upcoming tournament? And which team do you want to face in the international tournament out of all the other leagues?

t3xture: Our goal heading into Masters Madrid is, of course, to win the whole thing. I think it's very much within the realm of possibility. So that's what we're going to strive for and with regards to a team that I'd like to play on the global stage. I haven't really given it too much thought because I've always just dreamed of playing at a global event. But if I had to pick a team, I would say Fnatic because I've always liked Fnatic as a team. So I'd like to play against them on stage.

Note: The article has been edited for clarity and brevity.