ScreaM on potentially making Champions thrice: "In France we say 'never two without three.' If you make it two times, you must make it three times."

With VCT 2023 - EMEA League - Last Chance Qualifier kicking off July 19, six teams will battle it out for two tickets taking them directly to the upcoming VALORANT Champions 2023. Six teams and two spots on the line; the EMEA LCQ is bound to be a brutal bloodbath with a hybrid bracket in place.

Before the matches commence, a conference was hosted led by Mitch "Mitchman" McBride, on the official EMEA VALORANT Twitch channel. Pre-submitted media questions, including our very own, were asked, along with an opportunity for viewers to get their questions answered by representatives from each of the six teams at the EMEA LCQ.

We found Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom's answers to be especially compelling, given Karmine Corp poor season at the VCT EMEA regular season, placing dead last in the table. This resulted in the team missing out on the VCT EMEA playoff's and VCT Masters Tokyo in June. The LCQ is the last chance for Karmine Corp and the remaining five teams to show quality and potentially qualify for the upcoming Champions in Los Angeles.

ScreaM on the EMEA Last Chance Qualifier

Making up for the past at the LCQ

As mentioned, Karmine Corp's season has been dreadful. ScreaM admitted to that at the press conference and believes that the die-hard fans of KC deserve something more. With Karmine Corp and Team Vitality being two of the most famed esports organizations in France, KC's in-game leader hopes to make up for the poor regular season performance.

"I have been playing for a lot of organizations and I think I've never seen anything like Karmine Corp. The fanbase is so strong and they are always behind you, whatever happens. Even though we had a really bad year, they've always been cheering for us. We have to give them that back and that's what we are going to try here (in LCQ)," said ScreaM.

Re-inventing the team's approach to the game

When asked what has the team changed ahead of the Last Chance Qualifier in comparison to the regular season, Adil explained that it is all about mentality. He claims that Karmine Corp will be playing more of a "classic" VALORANT. This hopefully entails that we will see more of the "headshot machine," where ScreaM just embodies his most-known style on the server.

"We definitely have a different approach and how we are going to play the game. We had a very strategical approach before. Now it's going to be something more standard, classic. Everybody playing to their strengths and deliver. Everybody has to deliver as a player and play their A-game. That's how we're going to win. Win the clutches, be in good situations, and have the confidence. That's what we lacked this year. No confidence and it felt like we didn't play. That's what we want to do here (in LCQ), hit some headshots," explained ScreaM.

Hoping for the three-peat

Not many can say that they've attended all VALORANT Champions events to date. As part of Team Liquid, ScreaM was present at Champions Berlin in 2021 as well as Champions Istanbul in 2022. The Belgian-born will be hoping to add a third appearance to his resume and had the following to say.

"I think it would be pretty cool to go to all three Champs. In France, we say 'never two without three'. If you make it two times, you must make it three times. But considering the year we had, the sh%$ year we had, sorry for the word but it is what it is, we have to show what we are capable of at this event. Show that to people, prove ourselves as well because it has been a very difficult year for us. Honestly, we feel good. We have never been feeling that good so far as far as preparation and the mood in the team goes. We just have to show-off in the games and try to be on our A-game."

VCT EMEA LCQ: Initial matchups

VCT EMEA LCQ kicks off July 19 with two matches. Since the event has introduced a hybrid bracket, the two teams that lose on this day will be eliminated. Moving forward, a double-elimination bracket is introduced for the event.

• Team Heretics vs. KOI
• Karmine Corp vs. BBL Esports

Make sure to check out our VCT EMEA LCQ event page for the schedule, teams, stats, and more.

*Note: quotes may have been altered slightly for the sake of readability.