Fnatic Veqaj: “For me, he’s the best IGL in the world” – Veqaj on playing with Boaster, Fnatic’s strugglesome VCT opener, and the new Gentle Mates

Sylvain ‘Veqaj’ Pattyn has arguably been given the hardest task in Valorant history: To replace Timofey ‘Chronicle’ Khromov in Fnatic.

That task got off to a difficult start, in a 2-0 loss to BBL in VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026, but the Frenchman is confident that Fnatic will make a quick recovery in the tournament.

Esports News UK spoke to Veqaj about his VCT debut match, settling into Fnatic, and working with Britain’s Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett.

The Frenchman also looked forward to Fnatic’s second match against FUT, and shared his hopes for his former organisation, Gentle Mates.

VEQAJ SCORES HIS FIRST #VCTEMEA ACE! pic.twitter.com/143B1Z64V2

— VALORANT Esports EMEA (@vct_emea) January 23, 2026

Esports News UK interviews Fnatic’s Veqaj (recorded 23/01/26)

Not the debut you had hoped for. Your initial thoughts on the match?

First map, we had no problems on defence actually, but we just got snowballed, and it went away from there.

You got six rounds on attack over the series. Is that a concern?

No, not a concern. I think we just made rounds a bit complicated. But not a concern.

So you think you overcomplicated rounds? I know you ran out of time a couple of times.

I mean, not fully. We tried like good rounds A to Z, actually, and they didn’t work, but I feel also like we just didn’t enter the BO properly, like for the first match.

It can happen. I mean, I cannot say we gave our best at 100%, but like we played like we wanted to win, actually, but it didn’t go well.

So I mean it’s fine, I have no doubt, I have no doubt for after.

“The second match, we will just enter like demons.” – Veqaj on Fnatic’s upcoming match versus FUT

In terms of coming into Fnatic, are you happy with the positions you have within the team?

Yeah, of course I’m happy with the position I have on the team. I know the Viper role is a bit hard to play, but I have an amazing team and amazing coach around me to help me a lot on this new Agent.

I’m feeling good with this new role. I have nothing more to say, to be honest.

Tactically, Fnatic have always stood out as quite a different team. Quite slow, very deliberate in terms of how they’ve identified where people are, took map control, and those kinds of things. Is that a big adjustment for you?

Actually, no. I mean, yeah, there’s a difference between like my old teams and Fnatic for sure.

There is more experience, and we are freezing more on the map. We take our time, we actually read the world, the enemy team, and we make good decisions.

Boaster actually tries to make the best decision we can on the round, so we can 100% win the round.

But there is no difference. I mean, there is a big difference, of course, but I mean, I fit on the team perfectly, like nothing changed.

They just explain it to me very well, and I just apply very well.

“I’m in a good position, you know. I have the best team I can have for the moment.” – Veqaj on his place in Fnatic

Speaking of Boaster’s IGLing, obviously, one of the most legendary figures in Valorant for IGLing, like how would you identify his skills?

I mean, for me, he’s the best IGL in the world, and I will tell you the reason. This guy is working 24 hours of 24 hours, he’s speaking a lot, and he also has a big brain.

When something is not 100% good, we just retry, we retry the round like 10 times in a row.

After these 10 times in a row in the VOD review, maybe he’s going to say, ‘Okay, maybe we should do this, this and this,’ and he’s going to just fix the round properly. So we have more chance to win the round.

That’s why he’s the best IGL in the world; he’s just working very hard.

You’re dropping down to play FUT in the next round. How do you feel about that match, and do you think you’ll be kind of more ready for that match?

For me, the next match against FUT, it’s going to be probably really different. Our mentality on the first match… the second match, we will just enter like demons, to be honest.

Like for me today didn’t go well because maybe it’s the first match, I’m a new player also, they don’t have the same ability, same flexibility with Chronicle because I’m a new player.

Against FUT, it’s going to be a really good game for us, and I expect it to be for them too, since they lost the first game really hard against M8.

So, I know it’s going to be like a good match for us and for them. But I have no doubt, like I have no pressure.

Is that what you talked about after the match, because it looked like you were the ones getting peeked rather than peeking for like a lot of the match?

Yeah. I don’t know, maybe we blocked ourselves for the first map and the first match, maybe also the second map.

But I mean, this thing is not going to happen anymore, because we’re going to fix something, we’re going to fix some strats, we’re going to fix some players, or they’re going to just shot and just don’t give a f**k, I would say.

Sorry for the words, but don’t give a f**k about the strategy a bit, and they will just focus on the micro and focus on aim. And yeah, that’s it.

“For M8, I want them to go to Santiago, to be honest, because like they actually need it.” – Veqaj on his old org, Gentle Mates

For Fnatic, it was a long wait to start, you know, this tournament. You know, some of the teams have played twice before you had played once. So, are there feelings like not being kind of warmed up for the tournament?

I mean, I know for a fact, like Fnatic is always starting slow.

And when I was in Tier 2, when I was in M8, I knew they’re always starting slow. I don’t know why, but it’s like this, you know?

I’m in a good position, you know. I have the best team I can have for the moment.

And I know, for the moment, we’re starting slow for the first game, but I know for a second and the third game, we’re going to bounce back from this game.

That’s for sure. We’re not just going to let everything go down. We’re going to fight for it.

In terms of the rest of the teams, have you seen any team that you’re surprised by or that you have enjoyed seeing play?

No one, like, I mean, they just play like their style, and I think they will not change everything, because they need to have like this pillar, I would say.

But yeah, I mean, for M8, I want them to go to Santiago, to be honest, because like they actually need it.

They have a good team, also, so they can play. They can actually qualify for a Masters, I hope I will play against them and let’s see what’s going to happen.

Last year, it felt like the Gentle Mates roster was under so much pressure because of that threat of relegation. Now Gentle Mates are in a very different position than the team that you were in. Can you describe whether you felt that pressure at that time, and what difference you think it will make now that that’s not kind of hanging over the team?

Yeah. I mean, in Gentle Mates, it was really different. Like, we always had 12 rounds, and we couldn’t end the game. I think it’s about like maybe pressure, but it’s also about experience.

We didn’t have enough experience to just close the game.

Now they changed everything. They changed the coaching staff. They changed the players. They actually recruited starxo, a world champion.

They have a lot of experience with marteen, with Minny. Minny is a good player.

Now it’s a new Gentle Mates, you know? They’re really different. It’s not the same Gentle Mates.