FULL SENSE is Headed into Valorant Champions With The Grand Finals in Sight

In one of the most thrilling Grand Finals that we’ve been treated to, Thai Valorant team FULL SENSE managed to secure a scintillating 3-2 victory in the VALORANT Champions Tour 2021: APAC Last Chance Qualifier to secure a berth in VALORANT Champions 2021. The team has since been bootcamping, with the goal of becoming the first-ever Valorant world champions as the sole objective on their minds. Despite a mixed bag of results throughout the year, the team has remained one of the best in Southeast Asia throughout 2021 with consistent performances throughout the inaugural Valorant Champions Tour season. However, they simply couldn’t take that final step towards glory and had to go through the gruelling. challenge of facing some of the best Valorant teams from all of Asia at the APAC LCQ.

The team not only overcame the odds and earned a spot at Valorant Champions, it did so with an unbeaten record underlining its credentials as it heads to Berlin for the biggest tournament of the year. The FULL SENSE roster reflected on the team’s performance at the Valorant Champions Tour: APAC Last Chance Qualifier in an interview with AFK Gaming.

FULL SENSE’s Entry into Valorant

Chanitpak "ChAlalala" Suwanaprateep, Elamrahim "LAMMYSNAX" Khanpathan, Chanawin "JohnOlsen" Nakchain and Nattawat "SuperBusS" Yoosawat were formerly a part of NG.Black. After winning the Stage One Challengers 2 event in Thailand, the team competed in SEA Stage 1 Masters but could not secure a qualification for Masters.

The team disbanded and the players along with their coach Songchai "Tongrak" Payang joined FULL SENSE. Their former NG.Black teammate Theethawat "Zelyn" Taechavitidkhul is now an analyst for FS. During the interview with AFK Gaming, JohnOlsen pointed out that part of the success that FULL SENSE has experienced can be attributed to the players sticking together for so long and building their synergy over the past few months..

FULL SENSE captain Kititkawin "PTC" Rattanasukol is the only player who was not part of the original NG.Black squad, with the rest of the team playing and competing together for well over 17 months. JohnOlsen and PTC have proven themselves as the deadliest duo in Southeast Asia. Both players broke the 300-kill mark at the APAC LCQ, a feat that was not achieved by anyone else at the event. They also hold the two highest Average Combat Score.

PTC has spent far less time in the team than anyone else on the roster. However, this does not seem to be a hindrance to the team as he has displayed some top-notch in-game leadership skills with excellent reads of his teammates and their capabilities. As a result, he has been able to captain the team and lead them to Valorant Champions in commanding fashion.

The team not only managed to outperform others in the region, but it also won against tournament favorites NUTURN, Northeption and DAMWON.

The Winning Formula at the APAC LCQ

FULL SENSE captain PTC feels that the driving factor behind FULL SENSE’s success in Asia is all thanks to discipline and practice. The team spends six hours a day playing together, figuring out strategies and improving their cohesion as a team to reach where they are today. When preparing for the APAC LCQ, the players mentally prepared themselves for the stiff competition by scrimming against professional teams regularly.

They went in with a plan every game and if they needed to adapt or change something, the players were mentally prepared to shift strategies on the fly. The team competes against teams from Southeast Asia and India regularly and in the recent past, the players scrimmed against teams from other regions as well to prepare themselves for the competition.

Prior to their run at the APAC LCQ, the team had not competed in a major event outside the SEA Circuit. Fans got to watch FULL SENSE compete against the likes of NUTURN Gaming, F4Q and NORTHEPTION at the event and the team from Thailand beat everyone that came in its path.

JohnOlsen feels that “the level of competition is just as stiff in the APAC region but when comparing region to region, it can be difficult to pin down which one is the best. North America, Europe, China and other regions have their distinct playstyles and we try to approach each game as a fresh start.”

However PTC feels that China is a sleeping giant in Valorant esports, stating, “the competition in China is arguably the toughest but it has not received much exposure yet. Chinese teams missed out on the APAC LCQ this year due to logistical issues and fans missed out on watching the region compete.”

The Thai Esports Community Wants to Become Massive

The team is ready to go up against the best teams in the world in Valorant Champions and compete at the global level, but the local fan support and love the team gets from its fans is unparalleled. On being asked about what are their expectations from VCT’s next season, the FULL SENSE players said that they want the local esports scene to grow more than anything else. While competition at a global level is necessary, Riot Games needs to support the smaller regions and grow Valorant esports at a grassroots level.

Thailand has many promising teams but Southeast Asia’s opportunities become limited as there are more than ten countries competing in the region. PTC says that “there is a need for more regional events in addition to the flagship Champions Tour event, which could potentially bring the esports scenes of smaller countries into the limelight.”

The team wants to give its best in Champions and PTC feels that the team has come too far to have a goal of anything less than the world championships. The players want to experience competition at the highest level and it is something they are looking forward to.

The team knows that its journey in Champions is not over yet with team captain PTC revealing “after a small barbecue party following a victory at the APAC LCQ, the players are already back to practicing daily and preparing for what lies ahead.” He is thankful to the FULL SENSE fans for supporting the team’s journey so far and the players want to continue making the Thai community proud in future seasons of the Valorant Champions Tour.