PULVEREX’s Ftyan: “It is much easier to play within just the Japanese and Korean region, the level here in London is so much higher.”

100 Points after two days, Ftyan's PULVEREX is a good place heading into the Winner's Bracket. If you're wondering why Ftyan's username may seem familiar, it's because he became somewhat of a fan favorite after his team was forced to play the ALGS Champs last year as a duo. Despite the noticeable handicap, PULVEREX still managed to place top 25.

At the ALGS Split 1 Playoffs in London, PULVEREX's in-game leader Ftyan is on LAN with his full roster. After two days of competition, they qualified for the Winner's Bracket.

"I'm still really excited and my heart is pounding!" said Ftyan.

PULVEREX managed to collect 100 Points in total, finishing in 20th place, the final cut off for the Winner's Bracket. Game 5 for Group A vs D proved critical, with the Japanese team taking 46 Points in their penultimate game.

With PULVEREX placing 5th in their Regional APAC North qualifiers, is there a preference to playing versus familiar faces versus international ones?

"We are mindful about the Guard and Acend because they use similar movement and comp to us. However, it goes without saying it is much easier to play within just the Japanese and Korean region, the level here in London is so much higher," said Ftyan.

How would you rank the regions?

"NA is first without a doubt," said Ftyan. "APAC South and EMEA are about the same level in my opinion. Then comes our region APAC North, I would say we are third but getting closer to 2nd place. The South American region still has some catching up to do, but that's just my personal opinion from what I've seen so far."

"Compared to last year's Pro League for APAC North, the Japanese and Korean team's abilities to team fight have improved a lot," said Ftyan. "However, we're still catching up to the bigger regions."

PULVEREX and Ftyan's beloved appearance at ALGS Champs last year was one of the highlights of the event, and could have been a very different experience for Ftyan if it were not for the ALGS Champs crowd.

"There were a lot of issues related to COVID so we were not able to play to our full potential. If I'm honest it did bring some sadness and leave a bitter feeling inside," said Ftyan. "However, those feelings started to disappear after hearing the foreign crowd support us in Raleigh last year."

"The energy from the crowd at ALGS Champs was really really encouraging and it definitely empowered us. So we decided not to throw in the towel, persevered and still managed to do quite well. I have only gratitude to that crowd for giving us their support last summer."

Hypothetically speaking, if PULVEREX had been a full roster at ALGS Champs with no stand-ins, where would the team have placed?

"I think if we had our full roster at ALGS Champs, we could have placed top 5," said Ftyan with a smile.

PULVEREX will continue their run at the ALGS Split 1 Playoffs in the Winner's Bracket.