ACE Kiles: “We couldn’t hear anything in-game, honestly”

Acend is a team full of stars. Whether it's Patryk "starxo" Kopczyński, the charismatic Skye, or Mehmet Yağız "cNed" İpek, a player with a genuine case for being the best in the world, there's always some magic happening. But the man who gets less credit for their success is Vladyslav "Kiles" Shvets. The support player has been an integral part of Acend since it's formation, helping the team to a Masters Stage 1 win and now an appearance at Masters Berlin.

Kiles spoke to Esports.gg following Acend's 2-0 loss against Vision Strikers in group play at Masters Berlin.

Answers have been edited for clarity and grammar.

Can I get your overall thoughts on the match today?

Nothing to say, really, like we didn't perform at all at our usual level. Vision Strikers played well, they deserved the win, basically. Nothing to say.

How did you try to prepare for Vision Strikers' unique playstyle, and why do you think it didn't work?

We knew how they play. They play very slow, they play a lot of setups, they wait a lot. We knew it. We tried to play like we usually play, but it wasn't really because of our preparation. It was just because of our feeling today, like we could feel, every one of us, that it was not a good day for us.

Acend lost 3/4 pistol rounds this series. What do you think went wrong in that area?

I mean, pistols in this game are just straight up 50/50. We honestly usually win a lot of pistols, so we should definitely work on that. But yeah, nothing really went wrong. They just ran into us and we lost the pistols, yeah. Pretty lucky, they are, on pistols.

Moving to a lighter note, what were you guys singing during timeouts and pauses?

(laughing) I don’t remember what we were singing, but we were just clapping hands, you know. Just get some motivation, because today was a very slow day for us. So we tried to, you know, keep up the energy to keep going and to try to win.

You’ve shown that upbeat atmosphere all tournament. It’s obviously great when you’re winning, but do you think it could knock you off your game when you’re behind?

No, no, not at all, not at all. This team is very strong mentally. We know we can lose, we know we can win, we are prepared for a loss and for a win.

From your first game until now there’s been a lot of talk and complaints about white noise issues. Did you notice that problem in your first game and has it been fixed since?

The first game, the white noise was way louder, but the quality of the sound was way better than today, like, today’s sound was horrible. We couldn't hear anything in-game, honestly. It wasn't clear at all.

Do you think, then, that there’s specific rounds today that could have been won by either team that weren’t because of sound issues?

I mean, maybe, I don’t know. But the audio was the same for us and for them, so it’s not really good to blame the audio on the loss, or the winner of a round. So no, I don’t think so.

What is the biggest difference you’ve noticed going from playing online to playing on LAN?

I really don’t feel any difference. The only difference is the FPS from this computer to mine, but, yeah, that’s it.

Do you think that LAN experience or stage nerves play a part in a team’s performance in a tournament like this?

I don't really think so. I really think that, when you're on stage, you're more comfortable, and you’re more focused, and you're thinking straighter. No, I don’t think so.

You will face the winner of Supermassive Blaze vs. Paper Rex. Who do you expect to win that matchup?

SMB. I’m pretty sure SMB will win, yeah. And we’ll have to play again against them.

Any reasoning for that?

They’re just stronger. I think they're just stronger. Like, Paper Rex is a good team, but SMB is very solid, very strong. I think they have better mechanical players on their team, and they’re overall more prepared, I feel like.

What are your thoughts or expectations, then, going into a potential Acend-SMB rematch?

It’s gonna be tougher than our first game, but I still believe we will win.

Going in to Stage 3, you guys had a roster change, with zeek coming in. And almost instantly, your team got much better. What changed in the team when he was brought in?

zeek is a very explosive player, and a very energetic player. He brings a lot of energy to the team, and he’s always thinking, giving ideas, going straight, pushing. Like, he’s a very energetic player.

Is there anything you’d change about the VCT format or structure?

Maybe have a lower bracket in the first Masters. But no, I think it’s good, I think it’s good.

What about the meta?

Maybe some nerfs towards Jett, Skye, Skye flashes, I think. And maybe buff sentinels (laughs). No one is playing sentinels because they’re just worse.

Acend will play next on Thursday, September 16th, against the winner of Paper Rex-Supermassive Blaze. The winner of that match will advance to the playoffs. Stay tuned to Esports.gg for the latest VALORANT news and updates, as well as Masters Berlin coverage.