Cubert Academy swept TSM in the semifinals before shutting down Shopify Rebellion Black 2-0 in the grand final for the national victory! This is their journey to the top.
The Red Bull Home Ground Canadian Qualifier just concluded at Fan Expo Canada with Cubert Academy players as its champions! With this victory, Marc-Andre "NiSMO" Tayar, Yassin "reduxx" Aboulalazm, Christian "nightz" Smith, Mirel "Kyu" Hrustemovic, and satellite earned their spots in the upcoming play-ins in New York for the Red Bull Home Ground World Final. Esports.gg sat down with NiSMO, reduxx, and nightz for exclusive interviews about what it takes to reach the very top.
Cubert Academy unites for Red Bull Home Ground Canadian Qualifier 2025
Even before the Red Bull Home Ground Canadian Qualifier kicked off on Aug. 23 at 10 a.m. ET, the Cubert Academy roster had already put in the work. The team had practiced the evening before despite technical difficulties, and they had stayed determined and dedicated. This was their first LAN together, so they needed to build synergy in person.
In his interview with esports.gg, NiSMO revealed that although competing offline felt very different from playing online, Cubert Academy enjoyed the chance to represent Canada with three Canadians on the roster.
"It is a really good feeling coming in with my teammates playing all together for the first time in the whole year," NiSMO said. "It's a lot different when you play online compared to LAN, so definitely a great feeling. We're able to connect with each other more than we did in the past, so it is really good. And on top of the fact that we're competing in a Canadian tournament, it's kind of nice when we have three Canadians on the team and representing Canada. So overall, I would say it's pretty exciting and it's fun to meet the boys. This won't be the last time we're seeing them."
Nightz agreed, describing the LAN as a great opportunity for the team to meet face to face and build synergy. He added that it’s also a good chance to see how well they work together at a live venue.
"We all definitely wanted to go to boot camp or meet each other at some point in time," nightz said. "So this is a great opportunity for that. I've played online before, NiSMO has played online before. With collegiate experience, we've been to LANs before. So we know there are going to be problems and tech issues. The best thing is just to have a good mental for it. But as a team, it's our first LAN. Some teams are not good on LAN, and some teams are even better on LAN. We're figuring out where we are."
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Cubert Academy's journey to the top
According to reduxx, the Cubert Academy team often spends seven to eight hours a day on practice. Already mechanically skilled, their practice sessions and scrims mainly go into strategy, VOD reviews, and team coordination. Each teammate has their own strengths as well. For example, NiSMO brings experience, Kyu is on an upward trajectory after collegiate play, nightz excels in raw mechanics, and satellite stands out for his work ethic after transitioning from the Duelist to Sentinel roles. The long hours in practice show the dedication reduxx brings to each match and how seriously the team takes VALORANT esports.
"This game is my life," reduxx said. "And at the beginning before the team was even created, it wasn't even supposed to be an actual academy team. But it naturally happened, and then things just came as we went along with it. For me to see Cuberts in the crowd or people wearing Cubert jerseys — it's really nice." Cubert refers to the team's red and cube-shaped mascot.
In the end, Cubert Academy swept TSM 2-0 in the semifinals and shut down Shopify Rebellion Black 2-0 in the grand final. Despite technical issues and playing on the newest patch, the team locked in, leaned on their skills and synergy, and dominated the Red Bull Home Ground Canadian Qualifier to earn their place in the next stage.
"I want to face the international teams," nightz told esports.gg. "That would make me really hype to play because we scrim all the NA teams. So playing against an international team, especially in a match setting, and winning against them would be really hype."
Supporting Cubert Academy on and off the stage
As for parting words, nightz gave shoutouts to his family and friends while reduxx gave shoutouts to his mother and girlfriend. As for NiSMO, he thanked everyone supporting Cubert Academy through the Cubert plushies, jerseys, and cheers at Fan Expo Canada. To him, the fans are like family.
"I do want to say the boys on my team — they're all pretty young," NiSMO added. "People are starting to understand who they are, and no one should be sleeping on my players. They're all pretty incredible, and I'm looking forward to seeing them in VCT in the future."
That's all for now. Congratulations to Cubert Academy! Stick around on esports.gg for more interviews, news, and updates.
