FNATIC crashies: “I would say I’ve grown a lot. Playing with great IGLs like FNS and now Boaster… I’ve had such a nice career to play with the two GOATs.”

On Sept. 15, FNATIC secured a victory over Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ) during the VALORANT Champions 2025 Group Stage, advancing to the Upper Bracket, where they will face MIBR.

In an exclusive interview with esports.gg, FNATIC Austin "crashies" Roberts shared his insights on the current meta, reflected on the team's performance against RRQ, discussed his personal growth as a player, and talked about the popular Brashies duo, who have been delighting fans with their entertaining social media content.

Sofia: FNATIC is running away from the double duelist meta and going more for a double sentinel or a double initiator. How do you feel about it, and how does that fit into FNATIC's strategy?

FNATIC Crashies: I think we've run double duelist in the past, when Split was in the map pool. We ran with Alfajer on Raze and kaajak on Yoru, so we definitely have the tools if we need to run it. The thing is, when you run double duelist, teams kind of know how to play against it. You can only really play one style. So, we have experimented a bunch with different compositions and different styles of play. And maybe we could still be running the double duelist in some maps.

Sofia: Not a long time ago, some people started questioning Boaster's performance because he was not doing as much as the others in terms of kills. In your case, when you don't perform as well, do you feel more pressured to be better?

Crashies: I don't really feel more pressured. I was doing my job. I had a lot of assists to help my team get their kills. But I definitely think it helps, obviously. If everyone can perform to the highest level, but I don't think it's really needed all the time. I kind of just go into every game and do what I usually do. If I have a good game, great, if I don't, I don't really think twice about it. I just kinda of play the game and try to help my teammates succeed.

Sofia: Just like you did in Ascent, that was a very close defuse. Did you think you had time for that?

Crashies: Honestly, I thought I had time, but I also started to doubt myself a little bit once I started defusing. I was like "uh-oh, this is going to be close." But yeah, it was definitely scary, but once I got it, it was a big relief, and I was super happy.

Sofia: Since your last encounter with RRQ in the Masters Toronto, what do you think was the biggest challenge?

Crashies: Since the last time we played each other, obviously, they've improved a lot. They went deep in their region, playing against Paper Rex in the finals. I would say they have worked on their mentality a lot, and it showed today. I think we had a lot of footage on them because like I said, they went deep in their region, so we watched some VODs to review and kind of understood the way they wanted to play.

Sofia: How do you feel now that you're going to face MIBR?

Crashies: Yeah, so obviously I come from Americas, so I'm pretty familiar with all those players, especially aspas. I've played against him a lot in my career. They're definitely a team that can't be underestimated, like I said today, they [went] 2-0 [against] Bilibili and kind of just dominated them the whole match. We're definitely going to take a look at what they were doing and just prepare really hard for that game because it's very important for us.

Sofia: Reflecting a little bit on your journey, from OpTic to NRG and now FNATIC, how have you grown as a player?

Crashies: I would say I've grown a lot. I've had a lot of hard lessons I've had to learn as a player and as a person, and playing with great IGLs like FNS and now Boaster, I feel like I've had such a nice career to play with the two GOATs IGL of VALORANT. So I've just learned so much. I can't really say because there are some secrets in there, but I think I've just grown a lot as a human, and it's just been super nice to see my evolution as a player as well. 

Sofia: When you joined Fnatic, you, of course, stepped into a very challenging role due to Leo's situation. Do you think the team will dedicate this Champions 2025 run to him, considering his impact on both the game and the organization?

Crashies: Yeah, I definitely think it'll be special. Even when I first joined FNATIC, I knew that he could always come back. He's always been a player that I've also played against in my career, and I know how talented he is. So it sucks to see how his career ended because it wasn't really in his control, which obviously no one wants. But I'm obviously going to do my best to try and bring FNATIC a world championship, and obviously, my teammates and I. And if we can do that, it would just mean the world to me. 

Sofia: You must miss raising an international trophy, right?

Crashies: It's been quite some time. Obviously, we won EMEA Stage 1, so we lifted a regional trophy, but we're chasing International. We all have Masters anyway, except, I guess, kaajak. So all we're missing is that Champions trophy.

Sofia: Everyone wants to know what happened to Boaster's shorts!

Crashies: Yeah, I don't know what happened to Boaster's shorts. He was laughing so much when it happened, and I didn't even catch what happened. So I've looked over and, yeah, imagine my eyes. But I think he was wearing someone else's pants or something, and they were too big, he wiped the pants down, and they just came off. I mean, I'm sorry for everyone who saw that craziness.

Sofia: I don't think people were mad about it.

Crashies: [laughing] Hopefully not, hopefully it was a nice sight.

Sofia: How do you describe the Brashies duo? Because people have been talking about it everywhere!

Crashies: [laughing] Yeah, it's going viral these days. Me and Boaster as Brashies. I would just say, like, it's a nice duo. I think we complement each other really well. We understand each other inside and outside of the game and how to support each other. And we're just, like, really great friends, and that's all it comes down to. We're really comfortable with each other, and we just kind of know everything about each other. And it just makes the relationship so nice.

Sofia: Fans wanted to know who dressed you for the Champs opening teaser because you were looking very, very cool. What can you tell us about it?

Crashies: Yeah, it's Mina. Mina is her name. She's a fashion designer for VALORANT. I've worked with her in the past as well. She's very nice, and she definitely knows her style. Even when she showed me the outfit, I was like, "All right, this is looking pretty good." So I approved it, and I'm glad everyone approved it as well. It looked nice on the teaser. 

That's all for now for the FNATIC Crashies interview. Stick around for more VALORANT news, guides, and updates on esports.gg.