FNC Boaster has full faith in his team at the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 and promises fans that they’ll give everything to make it to Santiago.
Jake "Boaster" Howlett is well aware of his team’s talent and believes Fnatic (FNC) can qualify for Masters Santiago, no matter the bracket. After their win against Team Liquid, Boaster told esports.gg about learning from previous games, experimenting with Corrode, cooking new plays on the map, showing love for his fans, and giving the haters plenty to discuss.
Fnatic embraces Corrode
Going for a Corrode pick is not very common on Fnatic's side. As one of the less-played maps, the choice came from a confident Fnatic. Boaster explained that the team has been working a lot on it and has tested many new approaches there. "I had a lot of ideas to bring to practice," he said. Not only that, but the IGL sees Corrode as an Achilles' heel for many EMEA teams.
Instead of going for Abyss, which can be quite random for Fnatic, they ended up choosing Corrode. "Look at our game against NRG, it was all over the place," he added. Losing by 1-11 in the VALORANT Champions 2025 tournament, Fnatic came back in what became a historic match in the franchise. While they brought back the fierce spirit, they were not able to win the event.
In the previous match against FUT Esports, Fnatic was not able to bring a victory to the series right away, so adjustments needed to be made for the next match against Team Liquid. "Our mistake was not being able to gain control over the match before the enemy team stopped us with their anti-strats," FNC Boaster added.
Veqaj as a centerpiece of the team
Back in an off-season interview with esports.gg, Boaster asked fans to manage their expectations for Sylvain “Veqaj” Pattyn, since he was still settling into Tier 1 and the team’s rhythm. But Veqaj has been a pleasant surprise this season, making a big impact in every Fnatic game.
"He's doing really well," the leader said. "Honestly, his Viper is getting there, but his KAY/O just comes very naturally to him. He is the type of player who throws KAY/O's flash and believes he will flash everyone and win the round. It is probably one of his best agents."
In the match against Team Liquid, Fnatic was way more confident in their potential and ended up finishing the series 2-0. To keep their mid bracket run alive, they will need to defeat NAVI, one of the most surprising teams of VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026.
With about five days to prepare for the match, FNC Boaster assures he is confident that the team will win. "I'm feeling a burst of motivation to go into this week, and we are going to be cooking," FNC Boaster said. "I'm really excited to play again and get back on stage. I like watching Veqaj enjoy himself too."
FNC Boaster reflects on the growing intensity of VCT EMEA 2026
While we were used to see some teams always on the top of the bracket, such as Fnatic, Team Liquid and Team Vitality, the 2026 season feels way more competitive than in the previous years. "This year, we got all those Tier 2 players wanting to come to Tier 1 and showed us a different hunger that the other players who are just trying to stay in the main tier," Boaster explained.
The IGL added that he always tells his teammates to maintain their work ethic and use their experience to get better practice than the newer players. According to him, the problem for these new players isn’t firepower or aim, it’s efficiency. They don’t know all the ins and outs, and that’s why his team has shown significant growth since their first match.
Boaster shows his gratitude for Fnatic’s fans
We all know Boaster enjoys giving the haters something to talk about. Recently, a post on Reddit surfaced showing the all-time kill-death rankings in VCT history. True to form, Boaster joked about the statistic and even set a new goal. “I’m trying to get it to -600, but it’s not really working,” he laughed.
The IGL isn’t just about giving haters material. Boaster loves his fans much more. Since Austin “crashies” Roberts joined the team, the pair have embraced their bromance, or “a romance between brothers.” They may not be in a serious relationship, but they love giving fans cute and lovable content that shows off their synergy as really good friends.
As for the next fanfiction reading, FNC Boaster assures all the fans that he will be doing it again. "I think my fans are the best. They are very special. Not many players have a crazy amount of fans, so I'm just very grateful for everyone who supports me," he stated. "We are having a lot of fun!"
After the second-place curse of 2025, Boaster assured that the team has reflected on Champions, Masters Toronto, and the Esports World Cup, all the tournaments where Fnatic placed second. He explained that as long as the team reflects on those experiences, the next time they face a similar situation, they’ll understand the feelings involved and, hopefully, be able to take it over the line.
As for a qualification for Masters Santiago, Boaster is confident the team can do it. "We have a lot of Latin American fans, so it would be really sick to see them finally," he said.
