NRG brawk may be known for his Odin plays, but he is far more than a one-weapon player. Can he and NRG reach Masters Santiago?
NRG Brock “brawk” Somerhalder lifted the VALORANT Champions 2025 trophy and quickly became known as one of the game’s most notorious Odin players. However, brawk insists he is far more than an Odin player. Now a world champion, the pressure to win has only increased, but he doesn’t view it as a negative.
In an interview with esports.gg, brawk reflected on NRG’s run through the VCT Americas Kickoff stage so far, their loss to MIBR, Riot’s map reworks following the Odin-heavy playstyle, his desire to prove himself beyond the weapon, and much more.
NRG enters the mid-bracket run
For a Champions winner, the pressure to reaffirm his value as a player has only grown. Now, expectations are sky-high, with many fans anticipating NRG to dominate the league and win every match. However, that pressure doesn’t seem to bother NRG brawk. “It’s tough now that we’re expected to win every match, but it’s a good kind of pressure,” he said. “We’ve already been through the hardest pressure at Champions.”
But for MIBR, facing NRG was a revenge match after Champions, and that motivation fueled their victory. “They wanted to beat us because we had won the last two times,” brawk added. “I feel like they really wanted this one.” On the final map, he believes NRG’s slow start hurt them, allowing MIBR to control the sites freely and snowball their economy.
We are used to seeing brawk on his confident Sova, but in this series, we also get to see his Tejo. While the performance was not the best on his side, the player admits he feels pretty comfortable in the agent. NRG brawk feels he needs to play with more confidence, take fights more decisively, and stop hesitating.
Why NRG brawk’s Odin is only part of the story
NRG brawk brought the Odin back to the competitive scenario with his outstanding performance during Champions 2025. Even some maps were nerfed to fight the Odin firepower, and brawk likes to be seen as a threat. When asked if he thought he was responsible for the nerfs on Haven and Corrode, brawk laughed. “I think I had a little to do with it, at least for Corrode,” he said. “I abused that A spot a lot and got a lot of kills there.”
Against MIBR, brawk didn’t use his Odin as much, but that was largely due to the map choices, which he calls “the worst maps for Odin.” He thinks Split could have been a good map for it, but the momentum never came.
Not using the Odin is also a statement against those who criticized brawk and tried to diminish his value as a player, claiming he “could only play with an Odin.” While brawk understands why people might make those comments, he believes they will soon see how effective he can be with a rifle. “People are going to start seeing that I can rifle and kill everyone. It’s one of those things that time will tell,” he added.
Keiko joins NRG
Following his Champions 2025 victory, Sam "s0m" Oh announced a break from competitive VALORANT, creating a new spot on the team. Georgio “keiko” Sanassy joined the team, making the move from the EMEA region to North America.
For brawk, keiko brought a more aggressive playstyle to the team, encouraging them to work together and take fights more often. "He fits that role perfectly. He just loves to go in and challenge everyone. On top of that, keiko is insane mechanically,” which makes NRG an extremely dangerous team.
After their loss to MIBR, NRG began their mid-bracket run. In the following match, they secured a victory over 100 Thieves and now must defeat G2 Esports to earn a spot in the mid-bracket grand final.
Can NRG be champions again?
While the VALORANT Champions 2026 is still very far away, brawk has full confidence in this roster to achieve a second title in the most prestigious competition of the year. For him, even though they have not been showing their best game, they have the full capacity to reach that title once more. In fact, for him, "it is better to lose earlier than later down the road."
During the VCT Americas Kickoff stage, brawk views MIBR as one of the top teams alongside NRG. “They rebuilt their roster, and I think they’re going to be really good,” he explained. The initiator player also placed G2 Esports in his top three.
He added that FURIA, Leviatán, and 100 Thieves have been big surprises so far, noting that all three have the potential to become very strong contenders. The Upper Bracket Final on Feb. 13 will decide the first team to qualify for Masters Santiago, and it will be a Brazilian organization: MIBR or FURIA. Which North American contender will punch the first ticket to the season’s opening international event?
