“I’m still a good player and I can deliver when it’s needed,” paTiTek on the opportunities to prove himself internationally

Patryk "paTiTek" Fabrowski is having quite the year with Team Heretics. He was signed as substitute player, let go from the team, then back to substitute again. He's appeared at two international tournaments in a row for the team.

This time around, TH has made it through the Swiss Stage, and paTiTek played a large part in that. Following the qualification series against FunPlus Phoenix, we spoke to the Polish player about his role in the victory.

"We absolutely have to start with the series against FPX. You both took your map picks pretty dominantly. Is that how you expected the first two maps to go?"

paTiTek: "I expected Sunset to go smoothly, as always, because I think we have the best Sunset in the world. I didn't know that Lotus would be that hard for us. In terms of playing on the defender side, I think they came up with a pretty good counter for us. It was pretty hard to play on Lotus. But on Icebox, it was a completely different game."

"Onto Icebox then, what a map that was. It was 10-2 in your favor. You were there. What was FPX doing that stopped you guys from closing it out in regulation?"

paTiTek: "Coming into Icebox, we knew that we had to pretty much win every attacker round, because we knew that with this comp, the triple Controller that they run, it's going be pretty hard to play as the defenders.

"And it was. I thought to myself after it was, I think, 11-5, 'Okay, it's going to be a really, really long game if we don't close it out.' And it was. But in terms of how they play, I mean, we pretty much knew what they were doing mostly all of the time.

"But then again, it was super hard to play, because for me at least, it was the first time I played against a triple controller comp. And the reactions are different. The whole pace that changes on the map, when you play against a comp that's really off-meta and different."

"In the last round of the Icebox, you helped cement it for Heretics with a 3K. Does a win like this feel sweeter when you play a part in how it ends?"

paTiTek: "Well, it feels super sweet, because I couldn't actually hit a shot as a defender. But then I thought to myself. And in that last round, I told benjyfishy to just come A and push. I'm just going to fight, you know? I thought to myself that I'm just sitting in the back all the time and just getting timings and getting hit with one tap, instantly.

"But then I thought to myself, I'm just going to fight and let's see what happens. And then the 3K happened, and then the clutch, and we just won. So, I'm super stoked that we managed to close it out, and I'm super happy that we are in playoffs."

"And with the win over FPX, you’ve beaten both CN teams on their home turf. We always hear about the wholesomeness of you all on Team Heretics, so do you feel bad at having played a part in the elimination of the Chinese teams?"

paTiTek: "I mean, it certainly doesn't feel bad for me, but probably for Chinese fans. It was actually insane to play in front of the Chinese fans, because the crowd is insane. They are cheering, and they're not cheering for us, but we can still hear it and we can still feel the energy coming from the crowd.

"So, I'm really happy that we managed to meet two Chinese teams and cement ourselves in playoffs. I'm proud that even though I'm a stand-in and I'm coming here with like three days of notice before the tournament happens. I'm really happy that we managed to win and we get to play more games."

"Two international events so far this year, and two events where the circumstances allowed you to stand-in. Even without much time to practice for Shanghai, how much did playing with the team earlier in the year help for this tournament?"

paTiTek: "We didn't prepare for this tournament at all. I came with pretty much three or four days of notice. I got messaged by the manager of Team Heretics, that I should come to Berlin and try to get a visa. And if I get a Visa, and if the Turkish boys get a Visa, then we'll fly.

"But when it comes to preparation, we had legit zero preparation coming into this tournament. That one day yesterday that we had off, because of losing to G2, gave us a lot of answers when we thought reviewed the game.

"We came up with a lot of ideas and a lot of ways to play the game on different maps. So, the prep now is good, but I feel like with the time we are going get now, those two or three days off to prepare for playoffs, we're going to cook up some good things. Hopefully, we can show that we are a good team."

"In Madrid, there were some close games, but you were ultimately eliminated in the Swiss Stage. It was against Sentinels and Paper Rex, though. With making it through this time, do you think it was because of some more favorable matchups or just team improvement?"

paTiTek: "I think it's both, to be honest. I's favorable matches and the team improvement. We are looking at every team in this tournament as a really good team, and we shouldn't underestimate anyone, because to get to Masters, you have represent a certain level of play."

"For my last question, I have to ask, you joined this roster as the sixth man. A substitute more or less. And you’ve proven that you can hang with other global VALORANT talent. If, or when, the team reverts to its original roster for Stage 2, do you think you’ll have a starting spot somewhere in VCT EMEA?"

paTiTek: "I hope so, but it depends on the teams that will make changes. I mean, it depends on a lot of factors, you know? I'm just here to show that, as you said, I'm capable of paying at the highest level. I'm just here to show that I'm still a good player and I can deliver when it's needed.

"So, it comes down to teams making changes and just giving me a try. As long as they don't give me a try, I'm not going to go anywhere. But when I get the trial, and I can show it to other teams that like, 'This guy is good. He knows what to do,' then I think I'll be fine."

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