“He doesn’t get as hot-handed:” Fnatic coach on Derke improvements

On August 6, 2023, the head coach of Fnatic Valorant praised star player Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev for his improvements since he joined the team.

When asked about his team by the community, head coach Jacob “mini” Harris said that Derke keeps his cool in matches, a trait that he’s improved upon since joining.

“[Derke] doesn’t get as hot-handed or hot-headed in officials,” he said on Twitter earlier today.

Mini credited Derke’s teammate Timofey “Chronicle” Khromov, the latter of which is continuously improving with his “growth mindset,” the head coach said.

Derke improvements help Fnatic secure VCT Champions legacy

Fnatic, led by head coach mini and in-game leader Jake “Boaster” Howlett, has dominated the international Valorant stage this year.

The European team won back-to-back international tournaments with victories at both VCT LOCK//INs to kick off the year and VCT Masters Tokyo in June.

Fnatic has lost one match all year which was against Team Liquid in the grand final of the VCT EMEA playoffs. Team Liquid managed to take down Fnatic 3-1 to steal the trophy away from their rivals.

Both Chronicle and Derke have played a vital role in the success of the team. Both players are widely considered to be two of the best in the world. Chronicle was the third highest-rated player at VCT Masters Tokyo, while Derke occupied the fifth spot, according to statistics collected by VLR.gg. The top two spots were taken by Fnatic teammates Emir “Alfajer” Ali Beder and Leo Jannesson.

Fnatic is set to face off against Japanese team ZETA Division tomorrow in the opening match of Group C. The European team is expected to win the match with ZETA Division securing qualification for the tournament through the Pacific last-chance qualifier. If victorious, Fnatic will take on either North American representatives NRG or Chinese team Bilibili Gaming.

Fnatic rivals Team Liquid were taken down by Natus Vincere in the opening match of VCT Champions yesterday. Team Liquid looked shaky as the team failed to take a map off Na’Vi.