Boom Esports has arrived in Bangkok, Thailand to set their bootcamp ahead of Valorant Challengers Ascension Pacific 2023 which will begin on June 28. They will compete against nine teams from Southeast Asia, India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia for a spot in next year’s Pacific League.
Prior to the commencement of the Ascension, head coach Ji “Meow” Dong-jun stated that there are a number of things he wanted to improve, particularly the teamwork, which he feels is still far from ideal. In addition, he must ensure that there are no health issues with his players, considering that they currently do not have a substitute after the departure of Thomas “Cud” Alfiantino last week.
Boom Esports players will undoubtedly be concerned about the upcoming competition. After previously failing to obtain a franchise slot from Riot Games, Ascension is their last chance to stay in the biggest Valorant circuit for the next season. Despite the pressure against them, Boom Esports captain Gary “blazek1ng” Dastin revealed that his team have no special training menu for this competition.
Blazek1ng has risen to prominence as one of top captains in Indonesia after taking over as in-game leader since the departure of Saibani “fl1pzjder” Rahmad to RRQ. Before heading up to Bangkok, The Boom Esports’ veteran told us that he was only watching a little bit of gameplay videos of his opponents in the Ascension, but he believes Meow could figure out the best plans for this competition.
“To be honest, I have no special training in mind or whatsoever. As was the case with Splits 1 and 2, we played well because we are getting more disciplined with our training set,” Blazek1ng explained. “To be honest, we haven’t seen the gameplay of our opponents that much. But I’m sure Meow knows them better and I believe he can help us with his insight.”
Blazek1ng, who, like Meow, came from the CS:GO scene, confesses that it took time for him to really get close with him as he is today. He stated that communication was a major issue during the transition from the previous coach. Blazek1ng credits Meow for helping him to unite his team into one family. This, he claims, has aided the development of their two new players, Hildegard “Shiro” Arnaldo and Rizkie “Berserx” Adlie Kusuma.
“We’re starting to feel more like a family, and I think that’s helping the teamwork a lot. We always work together to find a solution, in and outside of the game. As time went on, the other players opened up to me and Meow about their problems. We’ve become more open minded compared to our previous years.”
“For me, these things surely affect the development of new players. Especially Shiro and Berserx. I think they are our most improved players for this season. With these boys, I’m sure we can win anything. Fikri (Famouz)? He’s always good wherever he plays.”
On the other hand, Michael “Severine” Winata, who also joined Boom in October 2022, said there was no difficulty with the language when he joined them as he used to play under English-speaking head coach Martin “Ewok” Ewok on his previous team, Onic. He does, however, consider Meow and his mates in Boom to be a step up over his previous team.
“I don’t have problem with speaking Indonesian and English at the gaming house; since I used to communicate with Ewok in English in Onic,” he said. “At first, I was uncomfortable with Meow’s training method, but after a few months, I thought there was improvement. The teamwork here is absolutely something else.”
Severine, like Blazek1ng, sees Shiro and Berserx as two crucial players this season and believes Boom Esports have a good shot at making it far in the Ascension as long as they can maintain consistency.
“I agree with Meow and Dastin, Shiro and Berserx have grown a lot this season. They are still young but they have showed good mentality. I think that’s what Boom needs right now. If they can maintain their forms I’m sure we can stand against anyone in Ascension.”
Severine expects some high level games against the heavyweights in the competition, particularly Bleed from Singapore and Dplus from South Korea. However, he believes that Meow, Blazek1ng, and Famouz, who have previously competed in international events, can be counted on to guide the Boom team’s youngsters.
“I think teams such as Bleed and Dplus are very strong. However, based on my experience playing against teams from outside of Indonesia, our mechanics are actually on par with theirs. Furthermore, Meow, Dastin, and Fikri have competed in international tournaments. They know what to do in certain situations.”
