The North American Stage 1 Challengers Main Event is in full swing. There have been some incredible matches thus far with some surprising outcomes. One team that has shown up and played strong through their first couple of series is Luminosity Gaming. LG beat a seemingly unbeatable Version1 squad in the Upper Quarterfinals, but lost to The Guard in the Upper Semifinals. After coming up short, Tanner “TiGG“ Spanu spoke with Run It Back about how the team is still confident after the V1 win despite the loss against The Guard.

TiGG: “We are still riding high after that win against V1”

GG’s 0-2 vs @TheGuard. They are playing insane right now. Lower run here we come

— LG TiGG (@TiGG_TV) March 20, 2022

Run It Back: I want to start with your thoughts on the Controllers of the game after the most recent patch. You played Brimstone and Omen in the series against The Guard. How well off do you feel these Agents are now in VALORANT compared to where they were before?

TiGG: I think the Controller Agents are in a really good place now. Any of the four can be viable on certain maps. Breeze and Icebox is good with Viper. Brimstone has his maps. Astra is still good on Ascent. Teams like V1 get good use out of her. Controllers are in a perfect spot. They feel like the most balanced Agent class in the game right now.

Run It Back: Continuing with comparisons, let’s talk about the the first series against The Guard in the Group Stage and how it matched up with this one. Different maps, different patches, but the same outcome of 2-0 in their favor. Was the preparation any different this time around?

TiGG: Yeah, it was a little different. We are in person this time at boot camp. We got to watch them play while here together and were able to talk about how we wanted to approach them. It didn’t go as planned, but I think if we play them again and our energy is there, it will be a lot of a closer fight than it was this time.

Run It Back: Was there anything this time that caught Luminosity by surprise? Maybe a trick up their sleeve that they didn’t show in the Group Stage?

TiGG: No. They are just a really solid team. If our energy isn’t high and we aren’t on our game, they are always going to come out on top. Next time we play them, we need to make sure we’re at 100%. At 110% actually.

Run It Back: You mentioned the energy maybe not being high. That first map was very close. Did them winning it take the wind out of your sails at all? Or were you guys ready to just get right back into it?

TiGG: We were ready to jump back into the game. At least I was. A few rounds just went their way and things just started to spiral downwards.

Run It Back: Did you feel there were any aspects of LG’s game that weren’t clicking?

TiGG: Our comms weren’t there in the late round and we messed up on a few plays. We need to work on our comms and make sure they are in tip-top shape. To make sure we don’t lose those rounds.

Run It Back: Leading into the match against The Guard, Luminosity came off of the huge win against Version1. Which result do you think will carry more weight with how the team performs for the rest of the tournament? Will the V1 victory still provide momentum or will this tough loss remain in the back of your minds?

TiGG: We are still riding high after that win against V1. I mean, they went 5-0 in Groups.

Run It Back: Well, if LG makes a run through the Lower Bracket, there is a decent chance you’ll play Version1 or The Guard again. Do you think the results will be any different in those games if you play them once more?

TiGG: We’re confident when it comes to playing those teams again. It is just that The Guard has plot armor right now.

Run It Back: Up next will be either Knights or XSET in the Lower Bracket. Do you have any expectations on that match up or even a preference on who you want to face?

TiGG: I have a feeling that XSET will pull through and beat Knights. Unless ban goes off. If it is XSET, we know how to play against them. We’ve played them so many times. We’ll definitely be prepared for either team, though, and will just be ready to win.

A big thanks to TiGG for giving us the chance to speak with him and best of luck in the remainder of the Main Event. Stay tuned to Run It Back for more VALORANT Champions Tour coverage including player interviews like this one!

Disclaimer: Some the questions and answers may have been slightly altered for clarity and fluidity.