ANDBOX b0i reflects on failing to qualify for First Strike and aspirations for 2021

NYFU finalized their VALORANT roster in late October with Aaron "b0i" Thao. The American player comes from a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive background, and was involved in the competitive VALORANT scene since closed beta.

In an interview with ESTNN, b0i reflected on the team’s failure to make it to the First Strike North America Regional Final after falling short in the initial First Strike North America - NSG Tournament - Open Qualifier and even after making it through to the First Strike North America - UMG Closed Qualifier, they finished 13th-16th.

However, it has to be taken into consideration how little time the team had to prepare for these events. The player reflected on his emotions following the disappointing result, and how the team is bouncing back from it through constant practice and improvement.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry, I had my fair share of emotions after that game, but it’s not a big deal to me personally. Going forward, I have a grind mentality. We have long practice days, and I look forward to grinding with the team, so good things are ahead.”

2021 looks incredibly promising for VALORANT professional players, especially after Riot Games revealing their Champions Tour and the tournaments leading up to the major event. Considering it will naturally be the biggest competition of the year for VALORANT esports, all the teams will aim to win it, and b0i and his teammates are no different.

“My highest priority is the Champions Tour, we want to qualify for that and to do our best. In a way, it is a proving ground for Andbox. We want to prove to everyone and ourselves that we can compete against any of the NA and International teams. I want to keep working on myself and learning to play new agents still. I want to learn all the ins and outs, and I’m just looking forward to playing in more tournaments.”

The team’s overall performance improvement was definitely felt in the Nerd Street Gamers - Monthly November after defeating everyone on their way to win the tournament. This gives an indication that whatever Andbox’s VALORANT squad is doing is working. How do you think they will perform in 2021? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!