Dignitas Psalm on improvements to win VALORANT Champions Tour and state of the game

Dignitas didn’t have the most successful 2020, but were always a threat to be reckoned with whenever they faced up against the top teams. Probably their biggest regret was their failure to make it out of both the First Strike North America - UMG Closed Qualifier and the First Strike North America - NSG Tournament - Closed Qualifier to compete in the First Strike North America Regional Final. However, this doesn’t take away their 2nd and 4th place finishes in the Pittsburgh Knights Before Christmas and the Pop Flash VALORANT Invitational respectively.

Recently, Dignitas published an interview with their own player, Harrison "psalm" Chang. The former Fortnite and Heroes of the Storm professional has definitely proved himself in the VALORANT competitive scene, and he shared his thoughts on the transition, the team’s performance in 2020, their aspirations for 2021, and how they are improving to achieve them.

He commented mainly on how the team is coming together and the importance of longevity when it comes to competing with a steady roster of players. Understandably, it helps build confidence, synergy, and stability within the team. However, with that being said, we just saw Chad "oderus" Miller being dropped from the organization’s squad, leaving room for one player.

“I think the team is progressing nicely. We’re still starting off a bit slow, but most of our issues are coming from performing in matches the same way we do in practice. Right now, it’s more of a mental block than anything else. We just gotta get over that hump,” commented psalm.

He continued to discuss the learnings of not competing in the First Strike North America Regional Finals and how they are bouncing back from the shortcoming in 2020. The American player admitted they were closer than people give them credit for, but they couldn’t close out their matches, and that is exactly what they are trying to improve as a team.

“A couple things that I’ve learned playing in major tournaments is that when we play in unfamiliar situations, we tend to freeze up instead of doing what we normally do. Maybe it’s because of pressure or the fact that we’re scared of messing up, but it’s definitely something that we need to address and tackle.”

“It’s really hard to say because since we didn’t qualify, people are writing us off. But if you look at our results, we came really close to getting into First Strike. I think we only lost 13-11 in the third map in that last match. We went 13-11 against big teams like T1 and Immortals who both qualified. We went 13-11 with Sentinels, who also qualified, and took Envy to a close third map, as well. We’re having these close matches with all of the teams that are among the best, but we’re just unable to close out. That’s what we need to figure out,” said psalm.

How do you think the Dignitas roster will perform in 2021? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!