"I was in a flow state" - NRG keiko on the Team Liquid series at VALORANT Masters Santiago

The Espacca Arena is crowded with Chilean fans cheering for both Team Liquid and NRG on the stage. Each and every moment is built with momentous tension, only to be broken by an emphatic amount of cheers that surround all 10 players on the stage competing. At the center of it all was the main character, NRG’s newest player Georgio "Keiko" Sanassy. Coming into their series against Team Liquid, all of the attention was placed on keiko, who would be taking on his former team in a do-or-die match.

As he entered the stage, he felt a wave of anxiety hit before taking a deep breath as the arena around him came out of focus. He sat in his chair under the bright lights with every piece of attention focused on the screen as he dashed around with Jett as if it were a ranked game back home.

It was in this moment that keiko had officially entered what he calls “the flow state”.

He went about each round without a single inkling of doubt in his mind as he collected kill after kill to the tune of a crowded arena of Chilean fans cheering him on. Soon enough, NRG found themselves at the precipice of victory before officializing their spot in the VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026 playoffs with a 2-0 victory over Team Liquid.

Prepping for VALORANT Masters Santiago

After NRG officially qualified for VALORANT Masters Santiago, much of the preparation focused on addressing their struggles at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Kickoff. Despite their title as the reigning VALORANT World Champions, they went into Masters Santiago as the third-seeded team from the Americas region.

One of the ideas NRG head coach Malkolm "bonkar" Rench had come up with was utilizing Jett on Breeze. In particular, keiko remembered that day very fondly.

“I think it was a day before we got to Santiago that bonkar said that we were going to play Breeze and that I would be on Jett and mada would be on Yoru,” keiko said before laughing. “I remember being so hype and mada being so checked out the entire day. He really wanted to play Jett it was so funny.”

Instead, keiko took the stage as Jett against Team Liquid where he played a pivotal part in helping craft momentum for the team to close out map one on Breeze. At one point NRG were down a few rounds before mounting a comeback that felt like “pure adrenaline” to keiko.

“I was so hyped to get into the Jett games,” keiko said. “We actually didn’t even prep that much Breeze, but I was on a comfort pick, so mada and I were just going in crazy. It was so much fun.”

Joining NRG after time with Team Liquid

Keiko joined the reigning world champions of NRG in the VCT Americas league following a two-year tenure with Team Liquid. While some would expect there to be a lot of pressure in joining NRG, the feeling actually had an opposite effect on keiko.

“To be honest, I felt like we had more expectations put on us in Liquid than we do on NRG,” keiko said. “Like, I’ve joined the World Champs and there’s less pressure to perform than there was on Liquid for me because every loss doesn’t feel like a mistake, it’s a learning experience.”

He went on to describe his time on Team Liquid compared to his time with NRG so far. One of the key differences, apart from the pressure, comes from NRG’s structure compared to Team Liquid’s fluidity.

“Liquid is very free and very fluid,” keiko said. “On NRG there’s a lot of structure, and that definitely helps in stressful games. In these high-pressure games and moments, we have a lot to fall back on.”

Playing Team Liquid at VALORANT Masters Santiago

For the most part, keiko no longer feels nervous or anxious about competing on the international stage because of the experience he gained with Team Liquid last year. Yet, their matchup against Team Liquid was one where he felt some "anxiety" for the first time in a while.

“I was a little bit anxious, I’m not going to lie,” keiko said. “And then the teams got redrawn, and I just thought it was a shame.”

While keiko is no longer on Team Liquid, the organization holds a special place in his heart. For two years, keiko stood by the Team Liquid banner, enduring struggles to compete in EMEA, culminating in qualifying for international events in 2025. When the matches were redrawn, keiko felt the team would eventually face Team Liquid again.

“I remember thinking, no matter what happens in our Paper Rex series, we are going to play Liquid next without a doubt,” keiko said. “When we lost and saw it was an elimination game, it really sucked because it was supposed to be a friendly match. Now, it was a fight to the death with all emotions on the table.”

In their series against Team Liquid, keiko was the x-factor in NRG’s decisive match victory over his former team as he finally broke his own curse of never making it to a VCT international playoffs. While it was a bittersweet moment to eliminate his former team, qualifying for the playoffs is something keiko has been excited to be part of.

“I hope the doubters are silenced after that. You know, people were praying for my downfall and for wayne to diff me.” keiko said jokingly. “He needs a little bit more time before he gets there.”

Soon after, he shifted his tone with one final message for the NRG fans as they move forward into the playoffs.

“I’m super excited to play with the team in the playoffs,” keiko said. “We are going for the trophy.”

It will be interesting to see if NRG and keiko can maintain this level of momentum as they move forward into the VALORANT Masters Santiago playoffs. Their first opponent will be EMEA's first seed BBL Esports, in a match that will take place on March 7, 2026.

For now, be sure to follow THESPIKE.GG for more VALORANT esports content like this as VALORANT Masters Santiago continues to progress.

Image via Colin Young-Wolff