Kaajak on filling Derke's shoes at Fnatic, the current meta, and take on agent bans in VALORANT

Fnatic's 2025 roster has been shaped in quite the unexpected way following a dramatic roster shake-up towards the end of the 2024 VCT season. With Fnatic's star Duelist Nikita "Derke" Sirmitev leaving to Team Vitality in October, Fnatic quickly signed Ștefan "Sayonara" Mîtcu as well as Kajetan "kaajak" Haremski. Sayonara ended up staying only for the off-season, as a shock transfer in the form of Austin "crashies" Roberts happened in mid December.

With the end of 2024 being a busy year for Fnatic in terms of solidifying the team for the current VCT calendar year, kaajak was the youngster that was brought in to fill the void of the missing star Duelist for Fnatic that left to the French rival team. While Fnatic had a rather mediocre start to the season with a less-than-desirable showing at VCT 2025 - EMEA Kickoff, thus far their run at VCT 2025 - EMEA Stage 1 has been flawless. With Masters Toronto qualification being the hottest prize for the best teams in each region, this Fnatic team looks to be a top contender to qualify from the EMEA region.

The Polish youngster has been fragging out for Fnatic this Split as we managed to have a few words with kaajak. With a fresh Red Bull partnership with Fnatic, we discussed just that alongside him settling into Fnatic, what he thinks of the current hot topics in the community as well as the VALORANT meta right now.

kaajak on the Red Bull partnership, VALORANT meta, time at Fnatic, and more

THESPIKE: So since the partnership between Red Bull and Fnatic was announced, from your perspective, what did the partnership provide you with personally? What are the things that you can see apart from the logo on your jersey, obviously?

kaajak: Red Bull, of course, Red Bull to drink! I think just representing the whole brand is super nice, because actually Red Bull was always my favorite energy drink. So it's super nice that I can represent them, I would say. So, yeah, just providing Red Bull and a lot of other stuff.

THESPIKE: Red Bull has been organizing lots of different events over the years in VALORANT. And they've always put a kind of spin on their events. They created Campus Clutch and you participated in the last Homeground tournament. There’s also the Instalock event in May. In your opinion, events like this, that are separate from the main ecosystem, are they important for the scene? What's your take on them and how much do you enjoy them?

kaajak: I think it's nice to make some other events [apart from] the official VCT events. So like other teams from Tier 2, GC, or even other teams can just compete from international, and like other international teams can compete in one tournament, besides the VCT..So I think it's super nice. Also, if you're not experienced enough, you can get experience from such events. So I think it's also cool to meet a lot of other people [at such tournaments].

THESPIKE: What was your experience like during the last Red Bull Homeground event? What kind of stood out to you during that event?

kaajak: I think it was my first event with Fnatic. So naturally, I was a bit stressed, I would say, but also the event was good because it was my first time playing against Tier 1 teams. So it was a learning experience for me, for sure so I could get a bit more experience on the stage and stuff, playing against the better teams. But even in general, I think it was super good. It was well organized, so nothing much to add.

THESPIKE: Okay, so kind of moving on into your time at Fnatic now. Congratulations on a great start of stage 1. Clean sheet right as of right now. including beating Vitality, for whom obviously Derke plays. So you kind of came in to take Derke's role. And you've been doing a really good job at it, especially playing with Yoru in the meta. So what was the process like getting into Fnatic and kind of taking up the shoes of Derke? Was it an easy process or did it take a lot of time to settle in? Walk me through what that looked like.

kaajak: Yeah, so getting into Fnatic was a really good decision for me. Being surrounded by all of these people that have a lot of experience and are really good players, that can teach me a lot, it was really good. But about filling Derke’s shoes, I think at the beginning I was a bit stressed that I will not [be able to] fill his shoes. But after some time, I think I just got my confidence back because I know I'm a good player and I can basically beat anyone. And I wanted to prove myself because after the off-season tournaments, it was not the best performance by me, I would say. So [it came down to] just working it out with Jake "Boaster" Howlett and the coaches, they helped me a lot with a lot of stuff.

After leaving Apeks and joining Fnatic, I thought I'm a good player, but there was actually some stuff to still improve on, just to clean up. So I think right now I'm in a good spot and I have a lot of confidence in myself. And I have a lot of confidence in the team too.

THESPIKE: You were a part of a couple of teams and orgs [before Fnatic], most notably Apeks. How do you compare your experience so far being at Fnatic to the other teams, including Apeks, that you've been a part of?

kaajak: I think the most important thing is just living in Berlin, because moving from my country to another country (Germany) just to live here and to play in the VCT. And about Fnatic, we have a lot of stuff that they support players with a lot. Kind of like in Apeks, but they support players. We have a private chef. If someone wants something, they try their best to give the player everything that he needs, basically. And also the conditions that I have in Berlin are really good, so nothing bad to say.

I think the biggest jump is just improving year by year. Going from tier 3 to tier 1 right now is just a lot of things. The level of the gameplay increases also, so it's just a lot of stuff [at once].

THESPIKE: You had a really clear journey upwards [in terms of level]. So you started from a small team [Incognito] and you kept going up until you reached Fnatic, which is peak because it's obviously tier 1. Did you have any transformations in how you think, how you play? What were the things that changed in your mindset or your approach to the game with your time as you were playing VALORANT?

kaajak: I think the biggest thing was because when I was going to high school, I was just playing. It was kind of my hobby, you know, just playing. But when I finished high school, I was like, “Yeah, maybe I will try full-time playing,” you know? And I got an offer from Zero Tenacity back then. I took it and I would say it was the first [big] step in my career. And I played really well and got into Apeks.

So what changed in my mentality? I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and just overthinking a lot of stuff. And right now I'm just thinking straight and not overthinking a lot of stuff. I'm just, yeah. Just “simple thinking”, you know?

THESPIKE: There's been a lot of conversation about the meta, picks and bans, and clarity recently. So [focusing on the last point], one thing is a lot of things happening on the screen in VALORANT, right? You have so many abilities with many different colors. It's getting a little bit hectic, as pointed out by the community and some pro players and also ex-pros TenZ. From the point of view of a Duelist, an entry player [in the current meta]. What's your opinion on this matter? And are there any things that should be changed or things that could be done better, in your opinion?

kaajak: I think a lot of people are just overreacting right now. I mean, of course, there is a lot of utility. But I think when you get used to playing against this meta, it's pretty easy to play. I think you just need to be a lot smarter than you had to be before. Like, for example, two years ago. Because there is a lot of more stuff that can happen now. And you have to think in advance a lot more than in the previous metas. So I think people are just kind of overreacting.

But there are a million flashes, a million utilities. And sometimes, of course, it's just hard. And you cannot control everything. But yeah, most of the time, if you are smart enough, you can try to outplay [the opponents].

THESPIKE: A quick-fire question, In your opinion, most OP Agent right now that needs a nerf? And one agent that needs a buff?

kaajak: Nerf Yoru. Nerf Yoru for sure.

THESPIKE: You shouldn't be saying that, though!

kaajak: Get me out. Get me out of the Yoru jail!

THESPIKE: And one agent to buff?

kaajak: Skye, maybe? I think no one plays Skye right now. Oh and nerf Tejo! Nerf Tejo or Yoru. These two.

THESPIKE: And one more question on kind of hot topics. What about agent bans? What's your take on with so many agents right now in the game? Do you think it's time for VALORANT to introduce agent bans like in League of Legends, for example?

kaajak: I think not yet. I think it's too early for the game. Maybe in like two years, maybe one year, something like this. Depends how many agents are going to be added. But I think right now it's too early.

And also adding bans to the game like this, it might be difficult to play sometimes. Because playing this game on the fly can be hard without strats. So if you play one team comp and you get, for example, Omen banned then it's a lot.

THESPIKE: We have a lot of players from Poland in VCT Tier 1 this year. How do you feel representing Poland? And do you think that down the line there are some Polish players that are not in Tier 1 that could be in Tier 1 in the future? What do you think the future holds for Polish players [in Tier 1 of VALORANT]?

kaajak: Representing Polish people is fun and good. And I'm proud that there are a lot of Polish players because they are all fun. And Polish players are quite good, as you can see in the VCT. But in Tier 2, I think there might be some. I don't know if they're going to be ready for next year or in two years. But I think there are some talents that can be in VCT in a couple of years. Sounds good.

THESPIKE: Okay, I have one more question. This is the most important question of all. Classic, Coconut, Mango, or another. What's your favorite Red Bull flavor?

kaajak: I would say there is a new one. I think it's called White Peach. I tried it yesterday. And it's really good. But besides that, I will go with Coconut. Coconut is the second best.

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Featured image credit: ACEGEAR

Disclaimer: The interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.