M8 marteen on Gentle Mates' recent form: "Our individual level is pretty low"

Martin "marteen" Pátek sat down with THESPIKE after their VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Stage 2 loss against Team Vitality to discuss the series, his career alongside Taranvir "bipo" Singh, fan support and much more.

The loss against Team Vitality and individual level

What are you first feelings after the series?

Marteen: We lost every game, when you start at 0/5 or 0/7 it is pretty hard to come back. I think we need to do much better individually.

Our individual level is pretty low at the moment, and we need to improve a lot.

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - EMEA Stage 2

Team Vitality

2

X

1

Gentle Mates

Group Alpha, Best of 3 - July 29, 2026 - 5:20PM

14

Haven

16

13

Split

7

13

Ascent

9

Team Vitality

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Derke

1.34

274

69/48/20

+21

1.44

82.3%

192.0

28%

57%

13

10

Sayonara

1.19

219

57/42/22

+15

1.36

78.9%

146.3

26%

77%

10

3

Jamppi

1.01

209

51/54/18

-3

0.94

74.2%

137.2

29%

58%

11

8

PROFEK

0.96

153

42/43/34

-1

0.98

83.4%

105.5

24%

50%

1

1

Chronicle

0.90

186

45/48/19

-3

0.94

72.7%

128.0

27%

43%

6

8

Gentle Mates

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

marteen

1.28

260

64/53/21

+11

1.21

81.9%

183.3

39%

53%

10

9

Minny

0.88

199

48/57/10

-9

0.84

75.1%

123.5

30%

44%

14

18

bipo

0.80

178

44/54/13

-10

0.81

66.0%

121.4

36%

50%

3

3

starxo

0.78

172

44/53/13

-9

0.83

68.7%

112.8

26%

15%

2

11

Proxh

0.73

131

35/49/24

-14

0.71

72.4%

93.4

32%

67%

2

1

THESPIKE: Speaking about the individual level, yours has obviously not been low throughout the series. There is not much to say about that. You managed to pull out two aces in three games, and it is starting to look like a consistent thing. When it comes to performing in key moments, though, it looks like your role is there.

As a player, do you think you perform better when things get harder and the situation becomes more difficult under pressure?

Marteen: I think it is one of my strengths as a player. I think I do pretty well in chaotic moments. For me, it helps to just focus on the crosshair and not think about anything else. When things get panicky, I just do what feels right.

THESPIKE: You also broke a major kills record, and expectations for you keep getting higher. Since joining Gentle Mates your individual performance has improved a lot.

Do you start to feel pressure before games, thinking, “I have to perform”?

Marteen: No, not really. I do not care much about that. I do not really look at social media like that. It is nice to see support messages, but that is about it for me.I just think every game is the same.

I don’t even care who I am playing, apart from the strats and stuff. It is just another game.

Team support and growth

THESPIKE: Looking at social media, there is this narrative around Gentle Mates where many people think that the team is basically Marteen and friends, and that the team relies a lot on your individual performances to succeed. But we do not really know how it is behind the scenes, because to perform individually, you need a team around you helping you reach that level.

What is the best part of your team? How do they help you shine the most?

Marteen: I think it is mostly Patrik "Minny" Hušek. On Duelist now, it is much easier for me to play too. Most of the credit goes to him, because he is the first guy to go in. He goes somewhere, he makes fast decisions, and I just play off him so fast. It is really nice. He is fearless, so we match well together. We have a lot of similar ideas, or even the same ideas. So I would say we are a good duo.

THESPIKE: Minnie’s role was previously held by Bipo, who was going in on Neon and jumping into sites to allow you to shine. But then you decided to switch things around and put him on Sentinel.

Do you think this version of Gentle Mates suits you better than the previous one?

Marteen: Right now, yes, it is much better compared to before. But there are still a lot of things that are not right.

THESPIKE: Speaking about VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Masters Santiago 2026, it was your first international experience as Gentle Mates.

Did the team grow a lot after that tournament, with the chance to play against other regions? How did it change the team’s approach?

Marteen: I would say people took a lot from it, especially in terms of regrets. I think a lot of people had regrets after that event, and they were thinking about it a lot. So now I think they are more focused on what needs to be done. It stays in their minds.

Bipo and the crowd

THESPIKE: Speaking about Bipo, this is not the first time you have played with him, because you also played together in Tier 2.

What is the best thing about having him as a teammate, in your opinion?

Marteen: He has a good vibe. He is a good person. We have a good connection from when we played together. So I just like him.

THESPIKE: You have also had the chance to play more international events, but I think EWC - Esports World Cup 2026 was a different kind of experience, because you played in front of your home crowd, the vibe was completely insane, and we finally got to see the Gentle Mates fans showing up. From your point of view.

How much does that help you perform better compared to playing in an empty venue, with silence around you?

Marteen: It just feels nice, you know? When there is nothing, you play more for yourself, just to win. But when you see the fans, it is also important not to get eaten up by them. You should not play for the fans, but for the team, and then you can get a bit more energy from the crowd during the game.

THESPIKE: You moved from a French powerhouse to another one, from the Blue wall, to the Gentle Mates fanbase. I would say those are probably two of the biggest fanbases in Europe, because the amount of French fans is just insane. And even if you said you do not really look much at social media.

Did you notice a difference between the two fanbases? Is one more supportive in tough moments, or is one harsher?

From my personal experience, and nothing against anyone, Gentle Mates has been more welcoming and more supportive. Karmine Corp was a little more toxic, I would say, at least that was my experience. So Gentle Mates has been a better experience for me personally when it comes to the fans.

Sens and the next match

THESPIKE: I wanted to ask you about is your sensibility, because it has completely blown up the community’s mind. We also saw in today’s matches that you switch targets so fast, and your hand is basically flying across the screen because you move it so quickly. Everyone wants to know how you manage to be so fast with such low sensitivity.

Have you ever had pain in your arm from playing too much VALORANT, and does it affect your body at all? And second, can you show me how much it takes for you to do a 360 with your hand and your sens?

Marteen: I do not have any pain, and I just do it two or three times really fast with my hand.

THESPIKE: Your next match is against BBL Esports, the final one of the group stage.

They are a very historic team for you, and you had the chance to play them in the Lock In finals, so do you have anything to say coming into that match?

Marteen: I like them as a team, and as people. They took care of me at EWC Paris when we played together, but now it is business. We are going to take the serious route now, and I am excited to play them again. It has been a while.

After this loss Gentle Mates are now sitting on a 2-2 score in Group Alpha, a top two finish is not possible for them anymore since they lost to both Team Vitality and FUT Esports. They will take over BBL Esports on July 31 in order to fight for a spot in the top three.

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.

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