SRG dodonut on the weight of the team's legacy: “I just want fans to see that I deserve to be here”

To date, Shopify Rebellion Gold is the most decorated team in the Game Changers scene, but that doesn't intimidate Karnthida "dodonut" Chaisrakeo. As the first Thai player to reach an international final in the VCT circuit, dodonut knows she still has a lot to prove, especially with the GCC title still within reach.

A victory against KRÜ Blaze at VALORANT Game Changers 2026 - Championship put the team in a strong position, leaving them just one win away from the Grand Final. Following the match, dodonut spoke with THESPIKE about her expectations, the team's preparation, and how they have adapted to the sudden roster changes midway through the season.

VALORANT Game Changers 2026 - Championship

Shopify Rebellion Gold

2

X

0

KRÜ Blaze

Upper Bracket Semi Final, Best of 3 - October 27, 2026 - 8:05PM

13

Lotus

7

13

Sunset

6

Shopify Rebellion Gold

player

Rating

PS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

dodonut

1.47

0

38/25/17

+13

1.52

77.1%

182.8

24%

69%

11

5

vanitas

1.08

0

27/22/14

+5

1.23

84.6%

131.5

20%

50%

1

1

Noia

0.99

0

29/24/8

+5

1.21

77.1%

112.8

37%

44%

4

5

alexis

0.98

0

25/27/11

-2

0.93

74.5%

117.6

30%

83%

5

1

glowstick

0.84

0

22/22/14

0

1.00

74.3%

102.1

17%

33%

2

4

KRÜ Blaze

player

Rating

PS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

tok1o

1.13

0

33/31/8

+2

1.06

64.1%

173.5

35%

50%

5

5

none

1.11

0

32/28/10

+4

1.14

71.7%

159.9

30%

43%

3

4

antg

0.73

0

22/29/7

-7

0.76

56.1%

110.3

40%

50%

4

4

micaela

0.62

0

19/26/5

-7

0.73

66.4%

91.1

48%

33%

3

6

poniX

0.47

0

14/27/5

-13

0.52

63.9%

66.5

29%

20%

1

4

One win away from the Grand Final

For dodonut, Shopify's run through the tournament has felt surreal, with everything moving so quickly that she has barely had time to process the event or how close the team is to reaching the Grand Final. After the victory over KRÜ, dodonut believes the team managed to address some of the issues that came up in their opening match.

THESPIKE: How does it feel to be, once again, so close to reaching a final?

Dodonut: "I think we fixed a lot of the issues we had in our last match. Even though things looked good, we still had some issues we needed to work on individually. We focused really hard on fixing those over the past two days, and I think it showed today. I was a little nervous before playing against KRÜ. I was thinking, ‘What if one of them has a crazy game and becomes unstoppable?’ But thank God, that didn't happen."

Mel and Sarah depart the lineup

Losing the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Game Changers Championship Grand Final was a painful moment in dodonut's career, leading her to question herself. However, with the support of her teammates and the realization that a result does not define a person, she gradually began to see things differently.

It was really sad, especially because I stayed in Korea for an extra week afterward. I really wanted to explore the country, so I tried to do both, but I was still really sad about what had happened. That made me want to win and lift the trophy even more. Recently, I lifted my first official trophy at the NA Grand Finals, and that felt really good. So I really want to do it again and lift an even bigger trophy. Mel and Sarah's departures were pretty unexpected, it was heartbreaking. But the year isn't over. This is only the beginning. We just need to keep working hard.

In 2026, everything changed. With Melanie "meL" Capone taking a break to focus on her mental health and Sarah "sarah" Simpson leaving VALORANT, the team had to restructure its roster and move Alexis "alexis" Guarrasi into the in-game leader role.

However, dodonut believes everyone has been doing an incredible job, particularly alexis, who has excelled in her new role. Despite their differences, dodonut believes both alexis and meL have played crucial roles in the team's success.

Alexis was new to IGLing, so there were some flaws when she first started, and I think she would agree with me on that. But I think she's a natural-born leader, so she just took over and grew into the role. MeL is a veteran and a champion, and everyone praises her. When I joined the team and listened to her calling, I was like, ‘Yeah, I admire her.’ I was such a fan girl. I was actually meL's biggest fan when I first joined. I'd be playing scrims with her and thinking, ‘Wow, it's like I'm watching a montage.’

This season, Franklin "glowstick" Lambert and Lucien "vanitas" Campione joined the roster and have helped lead the team closer to another Grand Final. Since 2022, the team has never missed a Grand Final.

A Thai icon in esports

In 2025, dodonut became the first Thai player to reach a Grand Final at a VCT event, marking a major milestone in her career. This year, she hopes to make more history and, perhaps, finally bring an international title home to Thailand.

I feel very privileged to have been able to move to America with my family and have so many organizations interested in me. Now, I'm playing for one of the top organizations in North America, Shopify Rebellion. I wouldn't say I think about it all the time because, if I'm being honest, I don't want to put that pressure on myself. But I always know there are Thai fans cheering me on, and I'm really grateful for them. I hope they like me.

Joining a back-to-back world champion team comes with high expectations, but dodonut wants people to recognize her for her own abilities as a player and what she can bring to the stage.

Last year, I was thinking, ‘If we don't win, people are going to blame me because I'm the new girl.’ But once I got those negative thoughts out of my head, I realized that I'm my own player and that I can live up to the standards I set for myself. I just want fans to see that I deserve to be here and that I'm good enough to be here.

Shopify Rebellion Gold will now face Gentle Mates GC on October 30 for a place in the GCC 2026 Grand Final.

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.

Featured Image by Heaven Wolf/Riot Games