“I still have massive faith in the team”: Fnatic crashies at VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026

Despite Fnatic losing a close opening series against BBL Esports at the 2026 VCT EMEA Kickoff, Austin ‘crashies’ Roberts remains confident that the roster can find its footing within the event’s new triple-elimination format.

“Even though we lost today, I still have massive faith in the team,” assured crashies in a post-match interview with Esports Insider.

“We still have two more chances with the new format that they introduced this year. So, I’m not really worried. I think the most important part is just getting reps on stage together and just see what works for us.”

Crashies began his VALORANT esports career in 2020 under Korean esports organisation T1. Only a year later, the initiator player placed second at his first-ever global event, Masters Berlin 2021, alongside ENVY.

Under OpTic Gaming, crashies lifted his first international trophy at Masters Reykjavík 2022 and became the Champions Istanbul runner-up. After joining Fnatic in 2025, the American player has so far secured two second-place finishes at Masters Toronto and Champions Paris.

When crashies first signed with Fnatic, he was coming off a disastrous 2024 season with NRG, during which he failed to qualify for a global event for the first time in his career.

“I think everyone went into that year, like the fans, the players and just kinda everyone involved went into that year not knowing what to expect,” the Americas import recalled.

“You know Fnatic lost Leo and Derke and then picked up me and kaajak, basically two unknowns, and made a coaching change and everything like that. No one really knew what to expect out of us, and I think that kind of played in our favour.”

In typical Fnatic fashion, crashies and his new team subverted community’s expectations. After a slow Kickoff showing, the revamped roster bounced back to finish top two at both Masters Toronto and Champions Paris.

“It was a very special journey for me, and it will be a team and a year that I will always be grateful for,” reflected crashies on his first year with Fnatic. “Just because I didn’t really know what to expect going into it, and that just made it that much better.”

The most recent VCT Off//Season saw plenty of headlines surrounding unexpected retirements and roster changes. Yet despite receiving offers from other teams, crashies opted to extend his contract with Fnatic for another year.

When asked about his decision, crashies pointed to none other than Fnatic’s veteran in-game leader (IGL), Jake ‘Boaster’ Howlett.

“I just really believed in Boaster as an IGL and as a leader,” explained crashies. “I saw how hard he works and how successful his career has been in VALORANT. No matter what team he’s had, he’s always kinda been successful at making it to LANs and grand finals.”

Crashies continued: “I don’t care about money. Location, obviously, it would be nice to be closer to home. But I just want the best team possible because I’m not gonna be doing this forever. So even though we lost today, I still have so much faith in us.”

Whilst crashies stayed with Fnatic for the 2026 VCT season, the team still suffered one of the biggest losses in the Off//Season. Fnatic veteran and triple international trophy winner Timofey ‘Chronicle’ Khromov left the roster to join EMEA rival Team Vitality.

Chronicle’s departure left massive shoes to fill for his replacement, former Gentle Mates player, Sylvain ‘Veqaj’ Pattyn. But with multiple young Fnatic members having faced similar pressure in the past, early onboarding and team bonding have also become easier.

“When I came in, or kaajak came in, we also had that same amount of pressure. Cause he was replacing Derke and I was kinda filling Leo’s shoes,” explained crashies. 

“And those are two players that have been at the peak of VALORANT […] And for him to come in and kinda do the same thing, we kinda share the same experience, so we can give him tips or like things we can talk about together and bond over.”

Moreover, crashies commended Veqaj’s work ethic since joining Fnatic: “He’s been such a lovely person and a teammate to get to know. I didn’t really know much about him before he joined, but ever since he joined, he’s just been willing to learn, willing to put his head down and grind, prove people wrong.”

According to crashies, Fnatic holds itself to a “very high standard” during the VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026, despite losing Chronicle and signing a new assistant coach. The team currently sits in the middle bracket after losing its opening match against BBL Esports by 2-0.

“Their aggression was really good, and I think it was catching us off guard, especially in the mid-round,” commented crashies on the series. “They have a double duelist comp, and I think they played it really well.”

Crashies also shared that due to frequent travels as well as Boaster’s absence from major Off//Season tournaments, Fnatic couldn’t get an early head start compared to other teams.

However, the 28-year-old remains optimistic about the remainder of Kickoff and the season ahead: “I’ve been saying for a little bit that I think we’re gonna scale into the season. I’m not expecting us to start really strong. We’re a team that kinda needs to warm up again and get into the feel of matches and just find out what works for us and what doesn’t work and things like that.”

Fnatic’s next match will take place on January 27th against FUT Esports. Fans can tune into the action via VCT EMEA’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.