Demon1 says 2025 can’t be worse than his year with NRG no matter what

Max "Demon1" Mazanov is a world champion VALORANT player, but the last little while has not been so kind to his career. Now, he and Leviatán are eliminated from the VCT Americas Kickoff 2025. Before that, though, they were sent to the Lower Bracket.

After the loss to G2 Esports is when esports.gg spoke with Demon1. We asked him about his less-than-stellar performance during the series and if there's anyway this year could be as bad as the last one with NRG.

"You’ve said it a million times, you just shoot your gun. So, I don’t expect you to have all the answers, but I’d like your insight on today. Not the best showing from you and Leviatan. First and foremost, any immediate reaction to the loss?"

Demon1: "We've definitely got to work harder as a team together. And obviously, we tried that comp on Pearl and it didn't work. So, we've got to switch things up before the next match."

"Well, everyone has been saying G2 Esports might be the best team in Americas, or even the world, this year. Do you feel like they are after having just played them?"

Demon1: "I feel like they were a good team, but we just sucked ass. We sucked ass on the first map. We definitely just sucked ass."

"Let’s go map by map quickly then. Pearl was, to be blunt, a beat down. Only five kills from yourself there. What was G2 doing to shut you down?"

Demon1: "I would say, for the majority of the rounds, I was just dying to leaf over and over. I tried flanking him a couple times. He was just holding. He was just always there holding the lines and every time I walked into his crosshair. He would just kill me and put me down."

"A better performance on the scoreboard for Fracture. Do you feel you all played better on that map, because of you having swapped over to Brimstone, and looking at the amount of rounds put together? I mean, compared to Pearl, do you think there was ever a chance to push things to map three?"

Demon1: "Obviously, yeah, I played better than on the first map. I would say, definitely if we played better on the first map. If I had like more success on the Yoru and all that, we probably could have beat them on Pearl."

"And you had to have known this one was coming. We saw you with a small chance to clutch a round. You sent a molly up the stairs, walked into it and died there. Was that a moment you were able to laugh off or did that frustrate you with how things were going against G2?"

Demon1: "Well, I knew the play. I heard the guy when he was wrapping Arcade. He went Arcade, and then he went under, so he'd be Main. And then yeah, I mollied Tower, because I heard the first guy there. I wanted to go for a quick kill.

"Kill him on the tap. Because I knew he would play first and then I'd turn around and kill the Main guy. But obviously, you know, I died to my own molly. So, not much you can do. Time was running low, I had to do something."

"This is a genuine question, as you get a fresh start with LEV this year. Back with your old teammate C0M, so a bit of familiarity. We’ve heard plenty about the NRG roster last year. Even with a potential elimination from Kickoff, do you feel there is any way this year could be worse than how last year went for you, career-wise?"

Demon1: "No. It definitely won't be."

"And I know you’re not one to care much about what other people think, but you’re a world champion. You were once labeled the best player in VALORANT. Does the step backwards last year, the slow start this year, and the sometimes negative perspective of viewers of the esport sit in the back of your mind at all?"

Demon1: "No, not really. Just my own performance. It reflects on me and myself. That's how I view it. I just don't read the stuff online."

"Well, the last one for you. As I just said, you’ve been to the top of the mountain in VALORANT before. What’s the time between now and Stage 1 look like for you personally? What needs to be done to reach that level of success again?"

Demon1: "We just need to keep grinding as a team and, you know, obviously perform better individually."

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