Interview: Adam “ec1s” Eccles of Team Liquid VALORANT on the jump to Riot’s FPS

Team Liquid expanded into VALORANT when they signed one of Europe’s strongest available teams, fish123 and their captain, Adam “ec1s” Eccles.

Riot Games’ newest first-person tactical shooter VALORANT has taken the world of competitive gaming by storm since it was released in June. As the game’s esport continues to improve and expand, the biggest organizations are investing early by signing the best players available.

One of those players is Adam “ec1s” Eccles, a retired Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player that had already competed at a high level prior to the release of VALORANT. His now-former team, fish123, demanded the attention of top orgs who were already scouting the young competitive scene for their first signing. “Ec1s” and his teammates, James “Kryptix” Affleck, Travis “L1NK” Mendoza, Dom “soulcas” Sulcas, and Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom impressed over the course of several VALORANT Invitationals before ultimately being announced as Team Liquid on Friday, August 7.

The team competed in their first event since donning the iconic logo in the Allied Esports Odyssey, as part of the IGNITION SERIES, where “Ec1s” and his teammates impressed during the group stage in their Team Liquid debut. Adam “ec1s” Eccles was kind enough to answer a few questions about his introduction to VALORANT, as well as, getting signed by Team Liquid, the rivalry with G2 Esports, and the current competitive landscape surrounding VALORANT’s latest Agent.

App Trigger: What was your initial reaction to VALORANT? Coming from Counter-Strike, was it a game you instantly envisioned yourself competing in? Or were you reluctant to jump on the hype train?

Adam “ec1s” Eccles: My initial reaction to Valorant, codenamed “Project A” at the time, was that as soon as the game came out myself and a few others would make the switch. One of those being “ardiis”, at the time of the initial leaks of VALORANT we were in Bulgaria for a CSGO bootcamp. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the game before I played it, but I came into it with an open mind and loved it since the first day – I haven’t looked back since!

App Trigger: Team Liquid entered VALORANT when they signed your former team, fish123. The singing was rumored for some time, but what was it like behind-the-scenes? What are the biggest differences compared to playing under your previous banner?

Adam “ec1s” Eccles: The process was very professional and well thought out. Neither side wanted to rush into anything and make a bad decision, but it was well worth the wait! We had been signed for a long time but the announcement was delayed while they were working on the incredible video that blew our minds – it was well worth the wait. There are some differences, but the main one is that now we’re in the “spotlight”. People always have their eyes on us so we have to act professionally because we aren’t just representing ourselves, now its the Team Liquid brand.

App Trigger: You’ve played the Agent Omen for the majority of your professional matches. What are you most focused on providing to the team when playing that Agent? Which qualities are most important when playing Omen?

Adam “ec1s” Eccles: I made the switch to Omen once we decided on “ScreaM” as our fifth player. I am always focused on helping my team as much as I can, regardless of the agent, however, Omen allows me to be able to support my team from across the map with his long-range smokes. One of the things I focused on early was to not waste his ability “Paranoia”, as we believe it is one of the strongest abilities in the game. Picking and choosing the timing to use it is essential to winning rounds. It also gives us a way to be aggressive on defense, especially with an operator. Omen is essentially a slow Jett, I can hold an angle take a shot, hide, then teleport away. It gives us another dynamic for sure.

App Trigger: Team Liquid vs G2 Esports is already a matchup that fans are getting fired up for, what’s this emerging rivalry like from the player’s point-of-view? Would you say that yourself or any of your teammates get more excited to play in these types of matches?

Adam “ec1s” Eccles: We are always hyped going into official games but it’s always a bit extra versus G2. We want to beat them and end their winning streak. They seem very arrogant, so hopefully, sometime soon, we can humble them.

AT: What are your thoughts on VALORANT’s newest Agent, Killjoy? From a professional perspective, how does Killjoy affect the meta at the highest level if not nerfed?

“ec1s”: I think it can change up the entire meta. We are already experimenting with her, and I think the two nano swarm grenades are way too strong – especially with the amount of damage they deal. The new meta could potentially change the game to be very defense sided, considering you could have Cypher, Sage, and Killjoy on one team, which could be extremely hard to break down if used correctly. It will be interesting to see how teams adapt to her, for sure.

AT: Which Agent is the most OP in professional/high-rank matches and what makes them overpowered?

“ec1s”: Jett is the most broken Agent in the game. Especially at a high level. It is ridiculous to play against at times, the ultimate is so strong, “dash” is as well. It gives Jett the ability to miss an Operator shot and getaway, or smoke the site and dash into it creating chaos in an execute too easily. The only people who deny it are the Jett players themselves, but I think they are being a bit delusional denying it.

AT: What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to a player aspiring to play professionally in VALORANT?

“ec1s”: Make sure you are still having fun. Don’t focus on becoming “pro” straight away, especially if you are just getting starting. You have to play a lot and make sure you are focusing on improving all of the time, and you can’t neglect your weaknesses. It’s important to do the “boring” work, like watching demos and pro players to see how they play while trying to understand why they play a certain way in different situations.

AT: What about your team’s future are you most excited about? 

“ec1s”: Definitely, I am the most excited about the upcoming LAN tournaments. It will be nice to see everyone for the first time and to find out how the game plays in a LAN environment because no one knows right now. And of course, potentially playing on stage in an arena one day – that would be a dream come true!