Can the FOKUS Clan do more than just FIFA? The current victories of their Valorant team speak for themselves, we took a closer look.
The FOKUS Clan is actually best known for its FIFA star players Mohammed “MoAuba” Harkous, Elias “EliasN97” Nerlich or Fabienne “FabienneXIII” Morlok. But since January they have also been making headlines in another game.
Record winning streak
Many clans that focus on one game or genre often find it difficult to add new games to their repertoire and still be successful. The FOKUS clan, which is currently winning one game after another with its Valorant team, has a completely different story to tell.
Here we go – Welcome @FOKUSValorant 🤝 📈
🇩🇪 @KubaFPS_
🇩🇪 @bucherVAL
🏴 @IYaBoiLewis
🇳🇴 @v0ngn
🇫🇮 @ilurival
🇳🇱 @JohnnyLobsterGG (Coach)This is where it all begins. pic.twitter.com/CMEQQY5c0n
– FOKUS (@FOKUSCLANGG) January 9, 2022
After the Naughty Evil Owls first competed for the FOKUS Clan on January 9, 2022, I don’t think anyone expected the team to have such great success so quickly. Since then, the boys around Dutch coach Sjonnie “Johnny Lobster” Kreeft have lost only three of their 23 matches and are unbeaten in 14 matches. What many don’t know: Even before the “merger” on 9 January, the Naughty Evil Owls were part of the FOKUS Clan and were even founded by it.
Current line-up:
- Jakub “JUGI” Hansen (Player)
- Maximilian “bucher” Bucher (player)
- Ilari “iluri” Puranen (player)
- Lewis “YaBoiLewis” Hughes (player)
- Vong “vong” Nguyen (player)
- Jakub “Kuba” Dogan (player)
- Sjonnie “Johnny Lobster” Kreeft (Coach)
On 20 March they won the German Championship and finished first in the VALORANT Regional League DACH: Evolution. They are currently 17th in the European league with 1709 points and there is no end in sight to their winning streak. In comparison, they were still in 191st place in January. At the moment, there is no way around the FOKUS Clan in the DACH region. With their victory against BIG in the Upper Bracket Final on 8 April, they were promoted to the highest VALORANT league (VCT-EMEA) and will soon be playing against the best teams in the world.
Before the merger, however, things were not going very well for the former Naughty Evil Owls. In eleven matches, they won only three times, drew three times and lost five times.
VRL DACH CHAMPIONS! 🏆 Less than three months after joining VALORANT, we crown ourselves GERMAN CHAMPIONS and win the @valleague_dach 📈👑 FULLFOKUS 123FOKUS pic. twitter.com/vklIBVvmQk
– FOKUS Valorant (@FOKUSValorant) March 20, 2022
Where to go?
From 191st place to 17th in just two months, winning the German championship and now promotion to the VCT. That’s an impressive achievement and puts the players’ ability out of the question.
QUALIFIED FOR VCT! 🏆📈 90 days ago we announced our entry into Valorant. Today, after 8 wins in a row, we qualify for the highest league in Europe VCTEMEA with a clean 2-0 win against @BIGCLANgg THANK YOU to everyone who supports us on this way! ❤️ 123FOKUS pic.twitter.com/GflsrSESI6
– FOKUS (@FOKUSCLANGG) April 8, 2022
But where did this sudden transformation come from that is rarely seen in the professional scene? We asked Dennis Andreas Nirtl, founder and CEO of the FOKUS Clan, what the future plans are for the Valorant team at FOKUS:
What are the future plans for VALORANT? Should more resources be invested soon and which tournaments are important for the team?
VALORANT is the future and that is why we have invested a lot of resources from the beginning to make it to the most important and prestigious league in the world, the VCT. We have successfully achieved this and now we get to compete with the most relevant teams in international Esports, which is now our full focus.
After the Naughty Evil Owls joined the FOKUS Clan in January, Valorant has been going from strength to strength (last match lost on 14 February, undefeated for 14 matches). What has changed as a result of the merger?
Few people know that the Naughty Evil Owls were already a creation of ours. We developed our current team completely ourselves from day 1 and from the very first player. In the beginning, however, we didn’t let the team compete under the FOKUS banner, because we were still experimenting and testing several constellations before we found the five players who should represent FOKUS in VALORANT.
It is due to several factors that we have been unbeaten for over 2 months now, although we have been the underdogs again and again. Surely it’s first and foremost the absolute will and belief that we can become the best. The right work ethic. Our community, which supports and drives us unbelievably. And of course it’s also due to some pretty good and for many surprising decisions, like the change to three positions and the JUGi signing in the middle of the season.
The FOKUS CLAN is extremely strong especially in FIFA through its creators in the content area. What is the plan here for VALORANT?
Answer from Elias Nerlich, FOKUS Co-Owner and CEO:
We don’t differentiate between FIFA Creatorn and VALORANT Creatorn. Most of our streamers and influencers play multiple games and are not locked into a single title, which is certainly one of the secrets of our success, as we appeal to the masses and always play what the community and we are really into. I’m the best example here, because I’m currently also playing VALORANT, among many other games.
The future will show whether the FOKUS clan can also hold its own in the VCT and against the best clans in the world. They have already impressively proven that they can do more than just FIFA.
