“The only thing that tops a Champs win is doing it twice”: NRG Ethan eyes VALORANT Champions 2025 title

As 16 VCT teams gear up for VALORANT Champions 2025, which is set to kick off later today, NRG’s Ethan ‘Ethan’ Arnold aims to make history.

The in-game leader (IGL) is one of three players at VALORANT Champions that hail from Evil Geniuses’ 2023 championship-winning roster. His new team qualified for the largest global event of the year with an unexpected second-place finish in VCT Americas Stage 2.

Now the VCT veteran has the opportunity to lift his second Champions trophy.

“The only thing that can top a Champs win is doing it twice, so that’s the goal,” revealed Ethan in a recent press conference.

Throughout more than four years of competing in VALORANT, Ethan has represented several notable North American esports organisations. Starting with 100 Thieves, the initiator player joined NRG for the 2022 season before he was eventually signed by Evil Geniuses (EG).

Most of Ethan’s former EG teammates moved to other organisations following the organisation’s 2023 run, and now they reunite in Paris under different banners.

Alexander ‘jawgemo’ Mor has just won his third consecutive VCT Americas title as part of G2 Esports, while Maximilian ‘Demon1’ Mazanov is a last-minute signing for Chinese Ascension team Dragon Ranger Gaming.

However, the three are by far not the only ones looking to break records at Champions 2025. Last year’s Champions winner, EDward Gaming, has also returned from VCT China to defend its title and become the first back-to-back VALORANT Champion.

Meanwhile, some of VCT’s biggest names, Fnatic and Sentinels, have set their eyes on a third international trophy.

The Evil Geniuses players of 2023 were headed for their first Champions tournament after suffering a devastating 0-3 loss against Fnatic at Masters Tokyo in the same year.

Two years later, Ethan returns to VALORANT’s biggest stage backed by a strong performance in Stage 2 that few NRG fans saw coming. Only in the Grand Final could NRG be stopped in their tracks by G2 (1-3).

According to Ethan, both organisations have shaped his growth as a player and in his current IGL role.

“I think I took a lot from the EG team and from my previous players on NRG also. I’ve played with a lot of different IGLs. I’ve learned a lot, and I kinda try to factor everything into my own gameplay and make a different spin on it,” shared the 2023 Champion.

When asked if this being NRG’s first Champs attendance since 2023 would increase the pressure on the roster, Ethan replied: “I don’t think it adds any pressure that wasn’t already there. I think we completed our goal in qualifying for Champs. That was our first goal, and now, we’re just playing it match by match.”

Instead, Ethan views his team’s underdog position in Paris as a confidence boost.

“I think being somewhat of an underdog helps for your mental, going into a tournament like this with such stacked teams,” explained the player.

Interestingly, NRG’s first opponent at Champions 2025 will be none other than EDward Gaming. On September 13th, fans will get to see which of the two teams sets itself up for a record-breaking tournament run.