“I’m not gonna be intimidated”: BBL Lar0k on his global debut at VALORANT Masters Santiago

Yusuf ‘Lar0k’ Kanber is one of countless rookies set to compete at VALORANT Masters Santiago, the first global VCT event of the year.

Lar0k and the rest of the BBL Esports rookie roster delivered a flawless run at VCT EMEA Kickoff 2026 qualify for its first-ever international competition as the region’s first seed.

“My self-confidence comes from my own gameplay,” the Turkish player told Esports Insider during the pre-event press conference.

“I think I’m playing really well, and this is not coming from a place of ego. I can say that I’m a good player and I really trust myself. So the regional performance that you saw is gonna continue on this stage, as well.”

Lar0k began his VALORANT esports journey in 2022, competing in various Turkish tier-two tournaments. 

Two years later, the 18-year-old joined PCIFIC Esports to play in the Turkish Challenger circuit. He eventually lifted the VCT EMEA 2025 Ascension trophy as part of BBL PCIFIC, the Affiliate Partnership team of PCIFIC Esports and VCT partner organisation BBL Esports.

The entire roster was later signed by BBL to compete under its banner.

For its very first year in VCT EMEA, the full PCIFIC roster stayed together despite offers from other partner teams in the league. 

This loyalty clearly paid off, as the freshly ascended roster went on a tear at VCT Kickoff. Bringing undeniable confidence and high energy to the VCT EMEA stage, BBL Esports took down regional giants Fnatic and Team Vitality, as well as rival dark horse Gentle Mates, on its path to VALORANT Masters Santiago.

When asked whether heading into his first-ever global event could affect his confidence, Lar0k replied:

“I’m not gonna be intimidated. I’m gonna show the same performance that I showed in regionals here in this international tournament.”

Lar0k also explained why he believes in his team so strongly: ”I know that we seem like five rookies, but we’re not really like five rookies. Because we proved ourselves on our journey here. We beat everyone, which is why we’re here.”

The duelist player continued: “And now that we’re here, we’re still super good, we’re still confident, and we’re gonna beat everyone. So our confidence is super high.” 

BBL Esports’ in-game leader (IGL), Eren ‘Rosé’ Erzan, agreed with his teammate’s sentiment.

“It doesn’t matter for us, like being a rookie for the tournament, to be honest. Because we know our potential, our firepower in the game,” emphasised Rosé during the press conference.

“And we are just believing in each other. We know how to be a family […] like in the game and outside of VALORANT also. It’s not gonna change anything about our game style and confidence in the game, like what the community people are thinking about us. I just believe in my teammates, like my brothers, like everybody on the team.”

BBL Esports is by far not the only rookie team at VALORANT Masters Santiago. The first global VCT event of 2026 stands out as a collection of dark horses, underdogs and inexperienced rosters clashing with some of the biggest names in the scene.

This includes another unexpected first seed, FURIA, which won VCT Americas Kickoff despite losing 12 out of its 13 matches last year. For its player GianFranco ‘koalanoob’ Potestio, Masters Santiago will be his first shot at an international trophy.

“It means a lot. Like, I love this team,” koalanoob shared. “We’re just gonna keep this underdog mentality that we’ve had. But I have full trust in my entire team, especially artzin as my IGL. I feel like if I trust whatever he says, we’ll just be fine.”

koalanoob added: ”We’re just gonna keep working hard, and it’s awesome that people felt something from seeing my emotions. I wanna motivate people to make them believe that they can reach whatever they dream of.”

VCT China’s first seed, All Gamers, shares a similar story, having never qualified for a VCT global competition before Masters Santiago. As the longest-standing member of the active All Gamers line-up, Huang ‘K1ra’ Zhihao persevered through the team’s struggles last year before finding redemption at the recent VCT Kickoff event.  

“When I look back to that kind of time, I think it is definitely kinda horrible for me, but in that case, I will just have a higher standard for myself. And I just ask myself to try my best, to try harder and to do better on the stage,” revealed the IGL.

“For Santiago, I think the main goal is don’t be afraid and showcase our potential, showcase what we can do in the global events and absolutely learn from other teams, learn from other regions,” concluded K1ra.

Masters Santiago will take place from February 28th until March 15th. Fans can follow the action via the VCT’s official Twitch and YouTube broadcasts.