Interview cAAkzyyy Team PHANTOM

The Prague LAN definitely went down as one of the most exciting events in the Call of Duty 2 scene this year. The French squad, Team PHANTOM, made it all the way to LB Round 4, showing massive heart and some serious skill in the brutal Losers Bracket. They wrapped up the tournament with a 5-4 match record, proving they’re a top contender on the European stage.

To break down their challenging run—from grabbing second place in the group (right behind Croatia’s KOMPLEKSiii), to their solid wins against SnoopYgame, and the tough losses against Team MICRO and REASON—we sat down with the team captain – cAAkzyyy.

Today Clément “cAAkzyyy” Vallez is going to fill us in on LAN prep, the key moments on maps like mp_dawnville and mp_toujane, the emotions of dropping to the Losers Bracket and that final match against REASON that knocked them out of the tournament.

I. Prep and Group Stage

LAN Prep: How did you guys get ready for the Prague LAN tournament, especially with CoD2 being what it is and the whole offline factor?

Our preparation was fairly short since we changed our lineup about a month before the LAN, bringing inzY in to replace TOMTOM. Our paths diverged with TOMTOM due to differences in how we wanted to play, and we preferred moving toward something healthier for the team with inzY, who’s an experienced player with very strong aim. Because of the timing, we didn’t get much practice in — I’d say around 20 matches with the full lineup — but we already had a solid background and well-established strats from previous years. We mainly had to make some adjustments, which paid off since we ended up performing well offline.

Expectations vs. Reality: What was your main goal coming into the tournament, and did the group stage live up to your initial expectations?

Our goal was to repeat last year’s great performance (top 5–6) by finishing at least in the top 10. And we did just that, ending 9–12. We knew we weren’t the favorites, but we definitely had our shot, and teams were expecting us this year after our recent strong results both online and offline (including a top 4 finish at the last P2P offline tournament). We finished second in our group, which is roughly what we anticipated since Kompleksiii was in our pool. Funny enough, we came very close to taking first place after an epic match against that same team.

The KOMPLEKSiii Matchup: KOMPLEKSiii topped your group. You lost 10-13 on mp_dawnville in Round 7. What was the critical thing missing that stopped you from taking the win there? Do you think that was actually your best moment in the group?

That match was both fascinating and incredibly frustrating. We missed two match points that could have closed it out 12–10 in those final rounds. Two of our players each missed a shot that should’ve been an easy kill, but maybe the pressure got to us a bit. Still, there’s nothing to be ashamed of — it really came down to the smallest details. That’s what happens in big games.

The Early Loss: You dropped the first match 10-13 against aktrona on mp_breakout. Was that down to first-LAN “jitters,” or was it a tactical screw-up? How did that loss affect your mindset for the rest of the group stage?

Against aktrona, it was clearly a team mistake in our map pick. We knew they were a newly formed mix of strong individual players, and the plan should’ve been to take them to a more tactical map rather than a pure aim/map-control map to reduce the risks. We had the choice between Dawnville Axis and Breakout Axis, and we relied too much on our recent good online results on Breakout without considering how well this team could perform on that map. We later realized our Dawnville Axis was extremely solid, and I’m convinced we would have won on Dawnville. We simply messed up the pick, and they capitalized on it on an open map like Breakout. GG to them — I honestly think they were the strongest seed-4 team in the whole tournament. They basically deserved a seed 2 or at least 2.5, and their LAN performance proved it.

Potential vs. Placement: You won 5 out of 7 matches. Did you feel like the team’s potential meant you should have grabbed first place, or was second spot a fair reflection of where you were at?

As I said, we more or less expected to finish in that spot, but if we had beaten aktrona, we would have ended up as the best second place across all groups — which was the minimum we were aiming for.

II. Playoffs – Winners Bracket (WB)

Moving to Playoffs: What were the vibes and emotions like in the team right before the knockout stage started, having finished second in the group?

We were really happy because we ended up finishing second thanks to the draw between epoca and aktrona, even though epoca were already eliminated. We weren’t expecting that result at all and thought we would finish third. So it was a great surprise, and we were really excited heading into the playoffs.

SnoopYgame Domination: You had a solid 2-0 win over SnoopYgame (13-7 on mp_toujane, 13-3 on mp_dawnville). Which player on Team PHANTOM stepped up and delivered the clutch plays in that match?

Against SnoopYgame we were very confident. They’re a newly formed team, and we knew that in a BO3 we had the upper hand. Honestly, everyone on the team played well. As usual, inzY had a great Toujane, and KRAP delivered a fantastic Dawnville.

Map Picks: How did the map pick/ban phase work in the playoffs? Were there any specific maps you were actively trying to avoid?

We didn’t tell anyone at the event, but we completely abandoned Railyard. We simply didn’t have time to practice it, and the few times we tried, we realized it needed way too much work. Since we have a reputation for being good on snow maps (like Leningrad), everyone assumed we were strong on Railyard too — which sometimes allowed us not to ban it, or to leave it as our last ban. Aside from that, we had made good progress on open maps like Matmata and Toujane, whereas with our old lineup we would’ve preferred more defensive, camp-heavy maps.

The Team MICRO Defeat: You lost 0-2 to Team MICRO, again on mp_toujane (9-13) and mp_dawnville (8-13). What went wrong this time that stopped you from leveraging your strengths on those maps, unlike the match before?

I think MICRO were simply too strong for us at that point in the tournament. We weren’t the favorites, and even though we could have had our chance, each of us was missing just a bit of success in the key moments. Eren actually had his best match, dropping more than 47 frags across both maps. GG to them — they were the better team and fully deserved the win. Dubzera in particular impressed all of us with 51 kills; he was simply unstoppable.

The Crisis Point: After that loss and dropping down to the Losers Bracket (LB), was there a moment where the team doubted yourselves? How did the team leaders handle that situation?

Honestly, no — we knew that sooner or later we would end up in the Losers Bracket, so we weren’t particularly worried. The only question was who we were going to face next, but overall we stayed confident.”

III. Playoffs – Losers Bracket (LB)

LB Round 2 – The Reset: You secured a quick and confident 13-5 win on mp_toujane against EIQ. Did you treat that match as a “warm-up” before taking on the tougher teams deeper in the LB?

We were very confident against Entropiq, since we had beaten them convincingly in the group stage. We had the psychological edge, and we got to play Toujane, which is probably one of our strongest maps. Once again, we won comfortably.

The ONLINEGAMERS Thriller (Trainstation Feels): The 2-1 match against ONLINEGAMERS was a total nail-biter. What was your biggest headache in that 11-13 loss on mp_trainstation? Was it rushing things, or did they just have an insane defense/offense?

We were confident against OG as well, since we had often beaten them before and we knew we had the advantage on open maps like Breakout or Toujane. They’re a very experienced and tight-knit team, and on defensive maps like Trainstation, we lacked coordination while they were better positioned than us. Losing 13-11 didn’t shake us because we knew we’d get to play Breakout, where we were stronger. GG to them — they definitely earned it. They’re an iconic team with a history of strong LAN performances.

The Deciding Map (mp_breakout): The third map against ONLINEGAMERS, mp_breakout, ended 13-6 in your favor. What was the game-changer that led to such a big lead on that map?

Quite simply, it was our overall level on that map. Breakout allows our aim-heavy players to really make an impact and create differences. Everyone played really well.

LB Form: As you racked up wins in the LB, did you feel like you were playing better than you did in the Winners Bracket? Was the pressure off, or did it actually ramp up?

We played with the same confidence as before; it’s just that MICRO was a much stronger opponent than the teams we faced in the Losers Bracket.

The End vs. REASON: Your run finished with a 0-2 loss to REASON in LB Round 4. Did you see them as a potential tournament winner?

This was the decisive moment of the tournament for us. By beating OG, we were supposed to face Citrons, who were the surprise team of the tournament at that point — a team we would have been favorites against and would likely have advanced past. Due to an error in the bracket, the admins changed the tournament tree, and we ended up taking the hardest hit by being matched against Reason Gaming, who were favorites for first or second place. That last-minute change was a huge blow to our morale. We could have achieved an even better result if we had avoided them at that stage. It left a bitter taste, but that’s how it goes — if the bracket was poorly set up from the start, we accepted our fate. Against Reason, we knew our chances were slim regardless of the map. We did our best, and we even put together a run of over 6 points in a row on Carentan, putting a bit of doubt into them at halftime.

The Fatigue Factor: After playing so many tough matches in the LB, did physical and mental fatigue play a role in that deciding match against REASON?

We were very tired, having played until almost 1:30 AM on Saturday night, with a very short night before setting up to play Sunday morning at 8 AM. But that’s no excuse — even with all the energy in the world, we wouldn’t have been able to beat them. Paty Shepard delivered an outstanding performance on Leningrad; it was really impressive.

IV. Takeaways, Future, and the CoD2 Scene

The Biggest Lesson: What’s the single most important lesson Team PHANTOM took away from competing at this LAN in Prague?

We played without any complexes and managed to perform without overthinking things. Everyone enjoyed themselves — for some, it was probably their last LAN. I’m thinking of Eren, who is stepping away from the game to focus on his personal life, and also KRAP, who delivered a fantastic performance despite never having played a LAN before. We knew he was an extremely underrated player, relatively unknown to other teams, very calm, and not easily stressed — which is crucial in LAN. He’ll also be reducing his time in the game going forward.

Tournament MVP: If you had to pick one player from Team PHANTOM who had the tournament of their life, who would it be and why?

inzY started the tournament very strongly, but I think Eren delivered the standout performance. He himself admitted it — after more than six LANs, this was his best individual showing.

The CoD2 Future: Looking at the competitive level at this LAN, how do you see the overall health and future of the Call of Duty 2 competitive scene? Is the level of interest and competition satisfying?

What’s really encouraging is seeing a variety of very strong teams emerging. I’m also happy to see our friends from CoD4 taking an interest in CoD2, and I encourage them to keep going and create lineups — it can only be beneficial for the future of the scene!

Post-Tournament Plans: Are you guys planning to specifically drill the maps where you struggled the most (like mp_dawnville, mp_carentan, mp_leningrad)?

As I mentioned in a public message on the TLS Discord, Team PHANTOM is stopping here as a unit. Other lineups will probably emerge. I’ve always wanted to mix the best available talent to create the strongest possible Francophone team — which is why we brought in inzY, who speaks French fluently. I’d really like to bring French teams together to take the best from each, like many countries have done — for example, Hungary managed to create the perfect lineup with Reason Gaming. Why not gather the best players under a single team with a new identity? It’s still just a project at this stage, but I’m calling for a unification. We have some very strong Francophone players.

Shoutouts/Message: Do you have a final message or shoutout for the Team PHANTOM fans and the whole CoD2 community that followed your run in Prague?

Thanks to everyone who believed in us. We started very far behind in 2023, with many gaps to fill, and we climbed the ranks step by step. I want to thank all the players who were part of the PHANTOM project, even those who contributed less — especially TOMTOM, even if things didn’t end as we had imagined. He had a positive impact in instilling a strong work ethic in the team over the past years. Thanks to skz and graejx for completing the team when we needed them, and thanks to Mordock for trusting us in 2024. Thanks also to inzY for choosing PHANTOM when other lineups were offering him spots. And of course, thanks to the original PHANTOM team (Eren and drk0), who have been there from the very beginning. We’ll see each other again very soon — we’re taking a bit of rest individually, and who knows, maybe next year!