The Turkish powerhouse BBL Esports has secured third place in the Group Alpha of the 2025 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA Stage 2 Group Stage. After defeating their rivals at FUT Esports, the squad now advances to the playoffs, where Fnatic awaits. As the competition intensifies, BBL steps into the ring, aiming to punch their ticket to Champions and represent EMEA in Paris. In an exclusive interview, Martin "Magnum" Peňkov spoke with Sheep Esports about his upcoming match-up, the evolution of his role from KC to BBL, and his current form as a player.

You ended the group stage with an important victory over FUT Esports. Even though you were already qualified for playoffs, this match was crucial for seeding. How do you feel right after beating them, and did BBL’s rivalry with FUT affect your preparation?

Martin "Magnum" Peňkov: "It feels great. Obviously, I'm not the closest to FUT, but I really like the guys there, especially Yetujey (Eray Budak). I respect him a lot. I'm a bit sad that we had to knock them out, but it's part of the game—we had to do it. It was a very important match for us, as you said, even though we had already qualified. It's an extra life in playoffs, I guess. We also did a favor to Vitality and got them a ticket to playoffs [laughs]. In terms of rivalry, this was the perfect match to end the group stage on. FUT have beaten me many times, especially last year, so it felt great to snatch this win. There was a lot of stress going into the match, and even if we hadn't been fighting for seeding, it would have been the same because of that Turkish rivalry.

How do you feel about BBL’s improvement over time? Do you think the team has reached its peak? Many expect you to contend for Champions.

Magnum: I don't know if we've reached our peak yet, it's hard to say, but I think we've reached a level where we are very consistent in our play. The way I look at things has changed a lot this year compared to when I was in Karmine Corp. When I was playing as an in-game leader, I was seeing the game very differently and experiencing it in a totally different manner. It was much harder. We were very inconsistent last year in Karmine Corp. We are playing very well right now. There will always be some tough moments—it can be because of health, weather, or other factors—but we are consistently good. We definitely see ourselves as contenders for Champions. We'll see next week how we pan out against Fnatic. Heretics has historically been our kryptonite, especially for me individually. On the other hand, our matches against Liquid have always been close. Fnatic will be our real test, and I'm excited.

Can you tell us more about the upcoming matchup against Fnatic?

Magnum: In my eyes, Fnatic is a comfort matchup for us. Obviously, NAVI would have been an easier opponent on paper. Looking at the top teams, I wouldn't be as confident playing against Team Liquid or Heretics as I am against Fnatic. They play the same comps as us and have a very similar playstyle. Honestly, it will come down to who hits the shots on the day and who makes the better calls. I believe that can be us. It'll be a close match, though—it could literally be 50/50.

If BBL were to win against Fnatic, where do you think the team’s edge lies—mechanical skill, strategy, or a combination?

Magnum: We have a better map pool than them for sure. Secondly, I also feel like we are just better at playing the style that they are trying to play. You know, they have Scuttt (Benjamin Hutchinson) as their assistant coach, and he used to be an analyst for BBL. I think they share the same ideology as us. We are better at executing that style, and especially our micro play is better than Fnatic's. But then again, VALORANT can be a bit of a random game sometimes. It’ll depend on who hits the shots in the first few rounds and who is able to run away with the maps.

Who do you think are the four most likely EMEA teams to qualify for Champions?

Magnum: In my head, there’s only one slot left if I look at playoffs. Fnatic, Team Heretics, and Team Liquid will go, and the last spot could be any of the five remaining teams. I’m just really happy we were able to win against FUT, because it gives us the chance to slip and still have another life. Obviously, we don’t plan on losing, but the extra life is such an important aspect in playoffs, especially with Champions on the line. Vitality are also strong contenders, to be honest. I watched their matches, the way they played against us, and they’re quite strong; they just were a bit unlucky in their matches. We’ll have to see how KC does with pyrolll (Artur Minin), but they could contend as well. I don’t really see NAVI or GIANTX taking the fourth spot, though. It’s not that I want to disrespect them, but I believe we should beat them if it comes to it. We also have good odds of qualifying through points alone. Still, I don’t want to celebrate too quickly—last year, I was certain we’d make it with Karmine Corp, and then the worst possible scenario happened.

How has your role as a player evolved from last year at Karmine Corp to now at BBL? Have your in-game responsibilities changed, and do you feel more comfortable in your role?

Magnum: I’ve changed a lot over the years. In Apeks, I was playing the role of secondary IGL sometimes, and I managed to find synergy with Enzo (Enzo Mestari). That was when I had my first experiences in that role. Then I joined Karmine Corp as their main IGL, and it was very, very rough at times. I do think I learned a lot from that period, honestly. It was rough because our squad had a lot of rookies and players fulfilling different roles. It just sort of crumbled. We could have done better in many ways and closed out so many more matches.

It’s hard to compare both roles because I’m playing in a very experienced team now at BBL. Jamppi (Elias Olkkonen) and sociablEE (Volkan Yönal), for example, have so much experience and bring a lot to the team. LêwN (Burak Alkan) is our Duelist, and well, sometimes he just kills everyone or dies randomly. PROFEK (Dawid Święć) is also an exception, because he feels very experienced for a rookie in how he sees the game. It’s just very easy for me to fit into this squad and develop myself individually so I can compete with the best players in our region aim- and shooting-wise.

I also feel like we have a good balance, which still allows me to bring macro or micro ideas to the server, which I do a lot of. Sometimes, if Jamppi is on the other side of the map, I’ll be the one micro-coordinating the rest of our squad there. I won’t do it always, simply because we have a very vocal team where everyone talks, but this is kind of my role, and I’m very comfortable in it. Sometimes we have some clashes—because Jamppi, PAL (Gregor Morton), and I can see the game differently—but it’s always very healthy conversations. We know how to find middle ground, and we’re open to trying multiple approaches to see what works best.

You’ve been active in Valorant since 2020, with a breakthrough in 2021 at Fnatic, then climbing back through the regional leagues to Karmine Corp, and now BBL. How do you feel about your career evolution, and do you think you’re even better now than in 2021?

Magnum: Honestly, I’m feeling in the best shape I’ve ever been in, in terms of how I see and feel the game. I still see a lot of room for myself to develop as well. This team has really enabled me to improve so much. I was struggling as an IGL last year, feeling my heart race on stage. I’m not sure what happened, but this is completely gone since I joined BBL. I feel so comfortable on stage—it’s unleashed me to play better. This team showed me there are different ways to play the game. I’m very confident, honestly, but I can’t say how I’ll feel in two weeks or two months from now. It’s always kind of random, and we all have ups and downs."