empathy: "We've closed the gap [with FlyQuest RED] completely"

Lucy "empathy" Verkaik spoke with Jeffrey "Mnmzzz" Moore of Dust2.us following her team's qualification into the playoffs at FRAG x Block 2025. She commented on the team's run at FRAG, Shimmer's rebuild after ESL Impact League Season 6, and their hopes for this season in the ESL Impact League, among other topics.

We have Comets in playoffs and Lotus playing to join the playoffs. I think this would be the first time we've had an Impact squad in a 10k Frag playoffs and then also having multiple Impact squads would be a first as well. What would be your takeaway from having two Impact squads make playoffs here?

I think it just shows that everybody is growing and I think it shows that everyone in my team is doing really well around each other - as well as Lotus. I think it's pretty clear that Lotus has been improving and improving steadily and I'm really happy to see them doing well. I think it shows there isn't really a difference between Impact teams and Advanced and ECL teams, it's just an experience thing. I think now that teams have been playing together well enough, and now we have more ex-Advanced players coming into Impact and teaching the other players. Everyone is learning and improving together and it shows with the results.

You mentioned ESEA Advanced there, I believe Comets finished 7-7 - about mid table in the league - missing out on playoffs. Are you satisfied with the team's performance in Advanced this season?

Not really, I think we started off kind of rough and we lost a lot of games that we shouldn't have. I think our placement reflects on how we played. I think we could have done a lot better and we fell short in a lot of games that we typically would win. I think we're still improving, even from the start of the season to the end of the season there's a vast difference in our performance. I think it's fine and we just are focusing on next season. Missing out on playoffs is sad, but it's not the biggest deal to us, improving as a team is.

One of the big storylines in the NA Impact league is the competitiveness gap between every other team and FlyQuest Red. You've always had fighting words for that squad in terms of wanting to beat them, wanting to close that gap - something that maybe hasn't happened yet. How do you feel about that gap between your squad and FlyQuest Red now in 2025?

I think we are probably the better team on paper, with us practicing against Advanced teams for the entire season and playing well against ECL teams. At LAN, I think we've shown that we've improved very fast. I'm really excited to play against them, I think it will be a very good game. In my head we've closed the gap completely and if we're not better it's neck-and-neck.

Supernova Comets finished in 5th-8th at FRAG x Block, defeating F5 in the round-of-16 before falling to LAG in the quarterfinals.