jottAAA: "XANTARES is killing everyone, brother"

Eternal Fire's new recruit is enjoying anchoring with Turkey's greatest ever player around.

Samet "⁠jottAAA⁠" Köklü's LAN debut with Eternal Fire was one to remember, as they eliminated Vitality and he hit a memorable 1v3 clutch.

The academy graduate has added a healthy dose of firepower to the already-stacked EF roster and they are 6-0 in maps since he joined, making them a team to watch in 2025.

Date	Matches
BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1 Finals
24/01/2025	Vitality Finished 0:2 Eternal Fire	Match

Date	Matches
BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 1
16/01/2025	Eternal Fire Finished 2:0 Fluxo	Match
19/01/2025	Eternal Fire Finished 2:0 Falcons	Match

jottAAA earned his call-up to the main team after a great season on loan at Sangal, where he helped the team to two ESL Challenger titles and averaged a 1.13 rating.

In Eternal Fire, with stars either side of him, it's a different task. "I don't need to do anything when XANTARES is on fire," jottAAA explains.

"XANTARES is killing everyone, brother."

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Editor's note: This interview was conducted with a translator, Eternal Fire general manager Cenk "⁠Sunvita⁠" Sevinç, present.

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How does it feel to beat Vitality on stage?

It's a beautiful feeling, winning versus ZywOo. He is one of the players who you can put in an idol position. To learn the game, I watched him a lot, even though I am not the AWP player.

Your clutch as well, how did that feel?

Happy.

Speaking of idols, how is it sharing the server with XANTARES?

He's a very good player, top-level experience. His aim is world class.

What was it like in the academy? Did you get to learn from him back then as well?

We already practiced with him when I was in the academy before I joined Sangal. We did stuff together, that inspired me.

What's it like to speak Turkish with the team after Sangal?

My English is good in-game, not so much for chatting, so Turkish is better for me. And for everyone [smiles].

I also wanted to ask about replacing Calyx, not so much in positions, but in terms of mindset since there are more star players than in Sangal. Do you feel like you have room to keep your firepower strong?

The positioning that I'm playing is 90% the same as Sangal, it's just the rotations that changed. But XANTARES is killing everyone, brother. I don't need to do anything when he is on fire. I just need to survive on site. When they come out A, I just need to survive two or three seconds so that XANTARES can peek from Bench and kill everyone.

I also wanted to ask about the difference in calling style with MAJ3R/Fabre versus LNZ/Jumpy.

It's too early to compare them. Both IGLs have different styles, and I like both.