KRÜ Esports ended the
VCT Americas Stage 2 group stage with a 1-4 record, closing their campaign on Saturday, August 8th, with a victory over
Sentinels. As a consequence of this difficult run, the team finds itself relegated to the Play-In and now turns its attention to the knockout stage, where it will have another opportunity to continue its run in the competition.
In an exclusive interview with Sheep Esports, Leonardo "mwzera" Serrati talked about the team’s struggles throughout Stage 2, the impact of confidence on KRÜ's performances and his own process of regaining confidence. The Brazilian also discussed what the team learned from its difficult periods in the past and the importance of securing a win before the Play-In.
What do you think the team was missing to turn its performances into more victories during Stage 2?
Leonardo "mwzera" Serrati: "I think the first game against LOUD, the fact that we didn't close that game... I wouldn't say we lost confidence, but things would have been very different. If we had won that game, which came down to very small details, there was that clutch on match point that maybe could have changed our run. Our energy during the games wasn't very good. Our energy in the last few games, even against Cloud9, despite losing 2-0, was a little better. We had more energy, enjoying ourselves and having a little more fun during the game
That made a big difference, especially in the game against Sentinels. It's very good for us to see that because, whether we like it or not, we already knew we were in the play-ins since the loss to G2. We've been very focused on the play-in, on flipping that switch for the play-in, because that's what really matters to us now. I'm very happy because it was time for us to show results in the server. We had been practicing well, but when it came to the stage, it was a little more difficult. It was difficult to play there. The energy wasn't very good; things weren't going very well either. But we have a very good roster, and that helps us a lot.
You have gone through another difficult stretch since joining the franchise league, similar to what happened during your time with FURIA. What did you learn from those difficult periods that can help you turn things around now in the play-in?
mwzera: What I learned is that sometimes things just don't work out. You practice, and sometimes you practice things that aren't right for the game, and you end up fooling yourself a little. We managed to see that quite a lot, like starting to practice a little more correctly and starting to look at the things that are actually going to happen in the championship. About that time with FURIA, it's difficult to say because we had an ok team, but the team we have here at KRÜ is a very experienced roster, and individually we're better as well. It ends up being a little more frustrating as you keep losing because sometimes you can't really see what you're losing. Sometimes it's a tiny detail, sometimes it's the energy, but I can see and learn that sometimes things just aren't going to work out.
The good thing is that we still have the Play-In. At the time with FURIA, there was more of that pressure where you were out of the playoffs, and that was it. You would play two games that meant nothing and then you were out. Here, we still have the Play-In, so that changes the perspective a little bit in terms of wanting to improve throughout the championship. We were really focused on that during these last games, wanting to improve our performance in the game as a team. Today's game was a good start for our future.
KRÜ after their first win at VCT Americas Stage 2. Credit: Heaven Wolf/Riot Games
Throughout the Stage 2, KRÜ mostly played with two Duelists, but today you changed the composition. What was behind that decision, and could this become a new standard for the team?
mwzera: Most teams tried to follow a meta with two Duelists. We tried it too, but there are gaps, there are things that change in our game and we preferred to use this kind of composition. That's the main reason. Looking at each player's characteristics, Saadhak (Matias Delipetro) has always been an insane player on KAY/O, and heat as well with Operator, so it worked very well this way. We were able to see things clearly during this last week.
You talked a lot in the past about rebuilding your confidence. One month later, KRÜ have come off four consecutive losses before finally breaking the streak. How do you feel about your confidence today, and can a run like this affect the process you had been going through?
mwzera: Inevitably, when you keep losing, you lose a little more confidence. That's normal. But personally, I hadn't lost confidence in my game or in the team, obviously. Sometimes you lose confidence in making a play. You take a little longer to make a play, and that makes a huge difference in the game. That's also a little bit about confidence. Because things aren't going very well, you try to think about making the perfect play instead of just making any play with Confidence. That's where the loss of confidence was for our team, and a little bit for me as well, because I make a lot of plays. I was taking a little longer to make those.
I did very well with that in today's game. Personally, it's more about those micro plays when it comes to confidence, rather than aiming or killing people. At the highest level, I don't think that changes very much. It changes very little. That doesn't really affect me.
You said that KRÜ were performing very well in scrims but couldn't bring that performance to the stage, and that the team only needed one win to gain the confidence to start winning. After winning, do you feel that confidence and mentality are no longer a problem for this team?
mwzera: Definitely. As I said, the first game against LOUD was decided by very small details. In the second game, we didn't have many chances, and the third game against
G2, despite the 2-0, was also a game of very small details. We had the game in our hands several times on both maps. When you can't close out a map and snowball the game, you don't necessarily lose confidence, but sometimes closing out a game that you have in your hands helps you build that shell, build that confidence, and come into the next game with more desire.
That's what we built during the first stage. We debuted with a win and then beat NRG in our second game, that gives you a lot of confidence and gives the team a lot of morale. And, whether we like it or not, those things slipped out of our hands a little in these last games. We're definitely going to come into the next games more confident because it's inevitable when you win. We played well today. Despite the Summit, we wouldn't have played that well, but these last two maps we played very well. To be completely honest, I didn't see any chance of us losing those two maps.
Unlike previous splits, you now have a second opportunity through the Play-In. After a poor group stage, what can we expect from KRÜ in the knockout stage?
mwzera: What you can expect is that, whether we like it or not, during the first split we did very well in the group stage. Obviously, it was very good, but it didn't change anything because when we reached the playoffs, we couldn't play as well. We learned that in the most important stage of the championship, we have to be a little more attentive and give more importance and value to that specific part.
It was good for us to have gone through that experience in the playoffs. Obviously, in the last playoffs, we really wanted to go to London, but by gaining that experience, I'm absolutely certain that for this Play-In — which is the part that matters most to us and to the championship as well, because it determines whether we go to the playoffs — we'll be more prepared."
