KRÜ conir: "If my own confidence and professionalism help the others feel more secure [... ]then that’s exactly the value I want to bring"

KRU Blaze emerge from their victory in Seoul looking strengthened, carried by Dodis mechanical confidence, conir composed leadership, and a mentality far more robust than it was in Berlin last year.

KRÜ dods: "I’ve spent almost 2,000 hours in Kovaak and I play a lot of deathmatch, so I trust my mechanics"

Following their success in the lower bracket at the VALORANT Game Changers Championship in Seoul, where they eliminated GIANTX, KRÜ Blaze players took the time to answer questions from the media in a post-match press conference. Caue "dods" Fernandes openly embraced the confidence she draws from her extensive aim training, explaining her approach to every duel as a one-on-one largely fought on her own terms, and more topics.

Questions for Constanza "conir" Reyes

How do you feel about being such an iconic presence within the team, and what value do you think you can continue to bring year after year with your experience to support these talented players?

conir: "I feel that my professionalism and my confidence in myself contribute a lot to the team. That’s something I’ve worked on for a long time in our region, and I believe I can keep bringing that, along with my in-game experience. For me, the most important thing is helping the team maintain focus. In complex or stressful situations, I try to be the one who keeps everyone calm and confident. Sometimes it’s not about giving a crazy call, it’s just about reminding people that we can still do it and pushing the team forward. If my own confidence and professionalism help the others feel more secure and make my Killjoy look stronger, then that’s exactly the value I want to bring."

Question for Caue "dods" Fernandes

You’ve had an excellent level in these games. How does this confidence help when you’re taking duels, knowing that you’re such a constant threat in crucial rounds and on key areas of the map?

dods: "I don’t really think too much about aces, they just happen naturally. I just play, and if an ace happens, it happens. And about confidence in duels, I know I have a lot of confidence in myself and in my aim. I’ve spent almost 2,000 hours in Kovaak and I play a lot of deathmatch, so I trust my mechanics. In my head, if you say a duel is “50–50,” for me, it feels more like “80–20” in my favour. So I’m very confident, taking as many 1v1 as possible."

Question for Beatriz "Bebesita" Hornes

Potter and you are often cited as examples at these events. There are many women in Latin America who would like to try becoming head coaches. What advice would you give to girls in the region who are looking for a way in and an opportunity to open a space for themselves in competitive VALORANT?

Bebesita: "I think the first step is literally to take a first step, and to look for people who inspire you and can support you. I’ve had people be very important in opening doors for me and, above all, trusting me and my dedication. For me, it was something quite natural. The first person who really encouraged me to become a head coach was biazik (Beatriz Begnossi). Before that, I was an assistant coach and I didn’t really see myself in a head coach role because there weren’t many examples or much space for it. My advice would be, start studying the game seriously, work hard, search for information and, above all, ask for help. I always say that asking for help is an act of courage. So I would insist on that: take the first step, whatever form it takes, and don’t be afraid to reach out."

Photo by Christina Oh/Riot Games

Question for Montserrat "mmonch" Rivera Gutierrez

That knife kill was absolutely phenomenal. What was going through your mind at that moment when you realized all your guns were empty, and you had no bullets left to stop the defuse?

mmonch: "The spike didn’t have much time left, so I already knew the round was basically over. I just decided to run at her with the knife so we could at least have a funny moment as a team. Then I realized I was out of bullets and started panicking a bit, but I also knew she wasn’t on the spike yet, so I just committed to it."

Question for Beatriz "biazik" Begnossi

This was the first time in almost five months that we saw you play Split, and you came in with a major composition shift, moving away from the double-duelist setup and incorporating Sage. How are you feeling about that change, your agent choices, and the composition overall after such a dominant 13–3 win?

biazik: "We had already played with two duelists in the previous Game Changer Championship, so it’s not the first time we’ve experimented with different looks. I think the question is really more about the agents I’m playing now. I like playing different agents. Last year I played a lot of Sova, and I was honestly getting bored, so I said I wanted to switch to a more flexible Initiator role and take on other functions. I feel like I learn quickly, so we can afford to use different compositions because I can adapt and do whatever the team needs. Overall, having that flexibility makes it easier for us to adjust our comp to what we think is best on a map like Split.

So far, your journey here in Seoul mirrors your run at GCC Berlin: there, you also defeated GIANTX in your lower-bracket run but then fell to Xipto in the next match. What has changed in your mindset this year so that you don’t end up with the same result in your next series?

biazik: This year, I feel we are much better prepared. Last year was my first international event as an IGL, and it was very difficult for me to read other teams playstyles and deal with so many new situations. I think it was also very hard for dods (Caue Fernandes), since it was her first GCC as well. This year, I feel that the LATAM scene has grown a lot. We suffered more in our region, and that actually helped us. It gave us a tougher shell that we didn’t have before, and we learned to deal with many different styles of play. That has really strengthened our mentality. I believe there are teams that need to lose in order to improve. Last year’s experience was that for us. Now I feel we are much more prepared than we were then."

Header Credit Photo: Christina Oh/Riot Games