LOUD erde: "I think I'm destined to do great things or that's what I'm here for"

LOUD defeated Team Vitality 2-1 to reach the VALORANT Champions Shanghai 2026 Grand Final, becoming the first organisation to achieve the feat twice. Following the match, both teams discussed the round rollback, LOUD’s confidence, their performances, and Vitality's preparations for the Lower Final.

LOUD erde at VALORANT Champions Shanghai. Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

LOUD has become the first organisation to reach two VALORANT Champions Grand Finals

LOUD has defeated Team Vitality 2-1 in the Upper Final of VALORANT Champions Shanghai to become the first organisation to reach Champions Grand Finals for the second time. It has become the youngest roster to reach this far at VALORANT’s biggest stage. Moreover, all five players on the Brazilian organisation’s squad also made their international debut at this event.

LOUD will face the winner of the Lower Final between Team Vitality and 100 Thieves on October 18. After today’s matchup, both teams attended the post-match press conference to share their thoughts on LOUD’s performance, the round rollback, their upcoming series, and more.

Questions For Team Vitality

Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov, you clutched a 1v3 in round three on Summit, but the round was eventually rolled back. How did that decision affect your mental going into the rest of the series, and what did you do to regain your focus?

Timofey "Chronicle" Khromov: “Honestly, it's okay. We're obviously happy with the decision. I understand that, after the FUT situation, they might have been scared of not making a rollback and risking another disaster. But you can also look at it from the other perspective. Going from a 5v2 to a 4v2 is okay. As for our mental, we tried to stay calm and not focus too much on it. We were still trying to win rounds, and overall, the game was going pretty well, even though we ended up losing those rounds. We didn't put up a proper fight and lost some crucial situations on that map, but that's okay. On Haven, we didn't care about it at all and played our normal game, but sadly, things didn't go our way there either.”

Both Lucca "lukxo" Travaioli and Roberto "erde" Lobos have been playing incredibly well throughout this tournament. What was the biggest challenge in shutting them down today?

Gregor "PAL" Morton: “I think the biggest difference was that they were a bit more ballsy this time. Fair play to them; they had built up some momentum going into this match. They're very good at taking fights at unexpected times and calculating them in a way that allows them to get a kill and get away. We came in focused on ourselves, but we left a few small gaps open, and they took advantage of them.

It's not something to overthink. In many of those situations, if we played them again, we'd shut them down after just one kill, or they might not get any kills at all. The rounds would look completely different. They're still playing the same style, and we shut it down really well the first time. This time, it was more of a 50-50, but it's not something we should worry about too much.

Looking ahead to tomorrow's lower final, would you prefer to face one team over the other?

PAL: We're not too bothered, to be honest. We've prepared for both teams. It would be fun to play against G2 again. We've played them once before, and the boys had a good time facing them on stage. I think it would be a great show for the crowd if we got them.”

Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen: “I'd like to play against 100 Thieves so we can steal their spot in the Grand Final.

What are your main takeaways from today's match against LOUD compared to your previous meeting before heading into the next match?

Jamppi: I think communication was the biggest thing for me today. Maybe we were just a little rusty after the break. Obviously, we had almost a week off, but I don't think that's a problem. It's a very easy issue to fix, and we can already work on it ahead of tomorrow's game. As PAL (Gregor Morton) said, I think they were much more confident this time compared to when we first played them. It showed in their playstyle. Today, they played the way they normally do, and I respect them for that. It was a very close game. It's not like they just smashed us. They're a very good team, and we shouldn't be too sad about the result because they were a top-three team as well.”

Questions For LOUD

You and David "DaviH" Cruz used to play together in the same teams. Then you moved into coaching, joined LOUD, and eventually brought DaviH onto the team. Could you tell us more about that?

Miguel "Bati" Batista: “We've been friends for a lot of years. In the beginning, we played on the same teams. When he started playing competitively, he was always playing with me, so he kind of knows my system, which is very good. In terms of picking him up, I think it was a matter of understanding what the team needed at the time. I think we needed someone who could be a follower, in a sense. DaviH (David Cruz) can be a star player when the time comes, but I think he's a very good support player, and that's what the team needed at the time. I even told Romanilly (Gonzalo Manzano) at the end of Stage 1 that I thought DaviH could be a good pickup for Stage 2. I'm glad they trusted me throughout the process of choosing him as well. It was an easy decision. Once we understood what we needed, it wasn't difficult at all.”

Lucca "lukxo" Travaioli: “It was a pretty crazy and complex situation. I'm thankful that the pause lasted as long as it did because it gave me some time to recover. The situation itself was straightforward, my computer froze, and then it came back. I believe the rollback was necessary. It also helped us as a team because we had time to collect our thoughts and prepare for what came next.”

You mentioned previously that you believed you could achieve greater things than Matias "Saadhak" Delipetro and that this team could accomplish more than the previous LOUD roster. How does it feel to back up those words by reaching the Grand Final and now being within reach of a world title?

Roberto "erde" Lobos: “It feels really normal. Like I said, I think I'm destined to do great things or that's what I'm here for. There are people who have done great things in the past, but I believe I'm capable of achieving everything and more. So, yeah, it feels really good. When you back up your words, you feel like the GOAT. I'm happy that I'm doing this with my whole team. I really feel like this is my second family.

What has been the biggest factor behind this team's success throughout the tournament and Stage 2?

erde: I think it's confidence. When you're confident in your direction and in every position, you can achieve things you might not have expected. I'd say it's a combination of confidence and really good communication. We communicate very well, so confidence is probably the biggest factor.

Why do you think young teams like LOUD, Nongshim RedForce, and Leviatán have been so difficult to beat this year?

erde: They have a lot of firepower and aren't afraid to take risks. I'd say that's key to playing the current meta. Our playstyle is similar. We're not afraid to take risks, and we have a lot of hero plays that help us in crucial moments. Leviatán, for example, had plenty of impressive hero plays, and they're very good at executing their protocols. We're also strong in that area, and we take a lot of risks. That's what makes the difference. I don't know why older players aren't doing the same. They need to start taking those risks, because that's where the meta is heading.”

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