LOUD opened their
VALORANT Champions Shanghai campaign with a 2-0 victory over
EDward Gaming, defeating the Chinese side 13-8 on Lotus and 13-5 on Summit. The result gave the Brazilian roster a strong start to its first international tournament together, while Enzo "
tkzin" Zimiani made history by recording three aces in his debut on the global stage.
After the victory, LOUD players and head coach Gonzalo "
Romanilly" Manzano spoke at the post-match press conference about the team's performance, the challenge of playing against the Chinese home crowd, tkzin's record-breaking debut and the team's preparation for its next match against
Team Vitality.
Question for Lucca "lukxo" Travaioli
What does this victory mean for LOUD, especially after facing EDG in front of the Chinese crowd?
Lucca "lukxo" Travaioli: “I think it was a very good series to show everyone the power of our team. We showed today that erde (Roberto Lobos) doesn’t need to be the star. We have DaviH (David Cruz), tkzin, and Darker (Sebastián Castro Cicuamia). It’s to show everyone that everyone here has firepower, everyone can be the MVP, and everyone can shoot well. There was a lot of pressure because it was a debut against the home team. It’s really nice to win this match. I think it took a weight off our shoulders. We were having good practices, so it showed the reality. It was a very good victory.”
Questions for Lucas “tkzin” Martins
How has your first international tournament been, especially playing against a Chinese crowd?
Lucas “tkzin” Martins: “I’m very happy to be playing here with these guys. I like them a lot. Playing in front of the Chinese crowd is really cool because we were in Brazil, so we know what it’s like to play with the crowd on our side. That’s a motivation for me, and I think having a crowd against us is also a motivation. That helped us play really well as a team today. I’m also very happy to be here in China, experiencing a new culture and seeing new things. It’s been really cool. I’m having a lot of fun here.
What did the team do that helped you perform at your best?
tkzin: I think my team does the same thing that we do all the time. They support me, and I kill everyone. I have DaviH, I have erde, I have Darker, and everyone supports me, and I kill everyone. It’s good, you know?
On July 31, you celebrated your first career ace against Cloud9. Today, in your first international series, you recorded three and broke the international record for aces in a single series. What goes through your mind looking at that trajectory?
tkzin: I don’t think it has really sunk in yet. But talking more about the feeling, I’m very happy that I did it. I was telling the guys while I was playing, “I’m very happy”. I said that several times. I was very happy playing. I was very confident. The guys always support me in everything I want to do. They don’t put a leash on me, so to speak. I’m very free to do whatever I want within the team and within the game. We’re happy that I got three aces. I don’t know how to explain it very well, but I’m very happy; you can be sure of that.
What did your teammates say when you got the third ace?
tkzin: When I got the third ace, my teammates were like, “What the f*ck? What? Congratulations to you.” There was nothing more.
Since joining LOUD, has anything changed in your mindset?
tkzin: I learned a lot of things with my teammates, but my routine is the same. I do my routine, I play my DMs, and I see my VODs, so nothing changed too much. Just a few details with my IGL and my coaches.
What has been special about your first international event compared to playing in VCT Americas?
tkzin: I think the most important thing is that we play against other playstyles. We have to adapt. That’s the fun part, having to change a few details.
You last played in front of a Brazilian crowd, and now you’re playing against a fully Chinese audience supporting EDG. How was that transition?
tkzin: Having the crowd with us is a motivation for me because they’re cheering for us. I think it’s the same thing, but the opposite. They’re cheering against us, so it’s a motivation too. I want to conquer them too because they are so cute and I love them.”
Questions for Head Coach Gonzalo "Romanilly" Manzano
What was the most important thing you saw from the team today that you want to carry into the match against Vitality?
Gonzalo "Romanilly" Manzano: “I think the most important thing that I saw today, besides the game, was the momentum of the boys. Besides having positive or negative things in the game, they just kept the momentum and kept playing. For me, that’s the most important thing because that means to me that they are focused on winning.
LOUD's roster has been built largely from Tier 2 talent. What has allowed the team to reach Champions and perform at this level?
Romanilly: I think mainly all the work that we’ve done. I couldn’t have done it alone. I have a lot of help, thanks to Bati (Miguel Batista) and thanks to Bajerski (Lucas Bajerski), our psychologist. Talking a little bit about the level of Tier 2, for me there isn’t a difference between Tier 2 and Tier 1. It’s more of a mental thing and the type of competition. What I’ve always tried to have in all six teams that I’ve been in charge of is a clear vision, a clear structure, a foundation, always holding on to our foundation, and always trusting our work and everything we do on a daily basis. Luckily, this year, it’s now paying off, so I’m also very happy with everything.
EDG used a composition designed to counter LOUD on Summit. What did you see from it, and how did you settle the team during the timeout?
Romanilly: I was kind of surprised to see that composition because it was our first time playing against it. We didn’t talk too much about the composition. We just trusted our game plan. During that timeout, we didn’t talk too much about the comp, to be honest. We just made a few micro-adjustments to how we needed to play sometimes on the sites and our rotations, and that was it. We didn’t feel conditioned or anything. I think it was mostly because we understood their game plan really fast.”
Question for Roberto "erde" Lobos
What does reaching Champions mean to you and the other Spanish-speaking Latin American players on the roster, especially after coming through Tier 2?
Roberto "erde" Lobos: “It means a lot to everyone, especially coming from Tier 2. As Romanilly said, the difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 is many times mental. Of course, I feel very grateful for everything that has happened to me, including all my teammates. We all come from Tier 2, and I think even just qualifying for Champions already changes your life. So now we’re just looking to win Champions, and we’re all very grateful for the opportunity that life has given us.”
Question for DaviH and Bati
What does it mean to represent Portugal at Champions, especially with DaviH becoming the first Portuguese player to compete at the tournament?
David "DaviH" Cruz: “It’s about motivating Portuguese players. There really is talent, it’s just difficult to show it, but it’s possible, and I hope to motivate them.”
Miguel "Bati" Batista: “I agree a little bit with what David said. The feeling is happiness, being the second one in this case, with Loand being the first. But I hope to be the first to win Champions.”
