2G frz: “What I have evolved the most is my mentality”

After spending time away from Tier 1, 2Game have made their return to the VCT Americas stage. The Brazilian organization reached the competition after finishing as runners-up in VCL Brazil and winning the LCQ, securing their spot in the VCT Americas Play-In and another opportunity to compete against the region’s top teams.

For Leandro "frz" Gomes, the return also represents another chapter in his career. The player previously competed in the VCT Americas franchise league before returning to Brazil and spending time in Tier 2. In an exclusive interview with Sheep Esports on Tuesday, August 11, frz discussed his development during that period, the team’s journey to VCT Americas, the challenges they faced in the LCQ, and the upcoming matchup against FURIA.

Leandro "frz" Gomes: “What I have evolved the most is not necessarily... Obviously, there is the mechanical aspect of being a more experienced player and understanding more about the game, but it is more about mentality and experience as well. As a leader, not only as a player, but also as a leader on the team. I learned a lot during this time.

frz: The most important thing was definitely our hard work. The time we put into studying the game, the time we spent correcting our mistakes, reviewing our VODs, everything. The fact that we are here is very much the result of all the work we put in throughout the entire year.

frz: I won't lie, when we received the news, it was a shock. We didn't expect xenom (Eduardo Soeiro) to be unable to get his visa, especially because he had already lived here in the United States and had an American visa before. We thought it was going to be fine. But we handled it in the best way possible. We understood that it was something that was out of our hands. There was nothing we could do to control it. We talked, discussed it, and figured out the best way for us to play the tournament.

The idea of me playing Sentinel also came from me. I felt that, since we were already playing with a missing player, this would be a tournament where the players would have to take more responsibility, especially me and the more experienced players. I suggested that I play Sentinel and gaabx (Gabriel Carli) take over my role, which was a role he had already played in the past when he was a player. He knows how to play that role well and understands the game very well. He would be there with the group, able to communicate a lot and make calls as well. So it ended up fitting together well with the amount of practice time we had.

frz: I wouldn't say there is one specific thing, like, “We can abuse this specific thing against them.” We are in a very good moment compared to them. They are not in the best moment right now. They came from a lot of losses in the group stage, while we are coming off a win in the LCQ that we played with our coach. So our confidence is very high, and we are coming in very motivated. That can be a good weapon for us during this matchup.

frz: artzin (Arthur Araujo) is a very close friend of mine. I believe he is also very close to xenom, so regardless of the result, I am very happy to be playing against him. I have played with him before, so I know his tendencies and understand quite a lot about how he thinks about the game, especially now that he has taken on the IGL role. Actually, I'm not sure if he is the IGL anymore, but he is one of the captains there, one of the leaders of the team. That can be very good for us as well because we already understand each other. Overall, I am very happy. I like playing against former teammates. It is really fun.

frz: We have different teams. We played together about two years ago, so it has been quite a long time. Your mentality and the way you see the game end up changing a little over that amount of time. So I don't know if it will have much influence when we actually play.

frz: The reason? I think it is resilience. I believe our team is one of, if not the most resilient team out there because of everything we have been through, especially in this LCQ. So don't doubt us in any match because we have the mental strength to come back.”