KRÜ heat: “We showed that we are a good team”

KRÜ Esports are one step away from securing a spot in the VCT Americas Stage 2 playoffs. After a difficult Group Stage that saw the team go 1-4, KRÜ have found a different level during the Play-In, securing an important victory to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Speaking exclusively to Sheep Esports on Saturday, August 22nd, Olavo "heat" Marcelo reflected on the team’s turnaround and explained how a more relaxed environment has helped KRÜ perform at their best. The Brazilian player also discussed his role changes, the impact of in-game leader Matias "Saadhak" Delipetro, and the criticism surrounding the team.

Olavo "heat" Marcelo: “I'm very happy. I already said that our team was missing a little bit of time and that we are a good team. We're kind of building that now; I'm managing to solve things and feel more comfortable inside the server. Today, I think we showed that we are a good team, a very good team. We had a lot of tranquility and calmness. I'm just happy about that, you know? I'm very happy.

heat: Basically, we have the same mood. We're in a very good vibe inside the game and outside as well, so that helps a lot. Like I said in other interviews, we needed to let go of some of the tension from the games. During the Group Stage, we were entering the first games very tense. Today, honestly, we were very relaxed, very calm. I said it, we were in a very good mood. And we're having fun too, which I think is what matters most to us. We're professionals, yes, but we also have to enjoy the process. I think the real difference is having fun inside the server, because that changes a lot.

heat: Very comfortable. I really like playing Operator, and it fits my playstyle very well. I'm very comfortable, whether it's playing Duelist or Chamber itself. I think, as everyone is seeing, Haven will kind of be this Phoenix map, so I play everything on Chamber and one map on Phoenix, basically. But it's fine. I think it goes very smoothly for me as well. I'm feeling very good.

heat: Yes. I think the 0-4 in the Group Stage changed a lot of things for us. We learned a lot, especially about what I talked about during the interview: being able to let go of that pressure when entering the game and playing more calmly. I think we've been doing that well. We found ourselves very well in this style, and it's working. We also changed the roles a little bit. I'm playing more Chamber, more Operator, putting Saadhak a little more into the block. And it's working.

heat: Finally, right? I know my ability inside the game very well. I think throughout this whole journey, in all those games in a row, a lot of things happened. I think there were some games where that kind of affected it because I played on some teams that were already kind of broken, and that's very bad. I don't know, I think now I realize that I'm good and that it will work out. At some point, the star will shine, you know? And it's shining, so I'm happy about that.

heat: Saadhak is very good. He brings a lot of that feeling and vibe of playing throughout the tournament, and that's very good. He does it very well. He also played very well today on Haven. He had some good reads and was communicating very well. I think leadership comes from there: keeping us calm inside the server and outside the server as well, calming things down when things don't go right. He's been doing that very well. I think after the 0-4, we took the pressure again. We talked a lot and discussed many things, and we're kind of finding ourselves. So I'm happy about that and happy for him too.

heat: We're a very experienced team. I think everyone has a lot of experience in that regard, so we don't pay much attention to it. We close ourselves off as a group, do our things, and do what we think is right. We just focus on ourselves. Obviously, there are some things you see, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter much. I think we deal with it well. And that's what I told you: I think we were missing a win during the Group Stage for us to start getting momentum and solving things. We got that loss against MIBR and learned a lot about what I was talking about, being too tense going into the game. Today, we showed that we managed to get rid of that. I'm very happy about this. And whoever criticizes us, that's part of it. I think that's life.

heat: Very important. For example, I played at FURIA, where we went 0-5 in two Stages, and we played very badly. We didn't have much of this. Maybe if we had done what we're doing here... It's an experience. I learned from there, and I'm applying it here now. I went through this again, with four games in a row, but I knew that sooner or later it would happen. Because our team is very good and I trust them. Going out together, always talking and exchanging ideas, those things kind of transfer into the game. We understand each other very well. If you understand each other very well outside the server and have fun and everything, inside the server it will be much easier to do things. The movements, understanding each other, and having that intimacy with one another, it's a very positive points of our team.

heat: The same preparation. It's the same preparation as against Sentinels, the same mood, doing what we've been doing. Obviously, after this we'll see what we're going to do. I imagine we'll sit down and get together to see what we're going to do for tomorrow. I think we need to enter with the same vibe on the stage that we've been able to find. EG is a strong team, a dangerous team, but I think if we do what we've been doing well, it's going to go fine.”