LOUD secured its place in the VALORANT Champions playoffs with a 2-0 victory over Global Esports on the final day of the group stage. The Brazilian organization delivered a dominant attacking performance on both Split and Sunset to advance to the knockout stage, where it will face Paper Rex in the upper bracket.
Following the victory, LOUD's coaching staff and players discussed on the press conference the decision to leave Split open after repeatedly banning the map throughout VCT Americas Stage 2, the team's attacking strength and the importance of the result for its confidence. The team also addressed Portugal's representation on the international stage, Sebastián "Darker" Cicuamia mental recovery after the loss to Vitality and the return of Yoru to the team's compositions.
Why did LOUD decide to leave Split open after banning the map throughout VCT Americas Stage 2?
Miguel "Bati" Batista: “We had already practiced Split. We just kept banning it because the other teams were really good on Split. If you look at our group stage, all the teams we played were good on Split, so it didn't make sense to play a map that was strong for them. This time, we brought the map because it could be good to play against Global.
LOUD became the first team with Portuguese persons to reach an international VALORANT playoff. What does it mean to represent Portugal and potentially inspire the next generation of players and coaches?
Bati: I agree that Portugal has been having a bit of a difficult time in recent years. I think we've suffered a little bit, but I also think we have a lot of talent. As DaviH (David Cruz) said in another interview, we can serve as an example for other people who want to follow their dream and want to become players, coaches and so on. We can be an example, and I hope we are.”
LOUD have once again shown a very effective attacking side. How have you maintained that strength at Champions?
Roberto "erde" Lobos: “It simply comes down to me. What I do, especially on Split, is good. The work that was done in the past with Bati, Romanilly (Gonzalo Manzano) and lukxo (Lucca Travaioli) simply carried over to this moment. We already knew it was a good map, but, as Bati said, it just happens.
Did LOUD's VCT Americas Stage 2 finish play a role in the momentum you brought into Champions?
erde: To be fair, I've always been a really confident guy when it comes to VALORANT. I would say it really helped me, but it's my normal, you know? I don't know if it gives momentum to my team, but for me, everything that's happening is really normal.
After losing the pistol round on Split, how were you able to stay confident and produce such a dominant attacking half?
erde: It's based a lot on confidence. Everyone could say, "We lost the pistol and the second round, so we're going to lose." But in my head, I was like, "No, no, no. Run it back, focus." I felt strange for a moment. I was thinking, "This is not good." But then I told myself, "No, no, no. Run it back, focus."
All four Americas teams qualified for the playoffs. What do you think is the region's unique strength?
Gonzalo "Romanilly" Manzano: “First of all, we're kind of the best region in the world. It comes from history, mostly in FPS. A lot of players and coaches come from different FPS games. At the moment, there's a really good balance between all those games and all the playstyles that we have. That's mostly it.”
Darker had a strong performance against GE after struggling against Vitality. How did you reflect on that loss and recover mentally?
Sebastián "Darker" Cicuamia: “In the match against Vitality, I felt really bad. I felt really bad after the Vitality match. The most important thing is my teammates. They supported me and they didn't let me fall. My family also sent me messages to support me, my girlfriend is here with me, and the fans too. A lot of fans, maybe around 200, sent me messages telling me to lift my head, reminding me how I play and who I am.”
LOUD Darker during the match against GE. Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
What do you make of LOUD's group stage, and what are your expectations for the playoffs?
David "DaviH" Cruz: “We had a pretty good group stage, in my opinion, despite the result we had against Vitality. I believe that what we showed against EDG and GE is pretty much the level that we have. Regarding the next steps, I'm pretty sure we're going to try to do the same thing we did performance-wise in those two matches against EDG and GE and keep our style. We're looking forward to perhaps playing against Vitality and having a chance to get revenge. Regarding our expectations for the next playoff matches, we're going to do our best to keep the level that we showcased. We just intend to win everything that we can.”
Lukxo, how have you managed to maintain your performance on Sentinel agents while adding Yoru to your pool?
Lucca "lukxo" Travaioli: “I started playing Yoru during Masters Santiago because he was in the meta. I started playing him there, but when he got nerfed, I just stopped and then started playing Chamber and another Sentinels. So it was pretty easy to relearn how to play Yoru. I already knew how to play him.”
