100 Thieves claimed their first
VALORANT international title on Sunday by defeating
NRG in the Grand Final of the
Esports World Cup. A member of the organization since 2020, Peter "
Asuna" Mazuryk finally captured his first international trophy, as well as his first title since winning
VCT Americas Stage 1 in 2024.
Now riding a seven-match winning streak since their playoff defeat to NRG in VCT Americas Stage 1, 100 Thieves have steadily built momentum over the past few weeks, and that resurgence has now culminated in a championship victory against the world's best teams. Following the triumph, the organization's longest-serving player spoke with Sheep Esports about the significance of finally securing an international title.
What’s your first feeling after winning your first international trophy?
Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk: “It feels amazing, and I'm just grateful to be able to win at such a prestigious tournament and be in front of such an amazing crowd with a big prize pool, and most importantly, to beat NRG. We've lost a lot in regionals, and they denied our chance to go to London. So it's nice to get our revenge a month or two later.
You never won against NRG this year after four attempts. What made the difference today?
Asuna: I think they're going through a big turmoil, honestly, and we caught them at a pretty low point. They definitely don't know what they're doing composition-wise, and we are just peaking at the right time. So we definitely are a little bit fortunate to face them at such a weak point. But again, we would have beaten them no matter what. Our form was impeccable, and we knew today we were going to win.
Do you feel like your team reached its best level since the beginning of the year in this competition?
Asuna: Yeah, definitely. We were definitely picking up a lot of steam, and we just kept moving and getting all these important wins against tough opponents like RRQ, BBL, MIBR, Nongshim, and finally, NRG. We were like an avalanche. We just kept going.
I heard from Timothée "Timotino" Lavigne Dupont yesterday that after a point you shouldn’t have lost against Nongshim, you’re the one talking to the team and helping them to focus back. Today, there were a lot of tough situations as well, so what’s the most important thing to remain calm and keep your composure in those situations?
Asuna: I've been through so many scenarios. I'm kind of envisioning winning and losing. And honestly, when something very unfortunate happens, it's just part of the game. It happens; you just have to keep moving. You can't just sit there and let them get more punches in on you. And even during that moment especially against Nongshim, I remember telling them: “Guys, it's okay. Actually, it's not all right, but we have to keep going.” Because I know my boys, they don't want to hear just some sugar coat. They want to hear the truth. It's not all right. We need to do better. And we did do better and we won.
You’re going back to VCT Americas by the end of the week, how are you feeling about returning to the competition after a few weeks here?
Asuna: We're looking to keep the momentum going and we're all peaking, we're all in great form sp we just need to build on that and make sure that we come out strong against G2.
Do you feel like your team is now capable to play for the first place?
Asuna: Yeah, definitely. I feel like the tournament just showed us that once we can make it to the international, we're competing for the title. There are so many good Americas teams and we're part of them now.
In which aspects of the game would you say your team has progressed the most during this competition?
Asuna: Confidence, I feel like that's the biggest thing and throughout the entire tournament we just kept believing in ourselves and whoever said anything we just trusted and we just kept playing like that.
Can you give me three reasons why 100 Thieves will qualify to VALORANT Champions in Shangaï?
Asuna: We have an amazing coaching staff, we have amazing teammates and players and last but not least we have an amazing organization. So we will win.”
