“I like winning, but I hate losing,” 100T Asuna after first VCT Americas 2024 victory

100 Thieves has had a rather tumultuous start to the VCT partnership era. One player who has been there for it all is Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk.

After a long string of losses, 100T finally gained a win against G2mea Esports in Week 2 of VCT Americas 2024 Stage 1. And after the series, we spoke with Asuna about just what it meant.

"As I’m sure you know, the only victory for 100 Thieves since Week 7 of the 2023 regular season was a best-of-one during Red Bull Home Ground. What’s that weight feel like lifting off your shoulders, finally getting in the win column again?"

Asuna: "Yeah, that feels good. It feels like we've had a rough schedule this year, but hopefully we can chain some wins together and make it to Shanghai."

"With Championship points a factor this year, how important is it to get that momentum going early rather than relying on some late season heroics?"

Asuna: "Obviously, you want to have a good cushion going into playoffs, so you have room to experiment, try things. You don't have to show all your cards late into the season, in order to make that last push. So yeah, it feels good getting this early win, and against a good team."

"And how desperate would you say the team was to get this victory after falling short for so long?"

Asuna: "I don't know if desperate would be the right word. I would say, we want to win every game You know, we want to win. So, I wouldn't say desperate. We know we are good. Going into this game, we thought we were better, and we showed it."

"Well, this was the first win for the Omega group. What are your thoughts on the groups and the format for this year?"

Asuna: "The groups this year? I thought, going into the season, they would do it like last year. Where we played 10 games with everyone, or last year we played nine. This year it would be 10 because of the one extra team, but instead they did this group format.

"I think it's fine, not the end of the world. If the teams were really imbalanced, it'd be a problem. But right now, I think the groups are pretty balanced. Obviously, the results don't show that, but things will change as the groups go and we'll see how it all plays out.

"We have six teams rather than five, so I don't know how much that will affect our group. Because only three can make it from each group, so one more team loses in our group. And I like that they brought back the Championship Points.

"I also like how they introduced the qualification system for Champions. I think that's very good. I didn't like teams would make it through by points for Champs. Obviously, it still is the case for this, but only one team.

"They get the fourth seed, I believe. The low seed if you make it through Champs points, so you still have a big incentive to qualify. So far I've been liking the format, but as things go, I might change my opinion."

"So, you’ve been at the very top before. Winning First Strike NA, placing Top 4 at a Masters event, representing the region at Champions. With a lack of that type of success lately, what has been your motivation to keep performing in VALORANT on 100 Thieves after all this time?"

Asuna: "My motivation? I guess just being the best. The funny answer would be a paycheck, but yeah, I'm just trying to win honestly. The feeling of not even winning. The feeling of losing sucks. I don't want to lose. I like winning, but I hate losing."

"And we hear a lot about these young stars and some rookies who are really shining this year. Zekken finally getting his recognition, N4RRATE over in EMEA, etc. People seem to forget that even though you’ve been in VALORANT since the start, you’re still a young player. What is it like having the experience you have at your age, surrounded by those of a similar age who are considered up-and-comers?"

Asuna: "I don't think Zekken should be viewed in the same light. I think he's been top of the game for a while now. It just took a while for fans to really notice. I think everyone in the pro scene knew he was that guy. It's just unfortunate that his team last year was really in shambles.

"But yeah, obviously it's one thing where I'm getting compared to other people. I have four years of experience in this game, and there are people coming into the scene that are like 21 and 22. I'm still younger than them and I've been playing this game for four years.

"And so it really speaks to, I guess, I want to say my talent and the hard work that I put in really early on in my life. This is something I wanted to do for a while, and I'm not going to let it just slip. I think that's all I have to say."

"Now, about the 100 Thieves map pool. We’ve seen some combination of Bind, Split, and Icebox in each series this year. And this is the first time it has worked out. How comfortable is the team on every map and do you have any worries about the map pool going forward?"

Asuna: "No, I think our map pool's really good. It's just happens to be where the team winds up. It's a big Raze meta right now, and teams are building around Raze players. So, when you scrim a lot of Bind and Split, you end up having a good Raze player.

"We'll just use Sentinels as an example, because we played them a lot recently. They have Zekken. He's a really good Raze player, so they want to play those maps. Our team has me or Matt (Cryo), so we're comfortable in either map. And I promise you, if we play any Jett map, Matt (Cryo) will farm and I'll be supporting him."

"Okay, let’s shift things to the series against G2. A solid victory, with you on Raze for both maps. Tell me your personal highlights of Bind and Split."

Asuna: "My personal highlights for Bind? It would be the round where I jumped out and I got Brim ulted and Fade ulted, and four people peaked me. Definitely one to write home about. And then on Split? I would say my 4K on, I think it was like the fourth round.

"Actually, I think it was their bonus, because they had a judge. So, me going through that smoke, getting a little spray transfer, then entering the bomb site, and being very vocal about what I needed was really good."

"And looking at the victory, do you feel the team could have done anything to make it cleaner?"

Asuna: "I mean, winning pistols, but I thought it was pretty clean. Keldeon (Boostio) called a really good game, and obviously they're a good team, so I thought it was a pretty clean win. It was 13-9 and 13-8, and I never felt like we were in the backseat.

"I thought we were always ahead. Actually at the start of Split, but then our coach called a really good timeout. We just won out. So, I think we played pretty good. I messed up on the fourth round on Split Defense, getting picked like that, but besides that, I think we played pretty well."

"Well, next up is Cloud9. This year it seems like anyone can really surprise you at any point in the season. What are your expectations for the Cloud9 match?"

Asuna: "I think we'll just play our game. We're really good and we know that. We just beat G2, and we've had a rough schedule. We just need to keep our confidence up going into this game. We know that we're better to, we'll have a little bit more footage to watch than the G2 players, because they made a roster change and only played one or two maps. And I think we will show that we're really capable of making Shanghai."

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