If Waylay is no longer a viable option following the nerfs, LEV Sato is ready to bring his Jett back to the VCT Americas 2026: Stage 1.
Eduardo “Sato” Nagahama joined Leviatán (LEV) midway through the 2025 season and has since surprised everyone with his standout performances on duelists. Beyond his gameplay, his entertaining personality, both on and off the stage, has given fans even more reason to tune in to their matches.
In an interview with esports.gg ahead of the VCT Americas 2026: Stage 1, the player discussed what has changed since Kickoff, the recent Waylay nerfs, and the uncertainty surrounding the agent, playing on a roster with fellow Brazilians, and more. He also shared his thoughts on the team’s communication and reflected on his personal growth since joining the organization.
What’s coming next for Leviatán?
Sato knew he was going to answer the same as everyone else. “We want to win,” he laughed. He also believes that in the elimination match against Cloud9 during the Kickoff stage, the team performed very differently from what they had been practicing.
While this may sound like a standard explanation, he genuinely feels the team was not moving in the right direction at that time. “The difference against C9 was huge, and I believe we’ve made improvements since then.” Cloud9 will be their first opponent at the VCT Americas 2026: Stage 1 on April 12.
“I believe our game has become far less predictable than before,” the dueslist explained. “Introducing a style that’s harder to read was essential.” While winning the stage would be incredible, LEV Sato wants everyone to have fun playing VALORANT.
Will the meta change with the Waylay nerfs?
During the Media Day, the most recent Waylay changes were the hot topic. As someone who has been perfecting his Waylay’s plays, LEV Sato is now unsure about whether the team will still choose to go with the agent. “I’ve been practicing my Waylay a lot lately, but now I don’t know if we’re going to keep playing with her,” he said.
From his perspective, the meta was about entry with Waylay and using her ability instantly. “The fact that she could use that ability and get out was one of the strongest things about her character,” he explained. “It was all about having fast reactions, clicking a button, and getting out, so her team could play around her.” Since Waylay heavily relied on her explosive entry potential, Sato believes these nerfs may make her less viable on certain maps.
As someone with over 3,800 games with Jett, Sato would love to see the Korean agent return to the meta. “Let’s hope so!” He also shared how he has been improving on an individual level, particularly in managing his emotions during matches, while maintaining strong mechanical performance.
The Brazilian triple threat
During the 2025 off-season, Leviatán signed Guilherme “blowz” Oliveira and Rodrigo “spikeziN” Lombardi, completing the roster with three Brazilian players. These young talents have been making waves in Tier 2, catching Leviatán’s attention and earning spots on the main roster. They also make up one of the youngest rosters in VCT Americas.
Alongside blowz, Leviatán also promoted Bruno “Neon” Rodríguez from the Academy team. However, he was unable to compete until turning 18, causing him to miss the start of the VCT Americas 2026: Kickoff stage.
As one of the most promising young talents in Tier 2, everyone was waiting for his arrival to see how he would perform on the VCT Americas stage.”Working with Neon has always been easy because he is very good,” Sato laughed. “It’s easy to work with people who are very talented.”
While neither Francisco “kiNgg” Aravena nor Neon speaks Portuguese natively, communication was never a problem. “Neon has been speaking Portuguese since the Academy. My concern was with kiNgg because he came from a line that spoke English, and personally, I only talked with him in English,” Sato explained. “In my head, talking with him in Portuguese would be very difficult, but his Portuguese is actually really good. He used to play on Brazilian servers, so it was easy to communicate with him.”
The hype man
It’s impossible to watch a Leviatán match without enjoying Sato’s energy on the stage. “If you try too hard, people will notice. I don’t scream or get up just to hype my team. It’s simply how I express myself on stage. I’m calmer when I’m free to express myself.”
Sato believes that Leviatán taught him a lot and helped him grow as a professional. “I’m very grateful to the organization because they are very welcoming and I’m very happy to represent them,” he commented. “The fact that I can play VALORANT and have fun doing it is a blessing.”
The “hype man” is returning to the VCT Americas 2026: Stage 1 on April 12. You can watch all the matches on the VCT Americas official Twitch and YouTube channels.
Note: The interview was conducted in Portuguese and translated into English, with slight adaptations made for clarity.