Team Vikings and Leandro “frz” Gomes came to VCT Masters Reykjavík to show the world what Brazilian VALORANT is all about, and they did.
VCT Masters Reykjavík offered a tremendous opportunity for those not following the competitive scene outside of EU and NA to see what the rest of the world has to offer. This allowed us to discover X10 Esports' Patiphan and his incredible teammates, a strong Korean representative in NUTURN, and Japanese excellence in Crazy Raccoon. Most importantly, it allowed us to discover how chaotic and unique Brazilian VALORANT really is thanks to Team Vikings.
We got the chance to sit down with Team Vikings' Leandro "frz" Gomes following his team's victory against X10 Esports at the time. Since then, unfortunately they stumbled twice against Sentinels and Team Liquid. Both of them are almost unstoppable and tournament favorites, but the seal of approval they got from everyone, even L1NK, shows what Brazilian VALORNAT has to offer the world.
X10 are almost unbeaten on Ascent, winning 19 out of their last 20 games. What do you think was the key to beating them on what is arguably their best map?
The key to beat them was trying to adapt to the gameplan they had. We thought they will play Jett, and they didn't. That's when we adapted our gameplan and managed to close out the important rounds at the end of the game.
Coming into this tournament with every team representing a different region, did you feel Brazilian VALROANT would present something unique to the world? Just like Team Vikings proved to us today.
Yes, for sure. I believe Brazilian VALORANT's game style is very aggressive. It even helped us win our match against X10 Esports, because they weren't capable of predicting what our next move will be or where we will come from. I also believe Brazilian VALORANT can adapt to what their opponents are playing. For example, they can play slow, they can play aggressive, they can do many types of game styles. This is because we have a strong understanding of the game and its fundamentals.
You were more comfortable playing Jett today than Phoenix. Do you think the Jett-Raze combination is better than Phoenix-Raze or does it purely come down to your planning against each team?
I prefer to play Jett for sure. I know I played both agents, but currently Jett is in a better position than Phoenix in the meta. Sometimes the movement Jett provides is needed to get onto the site and get aggressive against the opposition to clear the way for the rest of the team. She is the only character that has a clear style of play.
You played in World Championships before during your time in Paladins. Considering this is the first VALORANT LAN, do you think your international experience helps in keeping yourself and your teammates calm and focused? How different is it than online tournaments you played in throughout the year.
Yes, of course. The experience I got competing in other games and playing in international world championships in other games helped build confidence and a feeling of empowerment going into VCT Masters Reykjavík. The shift from online to LAN events is sensed in every aspect. Because here we all play on the same FPS and the same ping, so it is an even playground. This allows every one of us to show their talent and if they belong with the best internationally.
Final thoughts
It was unfortunate to see Team Vikings go, but they didn't go out without a fight. They showed the world what they got, and what the Brazilian scene is all about. In VALORANT's counterpart, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, we have the likes of FURIA and MIBR. Both names are almost encrypted into the game's history. Will it be possible to see VALORANT teams from Brazil do the same soon enough?