"Our focus is Champions," interview with bzkA and murizzz from MIBR

We had the privilege of conducting an exclusive interview with two big names in the competitive scene of VALORANT in Brazil; current MIBR coach and former VALORANT world champion Matheus "bzkA" Tarasconi and one of MIBR's premiere players Murillo "murizzz" Tuchtenhagen. Throughout the conversation we discussed their perspectives for 2023, including their expectations for the prestigious VCT Americas International League and LOCK//IN events. Check out the full interview below.

THESPIKE.GG: How was the LOCK//IN experience? From training to the event itself ?

bzkA: It was a very good experience for us, mainly because we were close to the Brazilian public. Even though we only played one game and were eliminated, we evolved a lot as a team and we also managed to be close to the fans who are always following us. Therefore, I only see positive things that came from LOCK//IN. Training was also very positive for us, although it was a short period, there weren't many. Even so, we managed to play several maps against teams and regions around the world, which was very positive for our team. 

murizzz: It was a very good event for us, we were able to train against teams from all regions. The opportunity to put rookies in games against high-level teams and gain that experience with franchise teams was great.

THESPIKE.GG: What do you think of the LOCK//IN format? 

murizzz: The format was a little tough, it was quite complicated because we had new players without much experience, so for us maybe another format would be more interesting, but it was the format that Riot chose, and I don't have an opinion on it. I know that for those who watched it, it was good, because it gave a greater feeling of emotion and there wasn't much repetition of boring games. But in the future championships, we will return to the traditional model, which is what works best and makes players more comfortable. 

THESPIKE.GG: Do you think that with the games we've had, you can get a sense of how the meta is developing at the moment?

bzkA: The truth is that nobody knows what the meta will be yet, each team has a different idea and a different proposal. It will take a while for the teams to find themselves and understand what is the most stable way to continue the game, especially now with the addition of Gekko, so a lot of things will change again. At LOCK//IN each team tried to bring what they thought was best in the short term. 

THESPIKE.GG: Do you think Harbor is finally gaining traction as an agent that is getting picked more often?

bzkA: I think so. Harbor should still show up a lot around the world, mainly because Chamber left the meta. Last year, when Chamber was in the meta, you needed to have a Chamber in your composition, and the fact that you remove this Chamber allows you to play with two controllers, for example, like Harbor and Viper. 

THESPIKE.GG: With all these recent meta changes, new Agents emerging as strong picks, and also the addition of Gekko, how has your adaptation been?

murizzz: The individual adaptation has been very easy because I'm a very flexible player and also because I have a background with MOBAs, so it was very easy. But as a captain, it really makes it a little difficult because you need to study a lot and review many concepts that you already know. 

THESPIKE.GG: Regarding the Americas VCT, you will be competing against teams that are from different regions, and that have different styles of play. Do you think there are more chances to evolve compared to before, when you played solely against regional teams?

bzkA: I think so. I hope the quality of training there is very good. We will be training against teams not only from Brazil and LATAM but also from North America, and that gives us more possibilities. One of the great factors that influences a team to do a bootcamp in Europe, for example, is that in Europe you have many quality training options with different styles of games, so you will play against a team from Portugal that has one style of play and then you will play against a team from Russia that has a completely different style of play. This allows you to experience different scenarios within your team. I imagine that in the United States, with the teams from the franchises arriving there, added to the regional teams that already exist, we will have more options than we did in Brazil in terms of facing varying play styles.  

murizzz: This Americas League is going to be very disputed, it has dominant teams from all regions and regions that have already proven to be very strong. We've had world champions from North America and Brazil. I believe it's going to be one of the most contested leagues, if not the most, and therefore it only has to increase in level even more. 

THESPIKE.GG: Still on the VCT of the Americas, do you believe that now with the Tier 1 teams from LATAM going to North America, the level of other regions such as Brazil and LAS will decrease? Since teams now have access to fewer Tier 1 players?

bzkA: This will force teams to dedicate themselves a little more to studying games, because now without the possibility of being able to train against Top Tier teams in the world and feel the differences firsthand, you will be forced to study much more VOD content and other championships to understand and add the knowledge and experience of those teams to your team. So it will be more work, and although I still think that the Brazilian level in the VCT today is much higher than last year, I see that the teams from Brazil and the LATAM region have evolved a lot. 

THESPIKE.GG: And this could negatively affect teams that might play in an Ascension in the future?

bzkA: If people keep working the same way, it could affect them negatively. However, everything is controllable and manageable, and it is possible that this will not affect us negatively, because we have great players here (in Brazil), good individual players, and very intelligent players as well. It's just a matter of changing the work method a little bit, maintaining professionalism, and understanding how the game works. LOUD, for example, last year, was a team that didn't do a bootcamp before going to Iceland and managed to train very well in Brazil. So I think it depends a lot on how the teams are going to work in their respective regions. 

murizzz: In my opinion, it will be a little complicated. I find it difficult to say that they will suffer because we have very good teams here in Brazil and they have good training sessions with each other. But if we compare it with teams in North America that can compete in the Ascension and that will be able to train against Tier 1 teams, it is a little harmful. However, I believe that the teams in Brazil are far superior to those in North America, so if the people manage to maintain the level, they will certainly make it work. 

THESPIKE.GG: What will be the biggest challenges for MIBR in 2023?

bzkA: Our biggest focus is to get to the worlds (Champions) and do well at the worlds, regardless of what happens along the way. If we have to get there by winning the VCT Americas or the Last Chance Qualifier, it doesn't matter. Our biggest goal is to reach Champions and do well. 

murizzz: I believe it is the creation of this new structure. There's nothing too complex; just keep training and keep developing. So if I were to mention something specific, it would be better to build the team's confidence in longer championships. We've had very short championships, so this would be a good opportunity. 

THESPIKE.GG: Obviously every team's goal is to win, but if you were to set a goal for MIBR in 2023, or for upcoming events, what do you hope your team will achieve that would make you satisfied?

bzkA: Our biggest challenge is to be able to keep our work the way we are doing it, because so far it has been a very good job. Even if we lost the game to Talon on LOCK//IN, that doesn't change anything in our perspective. It was just a game, with a lot of external factors during the series. Therefore, maintaining this in another country, far from the family, in another culture, will be the biggest challenge. 

murizzz: Our biggest challenge, which is actually our biggest goal, is to reach the Champions, so we are very focused on taking it step by step. As the Americas League is a long one, we need to give our best in every game and grow, trying to stay at the top of the table to get the necessary points to get there. 

THESPIKE.GG: Which team are you most looking forward to playing against in the Americas VCT?

bzkA: I don't see a team I really want to play against; I like to focus a lot on my team. So regardless of who we're going to play against, we're going to do the same work, the same game planning, and the same training structure. So I want to play against the strongest teams because I like challenges. 

murizzz: I would really like to face LOUD. It's a world-class team, and if it's not the best today, it's the second-best in the world. It's a team from our region, and we haven't played against them in a long time, we only had this opportunity once. Another team that I would also like to face a lot is NRG, because I admire their style of play a lot and was inspired a lot by the things they do in the game. It was a team that, during training for LOCK//IN was always very difficult to play against because of the quality they have.

This interview has been edited for clarity and translated from Portugese.