VCT LOCK IN pre-event interview with FURIA; ready to defend home turf

FURIA, a leading esports organization in FPS titles in Brazil, has yet to become a storied organization in VALORANT. However, the team players believe this will soon change. With the implementation of the new Riot Games partner system, FURIA was one of the three Brazilian organizations selected to participate in the 2023 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Americas. They join the list of the best teams in LATAM and North America, competing for the title of Champion of the Americas this year.

FURIA has consistently performed at the national level and has constantly remained at the top of the leaderboards in most events it has participated in since joining VALORANT in early 2021. However, the team's overall solid performances were not enough to secure a spot at most international events, especially the Masters (VCT 2021 - Stage 2 - Masters Reykjavík and VCT 2021 - Stage 3 - Masters Berlin - Group Stage), being surpassed by Team Vikings’ dominance in the region at the time. FURIA's international debut took place at the end of 2021 during the VALORANT Champions in Berlin, but their run was cut short in the group stage, failing to overcome KRÜ and Sentinels.

In 2022, the story was much the same. The team proved their worth as one of the best in the region, but still hadn't had the chance to shine on the world stage. Despite failing to qualify for both Masters events of the year (VCT 2022 - Stage 1 - Masters Reykjavík and VCT 2022 - Stage 2 - Masters Copenhagen), the team reached Champions Istanbulwith high expectations from fans, but once again, failed to advance past the group stage, losing to DRX 0-2 and Fnatic 1-2.

FURIA begins 2023 without a single win against any teams outside of Brazil and will face T1 in their first match at the VALORANT Champions Tour LOCK//IN, taking place in São Paulo, Brazil.

We had the opportunity to speak with FURIA’s players before their debut at LOCK//IN and took the opportunity to ask about their feelings regarding this next challenge and their opinions on the competition's format.

FURIA Interview

THESPIKE: What are your expectations for LOCK//IN ? Do you believe that the event will be enough for participating teams to show the VALORANT they have to offer?

Carlão: I don't know if it's going to be enough because it's only a single-elimination bo3 format, I believe that even if a team loses in the first match it will still have a lot to show. Many teams will show a lot of interesting things, mainly due to the current meta where each team has a different playstyle or a specific composition that they use. In general, I don't think it will be enough, but it will still be enough to see.

dgzin: The expectations for this championship are very good, we are preparing hard for it, we are evolving more every day, trying to work on our downsides. I believe that we are on the right path and we are giving it our all.

THESPIKE:What do you think of the LOCK//IN format? Do you think that because it's a single-elimination format it makes you more nervous or puts pressure on the team?

Carlão: I don't believe this makes the players nervous or puts too much pressure. I think there is less opportunity for teams to show who they are, to have the opportunity to make mistakes and maybe improve in the next match. This format does not leave much room for error, so for that matter the format could have been better since it is normal for teams to make mistakes at the start of the season and if it happens, there won't be a second chance.

dgzin: The fact that it is a single elimination makes us keep that in mind and try to make fewer mistakes, so we know that we can get there and these things happen, but we are well prepared and we believe that we will exceed expectations.

THESPIKE: Have you had the opportunity to practice against some of the teams that arrived at LOCK//IN from other regions? How has it been not having major competitions for such a long time?

mwzera: We didn't practice that much, we only had two or three training sessions so far against teams that arrived for LOCK//IN from abroad. I think the experience is always very good because each team has its own style, so it makes you adapt more and think more. The players who arrived now are very strong individually, so it's always very positive to be able to train against them.

THESPIKE: From your experience, both from training so far and from experiences in past competitions, which regions have the most varying playstyles?

mwzera: For sure the Asian teams, they are very different, they have a very peculiar style of playing the game, I would say. But I believe that at the moment all teams will have a very different playstyle due to all the meta changes, the nerf on Chamber and KAY/O, so we will only find out what the new meta will be after the VCT LOCK//IN .

THESPIKE: Which teams do you want to face during LOCK//IN the most?

Khalil: I would particularly like to face FNATIC, because they have players that I admire a lot and they are very good players, so it would be FNATIC. And luckily --or not -- Hahah, we can face them in the bracket.

mazin: I think that on our side, the team I would most like to play against is Sentinels, because of the two Brazilians, it would be a cool game. And it would also be a good test for us too.

THESPIKE: On your side of the bracket, which teams do you think will be the biggest challenge or do you feel that are strong teams?

mazin: 100 Thieves, Fnatic, Sentinels, Leviatán, and T1 itself is a team that also has a lot of potential.

THESPIKE: Regarding the Americas VCT, do you think that now, because you are competing against teams that are from different regions, and that have different play styles, There is more room for evolving compared to before when you played against regional teams?

qck: I believe so because they have a different style of play than we have here in Brazil and they also have more consistent teams and also several stronger teams.

To compete in the VCT 2023 Americas League and LOCK//IN, FURIA looks as follows:

• Gabriel "qck" Lima
• Khalil "Khalil" Schmidt
• Matheus "mazin" Araújo
• Douglas "dgzin" Silva
• Leonardo "mwzera" Serrati
• Vitor "kon4n" Hugo (6th Player)
• Carlos "Carlão" Mohn (Coach)