"I Like This Challenge" LOUD Tuyz VCT Americas Exclusive Pre-Season Interview
Prior to the VCT Americas Kick-Off tournament, Riot Games organized a Pre-Season Media Day, inviting some of the most noteworthy names in the industry. Strafe Esports received the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with LOUD member Arthur “tuyz” Vieira.
Another Year for the Kings of Americas?
Tuyz is part of perhaps the most elite force Brazil has assembled to partake in professional VALORANT. Having dominated the 2023 Americas calendar year following an incredibly strong 2022 performance – including their win at Champions – LOUD is one force that not only refuses to surrender, but they’re also ones to step up to the call when needed.
The graveyard of 2023 VALORANT is littered with foes who underestimated their grit. Now heading into the new season, a now more experienced tuyz returns for another run. Amidst the newly formed ‘superteams’, can LOUD prove immovable once again?
“I’m very excited to play against our dear friend aspas…”
[Interviewer]Happy 2024! How are you and your team feeling heading into this new VCT season? What are your expectations for the season?
Thank you for having me. Happy 2024 to you as well! We’re feeling very confident about this season. The team and I are getting good results during the practices, so we are very confident for this year.
[Interviewer] I see, awesome to hear! Heading into Kickoff, what were your initial thoughts on the format for this year? Meaning the Kickoff tournament itself, the path to Madrid, and now the VCT Americas split into two separate splits. What are your thoughts on the way it has been structured?
So, the Kickoff, it’s going to be hard. It kind of reminds me of the LOCK//IN, but the LOCK//IN had more – the teams had more opportunities. And here we have the double-elimination that is probably going to make some teams very nervous about it. I really like the 2 splits for the VCT, I think it gives us a better chance to play – to actually have space between the games. It’s less crowded per say.
[Interviewer] Also, they revealed the matchups for Kickoff, and in your group, you’re going to have Leviatán, 100 Thieves, and Sentinels. What are your first thoughts on the matchups? Your first matchup is against Sentinels, so do you have any thoughts heading into this first game?
I’m very happy with this group. It’s a very strong group and I like this challenge. I’m very excited to play against our dear friend aspas, who’s now playing for Leviatán. And about Sentinels, I’m very excited to play them too. They have a new lineup, so they’re probably going to bring something new. I’m expecting good matches.
Evolution
Marked as one of the best controller players -and specifically on Harbor – tuyz has made a sizeable mark on the professional VALORANT landscape as a prolific talent. Now, with a new season on the horizon, he appears on the cusp of yet another evolution.
[Interviewer] Tuyz, you’ve played on a number of teams before you came to LOUD. However, it was in 2023 where you really blossomed into this roster and became this really integral part of it. So, coming into 2024, what can we expect? You’re more experienced compared to the past, more of a veteran on this lineup. What kind of new development can we hope to see from you?
I believe that now, I know my responsibilities and I can also take on more of a leadership role when appropriate. Of course, we have a leader, but I can help. I feel more comfortable. Individually I am a very good controller, I know what I have to do, so I’m very comfortable with that. And, talking about team-wise, we are very excited to work with qck, who is a new member of the team. So, we’re really excited to have him onboard and to help him with whatever we can.
[Interviewer] As you mentioned, you’ve been an excellent controller in 2023. With the addition of qck now, could we get some clarification in terms of how the roles are going to work on this new LOUD roster? As in, who will be playing which role?
Yeah, this is something that I cannot talk about right now. But I know that with this new team, we can maybe have a different composition. I can’t really go into that right now, but we are comfortable and ready to play different ways.
[Interviewer] Ahh, are you sure you can’t give just a little hint?
Uhh, I don’t know, maybe I’ll play as a duelist? (grinning) I don’t know yet.
[Interviewer] Interesting…interesting. Thank you so much. I also wanted to ask, you also have a new coach, peu – fRoD is now gone – and of course you have Saadhak as well. So, could you speak on your experience working with this two individuals?
Yeah, I think he (peu) is a great addition to the team. fRoD was an amazing coach and we still have Boia, who worked with fRoD last year. The addition of peu is very good – peu and Saadhak have very similar ideas – so they complete each other in a way. So, we are having a very good experience with them.
[Interviewer] I wanted to ask about your new teammate as well, qck. How is he fitting on the team, just your general experience so far working with him?
I like him a lot, qck is a very playful guy, so… I like people like him. I’m always playing and joking. It’s good to be around him. And in-game, he’s a very upfront guy, so if he says something wrong, he brings it up. He always tries to do things better, so, he doesn’t hold back when he has to be serious and talk about changes that need to be done for them to be successful. So, it’s great to have him in the team.
Professional Takes: In-Game Changes
There are few that know the game better than a professional player – it is their livelihood after all. So, when sweeping changes come to the game just before the start of the season, we just had to ask players what they thought of all of it.
[Interviewer] Great to hear! In this final part, I wanted to get your thoughts on some of the in-game changes that have come through for VALORANT. Cypher buffs, Killjoy nerfs. What are your thoughts on the meta overall, heading into this new season? Are we going to be looking at different picks or is it pretty much going to be more of the same heading into 2024?
I think Riot always tries to bring something new to make the game dynamic. And I’m expecting some teams to change the way they play, with the buffs and nerfs. There are also a lot more agents that can bring something different to the game, so I’m expecting people to -not everyone of course – start playing differently according to these new changes.
[Interviewer] Also, the big Skye nerf is coming in. There’s a chance Kickoff will be on pre-patch Skye; however, we’ve heard the opposite as well. Regardless, after Kickoff, Skye will no longer have the rechargeable flashes. And of course, Skye was a really big part of 2023’s meta. So, what do you think of the changes, and what do you think of the impact it’s going to have on all the teams?
So, yeah, that is definitely a big change. Skye was used a lot, and now with this nerf, there’s going to be some changes with who is starting the game. So, I’m expecting to see some changes there – in how people play. Because she (Skye) was so meta, with all these changes, I’m expecting to see the different ways people are going to play.
[Interviewer] Speaking of changes, the map pool has again shifted. So, Haven is now out, Pearl/Fracture is still out, and now we have Breeze and Icebox back in the pool, Sunset coming in. Lotus has also been changed. What are your thoughts on the map changes and current map pool?
I think, talking about Icebox, it’s a very fun map to play. It has a lot of variables, so we can try different stuff. We were very comfortable playing Haven, but I also think it was time to change and try something different. So, I’m excited about these maps. Lotus, I like the change because the attackers had an advantage, with the orb especially on B-site. And they could take it right away. So, that’s going to make the game more balanced.
We also like to see the old maps back in the rotation. Breeze is a very difficult map to play, but it’s good to see it back. And I think it’s going to be very good to just try new stuff there.
[Interviewer] Thank you very much tuyz. I’ve run out of questions. Best of luck in your first games and for the rest of the season as well. And I hope I get a chance to talk to you again. Thank you as well (translator).
LOUD is set to play their opening game against Sentinels in Group B opener. Are you ready for a North meets South clash? The VCT Americas 2024 Kickoffs start 16th February with NRG Esports taking on FURIA. Follow the VCT 2024 action on Strafe.
For more information on the VCT Americas Kickoff, check out Strafe Esports' piece on the Format, Schedule, Teams and more. If one of the other Kickoffs catches your fancy, we also have previews for EMEA, Pacific, and China.
As an additional bonus, you can catch the VOD for the interview on our new YouTube channel. Also, check out our tier list for the 33 partnered teams (VCT China notwithstanding) heading into 2024's season.
Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
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