SR Ceos: “We already beat [100T], and we scrimmed them a lot, so we know our level compared to them.”

Q: As a viewer, Game 2 and Game 3’s losses felt rough because they were so close. Who’s keeping the team stable and keeping everyone from megatilting?

Ceos: After Game 1, we all talked, like, “It’s a really hard draft, guys, we don’t need to overthink.” It was just really hard to play. And FlyQuest is a good team, so if they get a really good draft, they will probably win the game. [We thought], “Let’s just change things for the second game.”

After the second game, it’s hard [to not] be affected mentally. Because we are so ahead, we are controlling the game. And then we just kind of throw the game, and they win. 

But I feel like everyone here is experienced [and has played] for a long time, so everyone here is already [used to] a situation like that. 

Especially Tanner – Damonte. He says, “You guys play well. You should have won this game, so let’s keep it up for [the] third game. I think Damonte is the guy that talks the most, but everyone [also] talks to each other and says, “If we played the same game [again], we will probably win [and] not make the same mistakes – let’s just go for Game 3.

Q: Why do you think you lost that game?

Ceos: I think Game 2 [showed] a bit of indiscipline on our part. It’s not new for us, it’s something we [struggle with] on scrims. Especially when we get Baron. Instead of playing slow, wait[ing] everyone to be together, we normally [make] some random play and then delay the games. 

It’s just something that we need to take more serious, because we lose our game because of that. I think, in the second game, this was the most important thing – to just be disciplined and play together as a team, and know what enemy comps need to do to stop our Baron rush. 

Q: What happened with QSS? It doesn’t work with Mordekaiser.

Ceos: Uh… I don’t think so? I think QSS works, right? On Mordekaiser ult?

Q: No, it doesn’t.

Ceos: Really? I think it works.

Q: No, it doesn’t. They changed it a while ago.

Ceos: Are you sure?

Q: Yes!

Ceos: Oh, I didn’t know, to be honest. *laughs* So, probably, Cristian (Palafox) and Bvoy didn’t know, too. I remember one time, I think Fudge said, “Cristian, Mordekaiser has ult.” Then, Cristian said, “I’m fine, I have QSS.” 

So I think he probably thinks it works? 

Q: How much do you think English gets in your way as a duo?

Ceos: For me, it’s not an issue inside the game. Even before I came here to NA, I already talk English inside the game, because we have Koreans on my past teams. So I’m really comfortable to talk English about everything. I already talk [English] for four or five years inside the game. So, for me, it’s not a problem. 

Bvoy, probably the same. Because Bvoy play on Europe, he talks English on Brazil, he plays on Latin America. For me, [communicating with] Bvoy is not really an issue inside the game.

Q: What’s your head looking like after this series, going into 100 Thieves?

Ceos: Of course, [against FLY] we lose 3-0, and two games we have a chance to win. But, at least on my perspective, because I already played for a long time, in these kinds of situations you just need to look on the bright side. Because you only have one more week to play if you let the series go into your head. And [if] you just lose motivation, [it] will be way worse in the future. 

From [a] good view, [it’s] like, “Hey guys, we lose 3-0 [to] FlyQuest. That’s probably the best team right now. And we played two really good games that we could have won if we played better.”

So we need to use this as confidence to go against 100 Thieves. We already beat them, and we scrimmed them a lot, so we know our level compared to them. 

I’m really confident for next week. If we don’t let this series go on our head, I think we will improve a lot during the next week, and we will be an even stronger team against 100T.

Q: What do you think makes you guys a good matchup into 100T? Are you just individually stronger players?

Ceos: I think they are really good individually and everyone there is a good player on their role. But I feel like they just are not as patient as we are. I think they make more mistakes because they want to push more advantage or fight more than us. 

So, I feel like, “We play on our game, don’t go to their game,” you know? They like to fight, they like to skirmish a lot. If we only take skirmish[es] and fight on our terms — fights that we think are better for us — I think we will beat them. I think we just need to [not] go to their game, and focus on what we wanna do.

Q: How much improvement are you seeing week-to-week in scrims?

Ceos: Yeah, I feel like we are improving a lot week-to-week, especially because we are a kinda new team. When we start[ed], we don’t really know how to play together, and everyone has their own opinions. I think, still, we have a lot of room to improve, [because] we still have some diversion inside the game from how we wanna play, [and] everyone comes from different teams. 

But I feel like compared to other teams, we evolve more because we are new, and other teams probably already play[ed] together for a long time. [At] the start of the split, they are probably ahead of us, because they play together for so long. We’re slowly getting there, in my opinion. 

Of course, we had some bad weeks on scrims. I think this is normal. But I think, even when we had bad weeks of scrims, we still go to stage and improve and play better. So, I think we are evolving every week, and I am confident. 

Q: After you guys beat 100T and made it to playoffs and the upper bracket, how did you celebrate?

Ceos: *laughs* I think, after we beat 100T, first we [weren’t even] sure if we are on the upper bracket or lower bracket. When we asked Riot, Riot didn’t even know. So we didn’t know. We only knew at 9 or 10 p.m.

Q: Wow, I knew!

Ceos: Everyone was at home already, you know? We weren’t really together. And the next day, it was [our] day off, so we didn’t even see each other. *laughs* So, we didn’t even celebrate.

Q: No celebration? What did you do, personally?

Ceos: On Brazil, I used to go out with my girlfriend a lot. Go to mall, to the movie theater. But here, I don’t have her. So, normally, on my day off, I just talk to her. Or I like to read a book.

Q: What book are you reading right now?

Ceos: Right now? How is the name in English? It’s Iron Flame, the name of the book. It’s from the Empyrean series [by Rebecca Yarros]. It’s the second book of the series. The first one is, like, Fourth Wing. It’s pretty cool.