“Our team is more prepared than ever.”

Those were the words of LOUD LOUD Brazil Unranked dgzin Douglas Silva v1nny Vínicius Gonçalves pANcada Bryan Luna tuyz Arthur Andrade cauanzin Cauan Pereira 's coach Matheus "bzkA" Tarasconi when he discussed his team's preparation in the lead-up to Champions 2022.

It has been two long months since LOUD last won a match of Valorant. That is plenty of time to forget that the roster is riding one of the highest winning percentages ever seen in Valorant's history. In fact, they are still the only team at Champions to have never lost a regional match.

On the other hand, they have stumbled lately at the international level. At Masters 1: Reykjavik, their undefeated streak was finally brought down in a hard fought grand finals appearance against OpTic Gaming OpTic Gaming Inactive . At Masters 2: Copenhagen, they fell flat against the Brazilian Kryptonite KRÜ Esports KRÜ Esports Latin America South Unranked keznit Angelo Mori Mazino Roberto Rivas adverso Benjamín Poblete mta Nicolás González Shyy Fabian Usnayo Melser Marco Eliot Machuca Amaro , and lost another heartbreaking overtime to OpTic.

A last place finish was a far cry from what the team had accomplished up to that point and the first major setback they faced.

“It was the first time our team got into a match as slow as we did,” bzkA explained, “but we learned from it and we are a much stronger team now.”

LOUD at Copenhagen Copenhagen was a disappointment but a huge learning experience. (Photo Credit: Sebastian Stigsby/Riot Games)

Although they refused to wield it as an excuse, schedule differences may underlie the swing in their performance. At Reykjavik, LOUD were seeded directly into the playoffs and had plenty of time to practice against and prepare for international metas. A group stage appearance combined with a tighter schedule only allowed them a couple of days to arrive and acclimate to Copenhagen before they were thrown into official matches.

“It is very important that we are training against great European teams,” bzkA said. “[It] reinforces our strategy.”

The difference between European and Brazilian competition is stark.

“Overall, Brazil is a region that has few teams that understand how Valorant works,” he said. “There are very good players at the world level, but from the moment we manage to talk about the strategic aspects, reactions, and understanding the map, I think that Brazil often stops studying the game to play ranked or deathmatch and that holds us back.”

The regional situation is not without hope. LOUD gained a reputation in Brazil for being disciplined and focusing on a complete strategic game. bzkA hopes that they can lead by example and bring Brazil into a new era of Valorant.

“I think that many have mirrored LOUD and started to pay attention to these details,” he said. “I have the perception that they are evolving.”

One of those evolving teams is attending Champions alongside LOUD: FURIA. Although FURIA weren't able to shake the curse of KRÜ, they blitzed through most of the South American LCQ. They might be the first Brazilian team besides LOUD to challenge international contenders.

The prediction from bzkA was measured but hopeful. “We believe they can surprise everyone in games. We will see.”

The evolution of the Brazilian scene will be put to the test during franchising next year. When several of the top South American teams are whisked away to North America for Riot's American Valorant League, bzkA worries about how well the teams left behind will be able to maintain their progression.

“People will have to want a lot more and dedicate themselves a lot more to reach that level,” he said.

Despite the drawbacks, he thinks Brazil can overcome these challenges. He heaped praise onto the franchising plan as a whole for what it can do for “players, staff, organizations, and the public.” But he did leave one caveat.

“The important thing is to keep the doors open so that regional teams from each region of Brazil can access the franchise and not be stagnant … so I think as long as we have space for these teams to rise, everything should go as smoothly as possible.”

As it is, LOUD have their own battles to focus on. Their first match is against Reykjavik bronze medalists and fan favorites ZETA DIVISION ZETA DIVISION Japan Unranked Dep Yuma Hashimoto SugarZ3ro Shota Watanabe CLZ Hikaru Mizutani SyouTa Shota Aoki Xdll Yuto Mizomori . The Japanese squad had stumbles of their own in Stage 2, and they will most likely play with a substitute player, but many teams who underestimated ZETA before paid the price.

The road gets no easier from there. For the second straight tournament, LOUD were seeded into the same group as OpTic. Their green nemesis sits poised to give them another epic clash in what is becoming one of the best rivalries of 2022. However, when asked who they would like to defeat the most, bzkA kept it neutral.

“It is difficult to say a specific team because the teams that are in this [event] are very good and deserved these spots,” he said. “All I want is to win this championship.”

To win the championship, LOUD will have to prove their worth on more maps than they have previously shown. At Reykjavik, they only won Ascent, Icebox, and Breeze, and at Copenhagen, it was just Ascent and Fracture. They put a lot of work into their weaker maps before Copenhagen, but had little chance to show it off.

This time, the map pool is poised to be a major factor for all teams. Pearl has been introduced for the first time at a VCT event, and it replaces LOUD's former permaban of Split. Adapting to this new feature of competitive play could prove pivotal for championship aspirations.

“Without a doubt, it will be a map with a lot of impact in this entire championship,” bzkA said.

Ascending the throne of Champions is a daunting task, but LOUD are ready for the challenge. Their teamwork and strategy is renowned in Brazil, and their skill is renowned across the world, but perhaps the most important piece of their identity isn't what crosses the viewer's screen at all.

“Regardless of victory or defeat, we work in the same way. We have a philosophy of work, training that we follow, and it doesn't change [whether] we did well or badly in the competition, our work philosophy remains the same.”

They have faced adversity, they have done the work, they have reached their penultimate destination, and they are ready to take that final step. This time, the trophy is theirs.