Team Liquid players S3xyCake and Paluh answered reporters’ questions during a press conference at the Six Invitational.
Liquid is the team with the longest lifespan on the scene. What are the keys to your good team spirit all this time?
Paluh: When you play with the same team for a long time, you develop an ability to adapt to the game offered by all the teams. We keep learning things and know how to respond to every situation.What did you think of your performance on this first day? Are you satisfied with it?
S3xyCake: We are not happy with our first day, we played really badly against Empire. We wanted to show more, but losing this way is good because it shows us what we missed. On the other hand, we are happy with our victory against FaZe, then Cloud9.You come to the Six Invitational with high expectations following your Copa Elite Six victory. How did you prepare for the event?
Paluh: We prepared well this time around, unlike the two previous editions which we weren’t as ready as we wanted. We knew what to work on, we did it and now we’re giving everything we can on the pitch.
You take part in a tournament played entirely in LAN. How do you see it?
S3xyCake: We’re used to it since we’ve played the Copa Elite Six offline. It’s not really different, except that we don’t have our supporters in front of us, although we are also used to these conditions now.
Photo credit: Ubisoft
What did you change after your loss to Empire?
Paluh: Our big problem was communication, it was very bad. If we had corrected it directly, we would have been better against them. We did it against FaZe and the team was already doing better.You are the most consistent Brazilian team, but what do you lack to shine internationally and especially at this Six Invitational?
S3xyCake: As Paluh mentioned, in previous Invitationals we came knowing we weren’t ready. This time around we come with a new mindset and although we are not 100% ready, we are striving not to repeat the mistakes of the past.* aAa *: How would you place Liquid among the other Brazilian teams in contention? Is your longevity your greatest strength?
S3xyCake: I think our longevity is our best asset indeed. Maybe that’s what makes us the best Brazilian team, we’ve been together longer than the others.
Paluh: As I said, our longevity allows us to no longer be surprised, there is no game that we have never seen, so we know how to respond best to all situations. our longevity is our best asset.What do you think of the Japanese CYCLOPS athlete gaming team?
S3xyCake: They are a very aggressive team and we will have to be careful about that during our game against them. They play a lot with Ying and Blitz, we have to get ahead of them and be ready to respond. They have a lot of fun playing and I think our matchup will be very interesting to follow.
Most Brazilian teams, especially you, stick together for a long time. How do you always manage to progress after these two years together?
S3xyCake: The key to longevity is communication. You have to know how your mates feel in the team, how to comfort them if they have problems, communication is the only thing that matters.In view of your longevity, do you feel a certain obligation to properly represent the colors of your nation on the international scene?
Paluh: I think being there is enough. We always do our best.
S3xyCake: I would say it’s the same for all the teams that go to the Invitational, it’s the biggest competition of all time so everyone wants to perform there and wear their country’s colors.How strong is the team?
Paluh: Our longevity as a team, which gives us the ability to adapt to any situation that we may encounter. S3xyCake does a big IGL job.
S3xyCake: Paluh and nesk are very good entryfraggers, Psk1 does his support work well, Muringa tends to surprise us, he can do absolutely anything [rires].
Paluh: He wins such clutches, it really doesn’t make sense! [rires].How do you feel about your Invitational so far compared to the last ones?
S3xyCake: We have already won two games, this is our best performance to date! [rires]. It’s sad, but true. Lots of games are coming up and I think we’re going to do well.
Paluh: We still have a lot to show, this is just the start of the tournament. Latin America shows that it is the best region.Brazil is the cathedral of football and tends to be that of esports. Do you think Rainbow Six is starting to occupy an important place in your country? Are you celebrities?
S3xyCake: I wouldn’t go that far, but we have a lot of Brazilian supporters. Rainbow Six is very big there, but not as big as CS: GO and LoL. The game is progressing very quickly and that’s good for esports in Brazil.
Paluh: The room for improvement is quite significant over the next few years, Siege is Rainbow Six’s first competitive license, while CS: GO has been in place for at least ten years.What adaptations will you make following your first matches?
Paluh: As said before, we had communication problems during our first game and if we communicate like we have to, we will be in our best shape.What do you think is the strongest region to date?
S3xyCake: I think it’s Latin America.
Paluh: It’s due to say that there hasn’t been an international event for a long time, but I would say that Europe and Latin America have the best elements.* aAa *: Will your recent Copa Elite Six victory help you in this Six Invitational?
S3xyCake: Not so much in my opinion, as all tournaments are different. Although we won the Elite Six, the Invitational is a different tournament, with different opponents and stakes.
Paluh: It’s a good way to prove to ourselves that we can beat all the Brazilian teams, when we lost to MIBR and NiP at the last Invitational. We have become stronger for it. All Brazilian teams are used to competing against each other and beating them in the Copa Elite Six shows us that it can be done all the time.
Photo credit: Ubisoft
What do you think of the APAC region?
S3xyCake: I find that she is not that strong, she does not really adapt to the meta, probably because her teams do not often meet Europeans or North Americans and that makes her late .
Paluh: In my opinion, the teams in the region need to do bootcamps in other continents to adapt to other metas and to renew themselves. There are very few APAC teams that get the chance to travel and face new faces.What mental tools do you use when under pressure?
S3xyCake: We have a lot of briefings that help us not to be anxious or nervous before games, moments of a few seconds that allow us to focus but also to exult.S3xycake, what are the main difficulties you encounter as team captain?
S3xyCake: I don’t really feel any difficulty as I know that if I play badly, Paluh, nesk, Psk and Muringa will be there as a back-up. If I don’t call, they’ll call it for me and we have the strength of being five players in one.What are the differences in terms of preparedness between the Invitational during the pandemic and that of last year?
S3xyCake: This year, we didn’t have a proper bootcamp. We were there 10 days before the start of the tournament, but not all the teams were present. We were able to train against some European teams and get used to their meta a little bit.What do you think of oNe and FURIA, the two young Brazilian teams?
S3xyCake: It’s really great to see Brazilian teams doing well against other regions, it shows that we are ready and shows our good level.
Paluh: Last year, NiP were good, but their performance was Brazil’s only good result. This year, it’s as if all Brazilians can claim victory.* aAa *: In what state of mind is the team approaching this Six Invitational? Do you feel any pressure?
Paluh: I don’t think so, we know what went wrong last year and are fixing those issues. We know we can beat everyone, we just have to play like we know how to play.
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