During Legacy bootcamp in Europe, we caught a change to have a chat with none other than Marcelo "coldzera" David. In our interview, the Brazilian legend talked about upbringing of his new organization Legacy, transition to Counter-Strike 2 and his upcoming match against his ex-teammate FalleN at the BLAST Premier: Fall American Showdown 2023.
Shout out to the organizers of the Champion of Champions Tour, who made the interview possible. You can check upcoming CCT matches here.
About Legacy
Congratulations on going official with the Legacy brand. Can you tell us more about the naming of it besides the obvious?
The brand was built around a legacy. The community has always embraced us for the history we have conquered and the path we have forged. I also believe that this entire project and this organization is also the face of the Brazilian community, which has also demonstrated in different ways that it is a huge part of esports legacy. This legacy is related to what we were able to create in our careers in general. Everyone in the organization, whether players, coaching staff or staff, has already contributed to build a legacy.
We are an organization with people who have already contributed to the international scene and who have dedicated their lives to make their legacy in esports as a way of life. Everyone here has built something that will last for the future of younger people who want to follow the same path, whether as a player, as an executive or as an operational person.
Can you describe the separation process between you guys and 00Nation, and how things came to what we ended up with? What is your position in the organization - is it limited only to a player?
I don't have much to add on the subject. All important information on the topic has already been publicly shared. 00Nation was divided into two parts. The European division was focused on media and multimedia and the Brazilian division where we were located was a division focused on competition. At a certain point, it was better for both parties to actually choose different management paths so that they could pursue their projects in a more meaningful way. It's not my place to talk about details, but the separation became inevitable.
READ MORE: ex-00NATION will perform as Legacy
About bootcamp in Europe
Now you are residing on the bootcamp in Europe. Obviously, you’re training a lot, playing officials. Is it hard to adjust to such a bunch of different styles in EU, in comparison to Brazil?
It is an adaptation that requires a period of assimilation into your knowledge of the game. We have to make an effort to reduce this difference in adaptation and I believe we are achieving this step by step. Brazilian CS has a lot of value and also has many good things compared to European CS, however, the fundamentals of the game in Europe are more deeply rooted and it is exactly this difference that we are trying to reduce.
How long do you plan to stay in Europe? What time do you consider enough to get your team in shape? What are you working on in the first place?
We planned together with the organization to give us as much time as possible so that we could balance time in Europe with commitments in Brazil and/or tournaments that we have to participate in. We are trying to do in-depth work with our entire technical team on knowledge of the game, communication protocols, the positions we have to play and how we have to be able to adapt to the different variables that arise during games. One of the things we have been working hard on is our ability to adapt according to the teams' styles and this is a longer and more complex process that takes a longer period to master this knowledge.
Today’s teams are heavily focused on playing as many online tournaments as possible, not focusing so much on the victory rather than the competition. You are in a rather unique position since you’ve just gone through rebranding. Do you feel that the stakes are a bit higher for you on events like CCT Online Finals, mostly because you would achieve more than your rivals in a event?
I believe that maximum competition, whether online or offline, is always very important in the development of any team. We can train for months in a row and fail in the first competition. This is not what we intend. As I have explained on other occasions, this team is a project designed to develop new talents. Obviously, we want to play and win as many competitions as possible. We know that it won't always be possible and we won't always be successful, but we work towards it every day. We have our objectives well defined and I believe that once our team is properly stabilized, the results will arrive.
About roster
A couple of words about the roster. NEKIZ joined the team just a few months ago. Tell us about his influence on the game.
NEKIZ is a very experienced player. He adapted very quickly to the team and that certainly helped us in all processes. He was able to bring some of that experience to help manage the younger players in the group, which is very important at the stage we are at. Furthermore, he also brings to the game some midcalls that make my job easier as an IGL, where he can be a more or less aggressive player depending on the game plan.
Personally you have already played 122 maps this year, the most since 2020. How does it feel to return to active grinding?
Grinding is necessary. There is no other way to grow and gain experience with a team of young talents. You have to play a lot, learn from your mistakes and improve game after game. My role as a player and IGL and the role of the organization is to ensure that we can have that experience playing in as many tournaments as possible in different regions so that we can get the best experience from all environments. Nowadays, professional teams all go through this cycle and we cannot let it go.
nqz is playing much better in the new season. What has changed after the players' break?
This is the fruit of the processes we are carrying out. From the organization, to the technical team, to the psychologist, to the players, we do everything so that everyone can have their space to evolve. We know that at younger ages and in current conditions we have to be aware of all factors, whether internal or external, so that they always have everything they need to improve their performance. We realized where we had to work individually with nqz and we did so. nqz is a player with a lot of skill who over time will prove to be one of the best in his position. We just can't forget that he's still 18 years old.
About the transition to CS2
The whole pro scene now is in anticipation of the CS2 release. There are different opinions in public about its state. In June, you said that people will adapt differently to CS2: some will quickly find themselves, and others will fall off. Now, after the official release of the game, where do you find yourself?
To be honest, I maintain the same opinion. I believe that some players will not want to go through this adaptation phase and others will come away with an advantage because it is a kind of "reset". The game is different and brought a lot of new things. I believe that the competitive scenario will bring a new "revolution" from which new talents and new teams will emerge. At least I hope so, because I will be happy to see more names, more teams and more competition emerging. I've been playing the game for some time now and dedicating myself to it so I can understand all the new mechanics and everything new it brings. The team is also making this adaptation slowly because we still have some commitments in the coming weeks, but I believe that for us it will be a very positive reset.
About the Brazilian Counter-Strike pro-scene
You've been playing CS:GO since the very beginning of the game's history. How would you estimate the state of the South American scene before the release of CS2 compared to the beginning of CS:GO?
They are very different and very different times. Fortunately, the Brazilian scene has grown a lot in recent years and I see that Brazil will be able to show more and better with CS2. However, the dedication and grind will have to be greater than ever because today access to the game is equivalent across the world. There are opportunities everywhere, there are tournaments to be players at all difficulties and that is super positive. I hope that South America can stand out to increasingly value our scenery and our region.
If we were to oversee the current state of Brazilian teams, we’d find many teams (Imperial, FURIA, 9z) in the same position of power. What does it take from the team in your region to really become truly dominating? And how long does it take to develop that?
The more constant the teams can become, the faster it is. The truth is that most teams have undergone restructuring at different levels that it takes a period of time for them to be able to put into practice what they want. As for time, it is difficult to answer, it always depends on many variables.
About BLAST Premier: Fall American Showdown 2023
Many fans are eager to see your match vs. FURIA at BLAST Fall Showdown. It’s not only a clash between two Brazilian teams but also you vs. FalleN. Do you feel your team is ready for such a challenge?
It's another team we have ahead of us and we want to beat this opponent so we can move on to the next stage. We play and train every day to do the best we can and we will prepare this game with the same attention as we prepare any other game. We have already shown that we are capable of beating them and we have already shown that we have players with the capabilities to produce good results. In the end, whoever makes more rounds, will win. Let’s wait for 6th October [laughs].
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