Team Liquid Brazil have a unique chance to lift the VCT Game Changers Championship trophy on home soil tonight. They face a dominant Shopify Rebellion squad, and the odds stacked against them, but they do have the electrifying home crowd at their backs.
Our own Lucas Bauth had a chance to talk to Letícia “Joojina” Paiva ahead of the match and got her to share a few thoughts before the Grand Finale.
Credit: X | Liquid joojina
Lucas: This is your first experience in an international championship, even though it is here in Brazil. And even so, you achieved very good results, as we saw on this incredible journey.
How do you feel, going into your first major international final?
Joojina: I feel really good. I think we are just reaping the fruits of the work we have done throughout this year. We worked very hard to get here. I think we learned a lot here in Brazil. Even though it was my first Championship, we played against very strong teams here in our country.
“I feel that Brazil helped us prepare to be here.”
Lucas: During the broadcast, we always see you smiling and showing an absurd calm. This happens beyond the rounds you win. Even in defeat, you are smiling and being a very centered person.
How does your profile help the team, both on a daily basis and in matches, like today?
Joojina: I really am a very smiley person. I am a very happy person, grateful for everything. So, I feel like I bring this lightness to the team. So much so that, when we lost to G2 at the beginning of the championship, the girls commented that I wasn’t smiling, I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t being myself. And that was important, because I could feel that something was wrong. When I’m calm and relaxed, I can pull my team together, bringing a lightness to the game. Because of that, I feel like it makes our game 100% more comfortable.
Credit: X | @joojinavlr
Lucas: Shopify Rebellion are a pretty strong team. The girls have a lot of experience and can surprise us. However, we have the fans by our side, who are always 100% frantic and you are the queen of clutches.
How do you feel in these moments, when it’s a disadvantage and the fans are fervent?
Joojina: I don’t think the noise from the crowd influences our game. When I’m in a clutch situation, I focus completely on that and close myself off. I have an absurd focus, so much so that I end up not even listening to the crowd. It’s as if everything around me disappeared and all that mattered was me and my game. However…
“The best part is when I manage to win these rounds and I can hear the crowd screaming because of me. This gives me an indescribable feeling. It ends up making me even more hyped and wanting to win more and more clutches.”
Watch the VCT Game Changers Champions crowned today (December 3) at 14:00 Local, 18:00 CET.
Note: The interview was conducted in Portuguese, and may contain some translation errors. Check it out in it’s on original form on EsportsDotNet Brazil.
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