Like a loving relationship, chemistry is essential in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. At least that's what MIBR leader and twice-elected best player in the world from 2016 to 2017, Marcelo "coldzera" David, thinks.
Coldzera sat down with ESPN Esports Brazil during the Brazil Game Show to discuss his team and reflect on his career.
"I think having a strong team depends on a lot of people," he said. "Like it or not, Stewie and tarik are less warm than Brazilians. Stewie has improved a lot in this matter. Tarik is still a little cold. We are not living together to meet, have lunch and dinner together and create this chemistry."
"We are in the process of learning. We have to adapt to them as they also have to adapt to us. It's difficult -- it's something that comes with time. It will take about three to four months to improve this chemistry inside and outside the game," he added.
However, chemistry is not the only determining factor for a team's success. The language barrier and differences in mentality have also been mentioned as elements that are part of this process of change.
"At first we tried to adapt to Stewie, but after seeing that it was not working, I told him that we had the champion playing style and mentality and he would have to adapt to us -- not the other way around," said coldzera. "Now we are starting to play again in that style. I think it's more a matter of time, keeping the lineup and creating harmony to win championships again."
Coldzera added that the language barrier was an issue. But things changed quickly, as players began taking classes together. "Our adaptation to English was smooth," he said.
"It's very difficult to build a team that has never played together -- [a team] that communicates differently and play well. We are having good progress. In Blast, we could have beaten Astralis, but we messed up in silly rounds. We managed to prove that they are not unbeatable. But we still have to control the pressure and sometimes get nervous."
One change that was harder on coldzera was the playing style. Specially, who had to split the bombsites with Jake "Stewie2k" Yip, the first North American player hired by MIBR.
"When it got chaotic, it was worse to communicate. So sometimes we would get lost and end up losing the round. My focus was to organize everything for him and make him just play," he admitted. "I racked my brains a lot and thought a lot about his game. It was difficult for me. I got so much worse and I think it was more about the Americans coming to the team than Taco's exit. I had to think more about talking than playing. Now our adaptation and my performance are improving, as is his."
Goodbye to holidays
"It is bad for us when we extend the holidays too much during the year. When we get back, we are unprepared and behind everyone else," coldzera said. "A player from Europe and the United States can go out, have dinner, go to a party and the next day he plays with rain, NiKo. The skill level is kept because he is playing with the best. Here in Brazil we do not feel like playing. We know it's not going to be such a good deal. We prefer to take a detox and not play, but I think we extend that a lot."
After a rough start, the team also decided to dismiss Epitácio "Taco" Filho and Ricardo "boltz" Prass. And, after speculating about national and international players, Stewie2k and Tarik "tarik" Celik were chosen.
"This year in August we have cut our holidays in half. We had 10 days off and two weeks of boot camp. We realized that we need only seven or 10 days, then we have to go back and prepare ourselves more than everyone," he added.
"We wanted s1mple and flamie at the time, but it did not work out. They wanted to come, but there were some problems. Before we called the Europeans, we tried some Brazilians. We made offers, but some organizations asked for ridiculous prices, which unfortunately were not worth it", he revealed.
The best of the best
Coldzera's thoughts were not restricted to the present. He'd also reflected on a chemistry that he missed a lot: the team from 2016, which won the major twice.
"When we brought Taco and fnx, the ensemble itself was very good both inside and outside the game. It was a chemistry of another kind. For you to play well, you first arrange the outer side and then the inner side. Interaction, privacy, respect. All of this influences the game. If you do not like a person, why are you going to play with them? This creates rivalry."
"Taco and fnx added a lot to the group. We understood each other so well outside the game that it was very easy inside it. They are excellent players, easy to play. We built a playing style and it was difficult for opponents as it was not easy to learn. It was methodical, but pretty standard," he added.
The two former teammates were highly praised by coldzera. Lincoln "fnx" Lau even took the liberty of joining his friend for the interview.
"Fnx was a guy who brought confidence to beat clutches and the experience of teaching. Many things that I know about clutch, I learned from him. He has contributed to the group externally. He is playful, outgoing and unites the team a lot," he said.
But when it came to the everlasting partner, coldzera highlighted the connection between him and Taco.
"Taco gave me a lot of confidence. Playing with him has always been very good, because he is as hard-working as me. We always created new things, and in every bomb we shared, we were one step ahead of everyone. We won two or three championships and the guys were already mimicking us. But we were one step ahead again and we knew what to do when it happened."
Asked if he missed that time, colzera did not try to hide his nostalgia.
"It was the best time. We had a hard time -- we had to fight three or four times more than we fight today. It was not easy to boot camp. We slept in places that were not fun. But we have been able to prove ourselves twice," he said. "A lot of people nowadays say we got lazy, that we are not tough any more, but all we have today is due to our battles in the past. We still work hard, but it may be true that we are not in a good moment. The game has changed -- it is not the same as it was in 2016 or 2017. Each year ends up being more difficult than the last. All teams are playing well and everyone can beat one another."
Coldzera highlighted 2016 as the best year and the formation of Luminosity and SK Gaming as the best team he has ever played on.
"If you ask me the best team I've played in my life, I'll say it's LG," he said. "Our early career was very good, we learned and suffered many defeats. Then we put our game on a level that no one could beat us. Although we have not won so many championships as in 2017, the ones we won had a great importance. 2016 was our best year."