Marcelo “coldzera” David will make his return to the Majors after qualifying for the IEM Rio 2022 Major with 00NATION. The Brazilian squad redeemed itself from their failure at the previous Regional Major Ranking event where they fell short in the last game against 9z, missing out on the final spot for the Antwerp Major.
00NATION‘s journey at the Americas RMR did not start in the best of ways, failing to convert a 14-7 lead against 9z which immediately had them relegated to the 0-1 pool. From there, it was a steady improvement in Stockholm as they took down Isurus, Imperial, and Complexity in rapid succession to qualify for the Major.
coldzera wants 00NATION to remain calm and keep improving ahead of the Rio Major
Qualification was a relief for coldzera as the two-time Major winner has failed to reach the biggest stage in CS:GO since his semi-final exit from Katowice 2019 with MIBR. “I didn’t play a Major for three years, the biggest event of the year, even more being in Brazil, I would be very upset if I stayed out,” confessed coldzera to Dust2.com.br after the qualification game.
The two-time No.1 HLTV Top 20 player also touched on the effect that the qualification will have on the youngest members of the squad, admitting that this will only make them more comfortable.
This [qualification] will help take the pressure off the kids’ backs, and the feeling is indescribable
“It’s another achievement, this will help take the pressure off the kids’ backs, and the feeling is indescribable. Playing a Major in Brazil will be special, something we’ve always dreamed of having,” he explained.
This iteration of 00NATION was created by acquiring a significant portion of the GODSENT infrastructure, including coaching staff and the core of the starting lineup. Now led by Epitacio “TACO” de Melo, the squad has a strong core of young players made up by Bruno “latto” Rebelatto, Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer, and Santino “try” Rigal.
Read more
try: “I was pretty nervous; I couldn’t even breathe”
It is the young players that coldzera credits with reigniting the fire within him: “As much as I’ve conquered everything I’ve conquered, played what I’ve played and won the trophies I wanted to win, the feeling that they’re still fulfilling their dream is what makes us want to play even more. Play more hours a day, look at them and see that I’m behind and I need to run, be their mirror and not the other way around,”
The 27-year-old veteran was also open on the number of hours he put in the game ahead of the RMR tournament, putting every other aspect of his life to the side: “I’ve been playing 12, 13 or 14 hours a day. I put everything aside again, I don’t go to the gym, I don’t enjoy my life, I just play CS,” he revealed.
“When the younger kids and TACO came in, they gave me a boost not only of confidence but also of joy. I think that was missing, I like to play with the people I really like, and that was reflected in my game.”
We give the kids space for them to shine a little more
coldzera additionally discussed the balance in the squad between the space given to the younger stars and what he sees as his own role on the CT side: “We give the kids space for them to shine a little more, but my CT side was always very strong.”
“When I changed the team [00NATION] I gave my positions for the guys to play. I was never a selfish guy saying I wanted to be the superstar, deciding where who was going to play, because I always liked everyone to play comfortably”, he explained.
00NATION advanced from the Americas RMR with a 3-1 record after beating Complexity
Towards the end, coldzera explained how the team is still evolving and how they need to keep their feet on the ground: “This was the first step, we managed to qualify, that’s what we wanted, now we’re going to change some things, organize and see things that weren’t good. We’re going to implement something new, and we’re going to bring it to our game and try to structure it even more than what we already have. But we don’t have a thought that we won here and now we’re going to win the Major.”
It will be the biggest event in history, and I think Brazilians have everything to put on a great show
“We’re at our level, calm, we’re evolving little by little, gradually. We’re putting together a structure around everyone, we want to have it done well because that’s what makes a team great,” he added.
To close things out, the 27-year-old explained how he felt that attending a Major in Brazil is the result of work done in the past, from which they are now reaping the fruits. “It’s very cool and I think it will be something indescribable for the fans, for me it will be the biggest event in history, and I think Brazilians have everything to put on a great show. by CS, they’re pretty crazy, so it’s going to be an incredible championship,” he closed.
