Matias ‘Saadhak’ Delipetro narrowly missed out on defending his championship title. Nevertheless, he is one of the best and most experienced Valorant eSportsmen ever – especially in his young team LOUD. He spoke to eSport about his leadership on and off the stage, as well as an unexpected return.
You can feel old when you open the CVs of some of the top eSports players. Sang-Hyeok ‘Faker’ Lee, for example, has achieved just about everything there is to achieve in League of Legends at the age of 27 – in doubt even multiple times. Riot’s second big eSports hit Valorant is no different. Younger and younger eSports players reach the highest level.
Father character Delipetro stands out
At LOUD, they’ve made a virtue of it. The roster for Valorant Champions featured no less than four players who were teenagers just weeks before the event. Two even entered the biggest competition in Valorant eSports at just 18 years old. Only one player of the Brazilian top team clearly stands out: Matias ‘Saadhak’ Delipetro, at 26 years old, is almost elderly compared to his colleagues – and that is precisely why he is the central building block of success.
“It’s currently a running joke that I’m their father,” the only Argentine in the otherwise all-Brazilian line-up describes his role with a smile. But there is far more behind it than a little joke by the young savages at his side. “There is actually some truth to it. I take care of a lot of things. “
The things Delipetro cares about, however, he insists, are less about game tactical issues and much more about real life. “Outside the game, they might not know what to do with their money at times or how to feel in some situations; that it’s okay to be nervous or a little scared, for example.” This is where Delipetro comes in: “That’s what makes me experienced: I’ve been through these things and I can guide them through these emotions.” Therefore, he argues, he is indeed a kind of father to his significantly younger peers.
On Ascent, Bind or whatever else the maps in Valorant are called, Cauan ‘cauanzin’ Pereira, Erick ‘aspas’ Santos & Co. on the other hand hardly need guidance from their experienced captain. “Are really talented, almost crazy good,” the latter knows.
Nevertheless, the success of the past season came as a surprise to ‘Saadhak’. “I was honestly expecting to go through a phase of rebuilding. As I said, the boys are young. Very young.” He had not seen the strong performances at the LOCK IN in Sao Paulo, the Americas League final and finally the Champions edition in Los Angeles coming. “I didn’t expect to be back here so soon,” he commented on reaching the top 4 again at the Valorant World Championships.
“Something very special” was therefore this situation. And even though they failed to defend their title after being knocked out by the Evil Geniuses in the lower-bracket final, ‘Saadhak’ says the good performance speaks volumes regarding his colleagues. “The fact that we have achieved these results just shows how dedicated they are and how hard they try. “
The eye of the storm
The captain, however, believes LOUD’s greatest strength is their own looseness. “The most important thing for us is to have fun and enjoy the moment,” Delipetro finds, elaborating, “That’s what makes us so good: for us there is no pressure, no negative emotions. When we win, we win. When we lose, we lose. That’s just the way it is.”
And that’s how they found their recipe for success at LOUD. Youthful lightness, joyful esprit and drive forward, stirring up the scene like a tropical storm. A storm whose eye is a 26-year-old Argentinian who has achieved just about everything there is to achieve in Valorant.
