Team Vikings has sped through Brazilian VALORANT since they revamped their roster ahead of 2021, by replacing four players from their five-man team. Leandro “frz” Gomes was one of such players to be brought onto the Team Vikings squad, to form what would later become the most dominant team in the region.
Frz previously played professional Paladins, a character-based shooter similar to Overwatch or VALORANT. Which, like many retired Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players, made him familiar with how the game was supposed to be played. Frz previously played competitively for B4 Esports, which took 3rd place at First Strike Brazil and the EVOlution Open.
While he had success on B4 Esports, frz was an instant upgrade for the Team Vikings roster, with his skill-gap playstyle on duelist agents like Phoenix and Jett. He primarily plays Phoenix, a flexible agent in the ever-changing meta, across different regions. However, frz makes Phoenix look like a must-pick for any composition, with his 1.44 KD and 138 average damage-per-round on the agent.
O MVP @ExitLagBR da Ascent é o @frzgod. O time jogou absurdamente beem!
Vamos pro próximo mapa e carimbar nossa vaga na Islândia
📺 https://t.co/cZoE8h60wl#GOVKS pic.twitter.com/ZTHxqCOZxJ— Team Vikings (@TeamVikings) May 7, 2021
Team Vikings rise to success after adding frz
Team Vikings had varying results before they completely reorganized their roster at the end of 2020. They added superstars like Gustavo “Sacy” Rossi and Gabriel “sutecas” Dias, with frz being a shining light for the team. Frz’s versatility between playing Phoenix and Jett allows for his teammates to flex their picks, depending on the map. He can also play Skye but has a less impressive history as the support agent.
Since frz joined the roster, Team Vikings has only lost two series. Their first loss was to Vorax during the Champions Tour Stage 1 Brazil tournament in a best-of-one. Team Vikings’ second loss was to Gamelanders during Champions Tour Stage 2, where they lost 1-2 in a best-of-three. Both of these losses came when frz was playing agents that are not part of his usual wheelhouse. However, when frz is playing on Phoenix or Jett, he seems to make Team Vikings unstoppable.
CHEGAMOS! 🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸 pic.twitter.com/9KqCV3SSNS
— Team Vikings (@TeamVikings) May 16, 2021
That dominance was further showcased when Team Vikings played against Sharks Esports in the grand final of the Challengers Finals, which would determine who went to Iceland. Alongside his teammate Sacy, frz made light work of the opposing team in their 3-1 victory in the finals. Frz finished the series 64/52 with his most impressive performance occurring on Bind when he went 25/15 as Phoenix. He had a 1.23 KD here, putting him at a plus 12 with an average damage per round of 114.
With two superstars on their roster in Sacy and frz, teams from North America and Europe will be undoubtedly challenged by Team Vikings at VCT Masters: Reykjavik.
Published: May 21, 2021 07:20 am