Immortals entered the ESL Pro League Season 5 Finals not sure what to expect with its new roster that featured Vito “kNg” Giuseppe in place of the departed Lincoln “fnx” Lau. Te team did not reach the playoffs but followed that by winning the PGL Americas Minor to qualify for the offline qualifier for next month’s PGL Major.
During the EPL Finals, Slingshot’s Vince Nairn caught up with Immortals’ Lucas “LUCAS1” Teles in the first English interview of his career to talk about kNg, the team’s goals and the meaning behind his tattoos.
Vince Nairn: What did you guys like or not like about your performance here?
Lucas “LUCAS1” Teles: We made some mistakes. In the first game against Fnatic, we made so many mistakes and we lost. Against SK, they played very good. Fnatic, too. But we don’t have so much strats now because we are a new team. We changed fnx for kNg, and now we are practicing more to do better in the next tournament. For us, it’s OK. This tournament will be good because this lineup is new.
VN: How does kNg fit the team compared to fnx?
LT: So kNg is an AWPer and fnx is a clutch and a lurker. It’s such a big difference because before, fnx played one style, and now kNg plays (different), he gets the first kills for us. We have a new style now.
VN: How has that changed everybody else’s roles?
LT: In my role, it doesn’t make a lot of change. Just T-side because T-side he’s entry fragger with me and lurker. We don’t work with one fixed lurker now. We just play more aggressive and more in default. We played like one week with kNg, so we don’t know (yet) how he’s going to do. Now it is this. Now we can do our best and (improve). We’ll be able to practice good now.
VN: What is your goal for the team for the next couple months?
LT: I think we will try to make one different style for our team because now we have so many teams with different styles, and we don’t have our style now because it is a new team. We will try, practice, and we will practice (to get better).
VN: When did you get your first tattoo?
LT: I got my first tattoo, it is in the neck line, and it (was) seven months ago I got it. I think because Brazilian guys like so many tattoos, this style is so good for us. We like them.
VN: What do your different ones mean?
LT: So this one (left wrist) is because the lion, it is powerful. The first of the three. This is a tiger (left forearm), and tiger is fast and preys so easy. This is a wolf (upper left forearm), and this makes — he’s fast, but he can’t be denied. He’s the best, the wolf. This (inner right forearm) is for my family. This flower is a rose. This is peace (right elbow). I have Jesus (on my right bicep), and (the neck) is for my grandfather. He died and I make this for him.
VN: How has it been living in America?
LT: We like it, and it is more better than Brazil I think because it has so many more tournaments for us. It has big structures, good internet. It is better for everything. Brazil doesn’t have so many events for CSGO, and here it is so good.
VN: Have the SK players been a help to you?
LT: They have. They live like 20 minutes from us and help us sometimes. We practice against them a lot.
VN: Who do you think is the toughest player to play against?
LT: I think NiKo, I think he is one good player. I think Hen1 is, for me, the best in the world (smiles).
Cover photo courtesy of DreamHack/illustration by Slingshot