Bruno “Neon” Rodriguez says LEVIATAN expect to show a better version of themselves after their 0-2 upper-bracket semifinal loss to 100 Thieves at VCT 2026: Americas Stage 2. In a post-match interview with Sheep Esports, Neon did not present the defeat as a reason for the roster to dwell on one bad day. Instead, he described a reset built around correcting mistakes, restoring coordination and approaching the next matches with greater focus. The loss moved LEVIATAN into the lower bracket, but it did not end the team’s route to the next stage.
Neon’s diagnosis centered on how LEVIATAN handled rounds against 100 Thieves. He felt the team devoted too much attention to reacting to the opposition and not enough to building its own plays. That imbalance, he said, became especially damaging after setbacks, when the roster could become rushed rather than finding another solution within the round. His comments offer a clear explanation of the team’s intended reset: LEVIATAN want to be more proactive, more prepared to change course and better connected when their first idea does not work. The lower bracket now gives the roster the opportunity to apply that response in competition rather than merely discuss it after the series.
Neon points to proactive round play
Neon said the most important missing element was LEVIATAN’s ability to create plays and plans of their own. “What we were missing the most was creating plays and plans. We were thinking too much about what they were doing instead of what they weren’t going to do. We were missing that and trying to just go into the rounds 100% to win. Sometimes we felt too rushed because of the result. For example, if something went wrong, we had to keep trying in the same round. If something happened there, then we had to do something else here. We were missing more of that.” The assessment puts the emphasis on decision-making after a problem appears. Rather than treating the series as evidence that one opponent or one choice decided everything, Neon described a team that needed more options and a stronger capacity to react together during a round. That is the supported practical value of his interview: LEVIATAN’s stated correction is not simply to play harder, but to create more answers before and during the action.
The player also rejected the idea that the result had left LEVIATAN overwhelmed by the setback. Neon said the team were not too worried, did not think too much about what happened that day and were not getting sad about it. Their responsibility, in his view, was to improve the mistakes and arrive more focused next time, in every round. He identified togetherness as something that had been missing against 100 Thieves and said it had to return in the next matches. Neon also addressed concerns about repeated compositions making the roster predictable. He said LEVIATAN try different things in every match and have numerous reads within the game. For him, the issue in the loss was that the team could not make an impact collectively or individually, lacking both collective and individual firepower on the day. He described VALORANT as a game with significant variance, while maintaining that reset and improvement remain the essential response.
Brazil remains a source of motivation
LEVIATAN can still qualify for the next stage through the lower bracket, and Neon described the possibility of playing before a Brazilian crowd as a major motivation. He said it would be meaningful to have families and supporters in the crowd watching the roster on stage, with everyone cheering for the team. That prospect gives the remaining route an emotional importance alongside its competitive purpose. It does not replace the work Neon said LEVIATAN must do after the 100 Thieves defeat, but it explains why the players see value in the chance ahead. The lower bracket is therefore more than a recovery route: it preserves the possibility of performing in front of people important to the roster.
- Neon said teams must keep changing their approach when they play many official matches and attend training camps, because opponents begin to learn what they do.
- He described strategic updating as a requirement for every team in that situation, rather than a rule that applies only to LEVIATAN.
| Interview topic | Neon’s supported view |
|---|---|
| Yoru’s competitive return | Neon said Yoru was already a comfort pick for him and Eduardo “Sato” Nagahama. He said the extra second on the agent’s teleport helped make Yoru more attractive to professional teams. |
| Map rotation | Neon welcomed Breeze being replaced by Abyss because LEVIATAN had struggled on Breeze and could reconsider veto priorities. He added that the roster still needs to work on Abyss and every map. |
At the time of the interview, LEVIATAN were waiting for the winner of the lower-bracket match between FURIA and G2 Esports. Neon expressed no preference, calling both good teams and stressing that his attention was on what LEVIATAN needed to improve to play well against any opponent. His final takeaway was a commitment to a better version of the team in the next matches, with preparation taking priority over trying to choose the opponent.
