100T bang: “There’s nothing that worries me, I think we are the favorites”

100 Thieves' Sean "bang" Bezerra spoke to THESPIKE after the team's win against NRG at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Champions Shanghai to discuss the team’s confidence, their chemistry, their approach to the game, the playstyles they struggle against, and much more.

THESPIKE: You managed to bounce back after the loss against G2 Esports. What are your first thoughts after the win?

bang: "Yeah, I mean, the loss against G2, to be honest, we didn’t feel too bad about it. We talked about it, and it was just an off day for us. I’ve said this before, but we’ve had many off days, and I think we’re such a good team that we still end up winning on a lot of our off days. I think G2 played well enough that day to actually take the win over us.

We tweaked a couple of things, but to be honest, we didn’t have too much time. We just talked about some things that happened in the match and some general points that we need to focus on next time. I feel like we had a much better showing today."

THESPIKE: Yeah, this series was close, but it wasn’t close because the first map looked contested, and then the second one was completely one sided. Do you think they felt some mental pressure after going toe-to-toe on the first map and then losing?

bang: "I mean, yeah, it’s definitely tough. I don’t think they’re a team that mentally crumbles, but I definitely think that it hurts. It’s definitely annoying to lose a super close map.

I know what that feels like. Trust me. But yeah, I don’t think they crumbled. I just think they unfortunately had a much, much worse showing on Haven. We just looked a lot better."

VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Champions Shanghai

NRG

0

X

2

100 Thieves

Lower Bracket Round 2 of 4, Best of 3 - October 11, 2026 - 9:00AM

12

Sunset

14

4

Haven

13

NRG

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

brawk

1.07

224

31/31/13

0

1.00

73.8%

150.0

25%

80%

4

1

Keiko

0.89

201

31/31/6

0

1.00

52.3%

141.5

21%

50%

6

6

skuba

0.75

136

21/34/17

-13

0.62

68.0%

74.3

16%

33%

1

2

Ethan

0.74

164

19/33/20

-14

0.58

75.7%

113.8

17%

17%

1

5

mada

0.69

167

27/32/8

-5

0.84

56.1%

118.7

15%

29%

5

12

100 Thieves

player

Rating

ACS

K/D/A

+/-

K/D

KAST

ADR

HS%

FBSR

FB

FD

Asuna

1.38

276

39/28/17

+11

1.39

84.5%

170.0

21%

60%

6

4

Timotino

1.11

206

34/27/10

+7

1.26

71.9%

138.2

25%

42%

5

7

vora

1.10

209

32/25/14

+7

1.28

85.4%

149.6

36%

75%

3

1

bang

1.09

194

29/26/16

+3

1.12

74.9%

125.7

35%

78%

7

2

Cryocells

0.89

164

27/23/7

+4

1.17

68.9%

103.6

20%

63%

5

3

THESPIKE: Now that you’ve won, you’re going back to the Mercedes Benz Arena after a few years. There are probably some ghosts there waiting for you after the VCT 2024 - Masters Shanghai run. As an individual, are you hyped about going back there, or does it give you some anxiety to return to where everything fell apart?

bang: "No, it gives me no anxiety. I’m super hyped to be able to go back and play in front of that huge crowd. I’m excited."

THESPIKE: After Groups, Timothée "Timotino" Lavigne Dupont said that you are the favorites to win this tournament, and I think the bigger part of the community agrees with him. Do you still think that you are the favorites? Is there a team among the remaining teams that worries you a bit?

bang:

No, honestly, there’s nothing that worries me. I think we are the favorites.

THESPIKE: Every one of you seems to have an incredible level of confidence. You have a lot of expectations on you, and people are already giving you star ratings. Is there really no pressure building up during certain moments of the series?

bang: "I mean, you always feel some level of pressure and some level of stress when you’re playing, especially when you’re playing on stage. But I think as professionals, we’ve just gotten used to it, and we’re able to manage it a lot better.

So yeah, there is a level of pressure and a level of stress, and people get a little nervous. But it’s fine. It happens. It’s normal."

THESPIKE: Even with all that pressure, you said that this is the team you’re the most confident with coming into Champions. I want to know a bit more about the reason behind that. Why are you so confident in the guys alongside you?

bang: "I mean, I just think we’ve proven so many times this year how good we can be. Earlier in the year, when we won, I just felt like this squad was really special. I really do think we have the ability to win a tournament. It’s just a feeling thing. I just feel like we are incredible, and we definitely feel like that. I think we all realize it."

THESPIKE: Special is a nice word to use because it maybe goes beyond the game. Calling someone special is probably because you have a great relationship with them. Is there something that makes them special for you outside of the game, outside of VALORANT?

bang:

I mean, they’re just really good people. My teammates are people I feel like I can always talk to about whatever issues I’m going through in life, and they’re always there for me. I also feel like we have a really good environment where we’re able to just talk about legitimately anything. No one gets offended, and no one gets defensive or anything like that.

"I think we’re always super willing to hear criticism and things like that, and to listen to other people’s input. Also, we all chip in in our own way. We all just do our job to the highest level. Everyone on the team knows what their job is, and we all do it to the highest level."

THESPIKE: So this is the best team you’ve ever been on?

bang:

I think so. Yeah. One hundred percent.

THESPIKE: When you were with Sentinels last time, there were some struggles finding synergy with N4RRATE as a player and a Duelist. You weren’t really getting along at first, but then you found your own chemistry. Now, it seems like you have good chemistry with almost everyone. If you had to choose one player to keep on the team, who would it be?

bang: "One player I would keep on this team?"

THESPIKE: Yeah. If you had to bench everyone, but one player had to stay.

bang:

I’ve got to go with Asuna. I’ve been with him for years. I know that he’s a special player, that’s for sure. I know that he’ll always be someone that I can rely on.

THESPIKE: As a player, I’ve always looked at your team and been a fan of your map awareness as a whole. Every player is so aware of what is going to happen. It looks like you have eyes in the back of your head. Besides that, what do you think is the strongest part of your team? What is the strongest thing about you all?

bang: "I just think, yeah, like you were saying, we have incredible reads. We know when things are fake and when things are real. We have incredible comms.

I think everyone is always on the same page with this team. There are very rarely moments in matches where we’re not on the same page or where people aren’t realizing things. I really think that everyone on the team is super aware, and everyone understands what’s happening in the game.

Everyone just kind of knows what they need to do at a certain point in the round. We know what the win conditions are in the round, and it doesn’t matter at what point in the round.

We’re never confused, it feels like. Even against teams that are super push and pull or super macro heavy, I still think we always have control over the match."

THESPIKE: In the past, you spoke about the fact that your team has the ability to go into a flow state where everything is just working and you’re winning everything. Do you think that if you manage to lock in like that, you’re basically unbeatable? But if you don’t manage to do so, there is an angle to actually take you down.

bang: "I don’t think we’re unbeatable. I don’t think anyone is unbeatable. I think everyone can be beaten. But I do think that, obviously, it makes it a lot easier if everyone is in a flow state. I also don’t think we’re the only players in this tournament who are in a flow state.

I think there are other players who are really feeling themselves and are also in a flow state. So I think it’s going to be a battle of whoever is better on the day. It should be exciting."

THESPIKE: Now, in the tournament, it’s you, G2, T1, LOUD, and Team Vitality. There are teams with pretty different playstyles. Trent "trent" Cairns also told me that they are playing a very different way. Do you think there is a playstyle that you could struggle against the most among those teams?

bang: "I do think the playstyle that G2 showed against us was definitely the hardest for us. That really slow, spread out kind of playstyle. I think LOUD also has a similar playstyle. They cut noise, they freeze, and they contact. They love contacting. They’re okay with really slow and patient rounds.

I think we definitely have the tools to deal with it, but sometimes it’s hard for us. It was hard for us that day against G2. But I think we’ve learned our lesson, and I think we’ll be better next time."

100 Thieves will face G2 Esports up next on October 16, at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.

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