Saadhak and LOUD squeezed out the victory against NRG in an incredible series where he played Raze twice, all while being the IGL.
You don't typically see an in-game leader step into the server as a Duelist. They tend to pick a supporting Agent so they can play back a bit, stay alive, and continue leading as long as they can into a round. That's not the case whatsoever on a few maps for LOUD's IGL, Matias "Saadhak" Delipetro.
He commonly picks Raze in a backup Duelist role while Erick "aspas" Santos frags out as Jett. This was on full display in an outstanding series versus NRG at VCT LOCK//IN. Things can get very chaotic as a Duelist, especially as Raze, so it was interesting to hear his thoughts on playing the Agent as the in-game leader.
LOUD Saadhak on being a Duelist IGL at times after defeating NRG at VCT LOCK//IN
LOUD rocked NRG on Split with a 13-3 victory. This saw Saadhak put together a solid performance as Raze. Pearl and Fracture both ended with wild overtimes, and the latter saw another Raze pick and the eventual series victory that sent their hometown crowd into a frenzy.
It's true that Saadhak doesn't top the leaderboard as Raze, but his role sees him cause mayhem with her explosives and create space for his teammates to find success. As he does this, he still comes up with the plays that make LOUD so dangerous.
When asked in the post-match press conference how he balances playing a Duelist and being the IGL, he responded very assuredly:
"I think I'm able to perform really well on the second Duelist because my team really trusts me. I'm getting a little bit confident every time we play on stage, being a Duelist, because for me it's kind of new. And the leadership, the way I see it, I'm not affected by it. It only makes me stronger. I feel very good doing it."
It is clear that whatever LOUD is doing works. Don't fix what isn't broken, they say. Saadhak is the captain of this team and if playing Raze on some maps while he makes the calls is what puts them up against the likes of a very game NRG, then so be it.
LOUD has proven that their roster changes aren't going to stop them from being a championship-caliber team once more. It'll be interesting to see how well the double Duelist comp benefits the team, with Saadhak involved as the IGL, once the Americas League starts and teams have ample time to prepare.
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