zews on health issues: "It would've been the one thing that would've influenced me not to come back"

Not long after O PLANO's 16-10 victory over oNe in the 0-1 pool of the IEM Rio Americas RMR, coach Wilton "zews" Prado spoke with Dust2.us' Liam "Slevo" Slevin about what drew him to coaching the squad for this event, his recent health issues, and his thoughts on the progress that the Brazilian CS scene has made over the past few years.

You guys are currently 1-1 in the RMR. Tell me a bit about your performance.

Practice, we started off really slow. We only had eleven days to practice but we evolved pretty fast. It's all been on the simple things that we were doing and getting things right, the structures and when to use it. Here at the event, during the first match, unfortunately, we had a really solid game plan but we did not adapt very well to situations. Our reads and the way we decided to play on top of the information we had wasn't smart. For the second match, the one that we won, we played the same exact game plan that we had, we needed to adapt, but we adapt on top of wins, which made it easier for us to tell our story and how we wanted to play our match.

You recently announced your retirement and then shortly came out of it. What about O PLANO was appealing to you?

It's really simple. I'm still retired, I've been retired for almost a year and a half, almost two now, but they were left before a Major in Brazil, which is a soft spot for all Brazilians right now of course, and they were without a coach to help them prepare. kNgV- messaged me at like 11:30 pm one night and he's like "Yo, cogu is not going to make it with us, we're past roster lock, but can you go and help us prepare, it would really be important for us", and that's it. No payment, I just know these guys are hard workers, they have good hearts, and for some of them it's their dream to be their first Major, so I just want to help them achieve that dream, and for me, it would be a cool bonus to participate in the Brazil one out of retirement.

You've previously worked with kNgV- on MIBR. What has it been like this time around, is it a different kNgV- that you've seen?

Yeah, let's be honest, this is kNgV-'s team. MIBR, he was fitting into a system that was built on top of the Luminosity/SK days that we had. This is playing the way he wants, the way that he sees fit, and we got along really well on MIBR as well so it just made sense. He liked me as a person and as a coach, and just wanted someone to help him prepare; that's what I'm here to do.

You had a heart attack earlier this year, and the community gave you a lot of support during that time. Did this play any part in coming back and helping out O PLANO?

No, if anything it would've been the one thing that would've influenced me not to come back even with O PLANO, because the heart attack, part of it was the esports life that led to it, the amount of travel, the amount of sugar. That did play an effect because that was the one thing that my girlfriend argued against, she's like "Please be very careful out there and take care of yourself". That was a life that I'm trying to be better at; thankfully I'm better. The whole community supported me, and that's all I have to say on that.

There are quite a few South American teams that we have here at this event. From being around the scene for so long, how do you view the current state of Brazilian CS with the level of teams at the moment?

It's evolved a lot since the time that I was playing. In two years, the Brazilian scene has evolved. The viewership is obviously there, everyone knows, but the structure is starting to come into the scene and there's a lot of young talent being built and I'm pretty sure in the coming year or two we're gonna have a really cool next generation of players and teams built that are going to make some damage out there in the world. I'm pleasantly surprised. I still want to see more structure for Brazilian teams, but compared to where we started where we needed to move out of the country and do everything outside, days where there wasn't even a road and now there's at least a path to do things professionally, it's amazing to see.

Another team you coached previously was Liquid, who have been on the rise recently since playing with YEKINDAR. What's that been like for you, seeing those guys you coached hit a high level again?

I mean, Liquid is amazing. In most teams that I go through, I still remain in friendships, so I'm really happy that they're doing well. I think YEKINDAR was a great pickup. He's someone that, even though I was away from coaching, I'd still recommended him to a few of the top teams out there, when asked and even when I wasn't asked, I just like to chime in from time to time. I think it's amazing to see them, I'm happy to see that it's working well for them, and on the friendship level I always love the people that I work with, I consider them family, and I'm very happy to see them doing well.

One specific player that has had to change around his roles because of YEKINDAR is EliGE. What's that like seeing the way he plays now compared to when you coached him?

EliGE is an amazing player. I can't say much without being on the inside of how he is now, how he is adapting. I think talent-wise he has the talent to do anything, and it's how he's going to embrace the situation of the team if he's open for it, then it's amazing.

A former Liquid player and a fellow Brazilian FalleN has kinda hinted earlier today that his career might be winding down, and that he might not have many tournaments left. Tell me about his impact on the scene and what it's been like knowing him for so long.

I mean yeah, had a great big talk with FalleN today, we hugged it out. For us, it's amazing to see what's happened to the scene since everything, and so FalleN is just that kind of a guy who helped so many people and this is such a big part of his life. He's happy on the personal side to see that the people that are still here that helped him achieve what he did along the way, and that we have this next generation of players that are being left behind on the legacy so that you can kinda retire peacefully. I know that he's an amazing player and an amazing human being, and as long as he'd like to stay, everyone will welcome him, but I want to see his peace of mind and him having a happy life as well, so whenever he chooses to retire he'll have had an amazing career.

In terms of the younger Brazilians coming through, who would be your personal pick for a young Brazilian team, or even a player specifically that's really going to shine in the future?

So, player, there's quite a bit so I'm not going to single anyone out. I'll give one team that's here, ARCTIC. I think they are a great example of when you put a bunch of guys together that theoretically are no-namers, but they have great synergy, they work together, they're hard workers, and they are friends above it all. So I expect to see that team doing well, and a few players standing out from them in the short to medium term.

Following a devastating loss to FURIA in the 1-1 pool, O PLANO now have a 1-2 record, putting them on the brink of elimination from the IEM Rio Americas RMR. O PLANO are now duking it out for their RMR lives against North American side Nouns.