How the CS2 meta shaped Arrozdoce's play

What does joining NIP mean to you?

arrozdoce: I mean, for me, it's like an accomplishment. Because when I was a kid, I used to watch games and it was always between two organizations, NIP and Fnatic. So joining NIP is, I don't know, like a kid's dream.

How do you feel now that you're working with Xizt directly as your coach? How do you feel about him as a coach and how do you feel about the opportunity to work with him?

arrozdoce: We still haven't practiced a lot, but for the last few days, I think he's really nice, really calm and ready to help. And I also changed positions and he's always there trying to help me. So that's really nice.

It's a lot of new players who have not played at NIP before. How do you feel about the roster, looking at everyone, and what are you most excited about?

arrozdoce: I'm excited about playing with the players I look up on. For example, sjuush. We do the same roles. And when I started to play competitively, I watched his demos to learn. And now I'm playing with him. Also, Snappi. He has a nice career, and I also looked up to him. And it's really nice to have them on my team.

Speaking of Marco, he with ENCE and other teams has been very successful as an IGL, especially bringing in younger, newer talents. You must be excited to be working with him. How are you looking to grow in the next year?

arrozdoce: We start from scratch, right? With zero points. And I think my main objective with the team is basically work from zero and achieve everything like we (me and Michel) did with the previous team we had.

Starting to play tournaments, win some. Then start to get invited to the Tier 1 events and have nice results.

A lot of NIP fans will not be familiar with who you are. How would you describe your playstyle to someone who has not seen you play?

arrozdoce: I mean, on the CT side, I'd say I'm more like a passive guy. But on the T side, they can expect me being very aggressive and getting entries and rounds for the team. I think I'm very different from some guys.

You're coming into this team, of course, not alone. You were joined by fellow SAW member ewjerkz. How does it feel to be joining here together as a duo?

arrozdoce: The short story is, his first competitive team was with me. So we have been best friends for five years now. And I'm very happy that I can play with him again. 

So, last year was a strange year for you guys, I suppose. You had an amazing run at IEM Cologne. And then after that ended up on the bench unexpectedly for a lot of people viewing. How do you feel about getting back into an active lineup and getting back on the grind?

arrozdoce: I don't know. Like, I feel ready. And the last two months, I was just thinking of this moment. I was waiting for the moment to start to play again. 

Moving from a Portuguese squad to an international team, now you'll also be calling in English. How do you feel about this adaptation?

arrozdoce: It's going to be rough the first few days, I think. Because it's my first time not even playing in English, but generally speaking English day to day. I think I just need some time to get used to it.

So, due to the implementation of the Valve Ranking System, we'll be starting with zero points, which means a lot of time grinding, lowering your tournaments, and getting some invites. How are you preparing for this particular challenge?

arrozdoce: I mean, I think it's nice that we don't start straight on Tier 1 events. Because as a new team, for us as new guys on the team, we need time to prepare. We need time to fix mistakes.

We need time to have a playbook. And I think starting from zero is really nice for us because we can play Tier 2 events and we can test our stuff. And if it goes wrong, we can fix it. And after a while, if we qualify for Tier 1 events, we already have our playbook.

What are you looking to bring to the fans, and how do you hope to excite them?

arrozdoce: I mean, I'm going to put in a lot of work, and with a lot of work we can have nice results. Of course, we are not going to win at the start, but with a lot of work from the team, we can try and get a trophy or something.

If we're talking about trophies and goals, both individually and as a part of the team, what are your goals for this year?

arrozdoce: For me, I just want to have nice results and feel like the team is growing. Individually, I don't want to be the MVP or something. I just want to feel like the team is doing great, and that the things that we practice are working. So, for me, if the team is doing fine, I'm doing fine.

Of course, you and ewjerkz together were a very well-known and desirable duo. I think a lot of us were looking at you and probably had a lot of offers. We won't have to go into that, but what made you choose NIP at the end?

arrozdoce: I mean, I think it was... How do you say it? A thing that's not refusable. When we got the offer with the roster, it was impossible to refuse because it's such a great org with a really nice lineup. And we just felt that we had to be here. No other offer made sense besides this one. So yeah, a no-brainer.

Do you have any things you would like to say to the fans or any closing thoughts?

arrozdoce: Just basic stuff. I mean, they need to stick around and watch us. It's going to be rough at the start, but we're going to do the best we can to put a smile on their face.

As NIP heads into a new era with a refreshed roster and renewed ambitions, Rafael “arrozdoce” Wing brings the hunger, drive, and heart of someone living out a childhood dream. He’s ready to prove that this new chapter is just the beginning.