After securing two massive wins during the VCT Americas Super Week, 100 Thieves struggled to maintain momentum against NRG and were soundly defeated by a 2-0 margin in a match where they would badly lose their own map pick of Fracture, 13-3.
Statistically speaking, it has been a down split for 100T’s all-star offseason acquisition Matthew “Cryocells” Panganiban, whose numbers have taken a hit since moving from XSET to 100T just before one of his primary agents in Chamber getting a massive nerf. When asked about the 20-year-old’s performance, though, 100T head coach Michael “Mikes” Hockom told Dot Esports that he isn’t getting the support necessary to flourish.
“I think there’s always pressure, but on our team, it’s not really focused on one star player that must drop 30 every game or we’ll lose,” Mikes said to Dot after the NRG loss. “We make sure everyone has opportunities to succeed, but then the whole thing kind of falls apart if you’re not setting your duelist up well. I think when we set them up properly, he is one of the best players in the world.”
“[In] a lot of our early matches (versus C9 and Sentinels), when we’re watching back our attack rounds, [we see] he’s dashing in, and he has hardly any supporting utility, no one’s following him up, the spacing’s really bad. You can’t really sit there and expect [him] to kill all three people that are cross-firing you; that’s not a realistic expectation.”
Looking at how the opening duel success rate directly affects overall success, it’s easy to see why this is a point of frustration for Mikes and 100T. Currently, Cryocells has an opening duel success rate of 47 percent, according to THESPIKE.gg, meaning he’s losing more opening duels than winning them. The only other primary duelists with a lower opening duel success rate (excluding TenZ, who was sick and injured) are MIBR’s heat, KRĂś’s Keznit, and EG’s jawgemo. These three teams make up the bottom three of the current VCT Americas standings.
Mikes noted that one of the biggest issues with the team currently is cohesion, which manifested in the blowout loss against NRG; 100T relied on individual playmaking, including some from Cryocells, to secure rounds, but NRG just looked infinitely more prepared and cohesive.
“There were a lot of rounds, especially on Fracture, where we’re up five-vs-three or five-versus-two or four-versus-two, and we tossed a lot of those away. At that point, strategy doesn’t matter if you can’t win those scenarios, and it’s hard to get back into the game, too, because they have all the momentum when you’re economy is broken.
Looking ahead, 100T will take on the triumvirate of Brazilian teams in LOUD, FURIA, and MIBR to close the season. At 3-3 currently, and with teams like Sentinels and MIBR right behind them, 100T will need at least two wins over the next three to make playoffs. Mikes said that all three upcoming opponents feature incredibly talented individuals but expressed that in this league, “everyone can beat everyone.”
