Spotlight South America ft. Interview with head of the Nius Cup

With the official announcement of RLCS season 7, Psyonix has introduced a new challenger for the crown. A region well known for its football prowess evident in being the home of Pele, Messi, and Ronaldinho (just to name a few famous footballers). For 6 seasons of RLCS this continent has been ravenous to become part of the action.

I interviewed Bruno Costa, CEO of the Nius Cup and one of the longtime supporters of the South American Rocket League community, in order to gain some insight and information on the things we should expect to see out of this ambitious region.

First of all thank you for the opportunity to interview you about the inclusion of SAM into the RLCS

Bruno: We are very excited to be in the RLCS and to see what our teams can do on the world stage.

So what separates South America from other regions in the way as an identity?

Bruno: South America has a very similar playstyle to that of North America. Our players have excellent mechanics. Our teams excel in attacking especially through quick passes and combinations.

How competitive do you believe South America will be with the other regions?

Bruno: Because our players were excluded from RLCS for a long time, our players are hungry to finally show the world our region’s potential. They may be a bit nervous, but our players are motivated to play against the large clubs. We may be inexperienced in international competitions, but our players are very good.

We have competed in the World Cup. The games were exciting and we had some competitive, good results there. With that team, they weren’t an actual team. Due to visa issues and other complications we could only send 3 good players that hadn’t played on a team together up to that point. We’re very excited to see what our teams can do when they get the chance to go together.

Which teams do you expect to compete in RLCS from your region?

Bruno: There are 3 great teams that instantly come to mind. These teams dominate the competitive scene in our region. They are Erodium, Lotus, and La Quimica. Erodium is the favorite in the region and many Brazilians are putting their hopes in this team. Valt is one of their players that has played in the WSOE. Lotus won the very first Brazilian LAN of Rocket League and sent FireFoxD to play in the WSOE. La Quimica always performs very well in tournaments and can definitely cause an upset.

A team that may surprise some people is Shoot’Em from Argentina. The aforementioned 3 teams usually win, but Shoot’Em has competed with them.

What players should people keep an eye out for as far as making a splash on the world stage?

Bruno: Many players here have incredible potential. Amongst them our best players are CaioTG1, Math, HaberKamper, and FireFoxD. CaioTG1, FireFoxD, and HaberKamper represented the Brazilian team in the World Cup. CaioTG1 is the captain of the #1 team, Erodium. HaberKamper is the captain of Lotus. He has a good nose for goals and is a great striker.

A couple of other players that have impressed are Math who is also on Erodium as well as Firewall154 who is on La Quimica and is one of the best 1v1 players in the world.

As a region, what do you believe are the goals/expectations of the players and teams?

Bruno: The players are very confident in being able to compete and are looking to do well for a region that has just gained entrance to RLCS.

Do you think South America’s inclusion in RLCS will help bolster domestic support for Rocket League?

Bruno: South America will become a more involved region as we get better and better results against the big organizations of the world. SAM will receive more support and attention as we perform better.

In South America we see a ton of support for games like League of Legends, FIFA, and Street Fighter. Do you think in combination with the continent’s love of football, Rocket League can gain enough popularity to compete with the other games?

Bruno: Absolutely. All of these countries love football with such great passion. As more community grows with exposure at the international level and more people begin to play the game, there’s no reason why Rocket League can’t compete. It’s also one of the reasons we separate the Nius Cup into leagues. We can cultivate talent and drive interest up through all levels of skill instead of just supporting the top percent.

Finally, with the exposure internationally, do you think some of the good players may be asked to join other organizations?

Bruno: The players here love our country, love our home. There is a possibility that some may be asked to play for other teams. I think the players see this as an opportunity to gain resources and experience, but will always support their region and homes. They will make the region better as well as increasing the fandom for players from this region.

Thank you so much for spending so much time and providing so much information. Do you have anything else you’d like to say?

Bruno: South America is a great region. The community is good and will only get stronger with the inclusion of RLCS. Creating lower leagues to include more players and skill levels will help this region gain more interest in the pro scene and we will be able to compete with the world.

South America looks to be a region with exciting players and teams that can compete with the best around the world. We should all be excited to see what the newest member of the RLCS can do.

The Nius Cup is a region wide league-based cup with over 80 teams and 350 players participating. The format is set so there is an A league all the way down to a D league where teams can rise and fall within those leagues based on their performance. All VODS for the Nius Cup can be found at their twitch.

You can also get event information and news through their youtube and twitter.