“G2 and MIBR exposed our weaknesses” – mada on NRG’s lower bracket run and mindset heading into Masters Santiago decider

Following NRG’s decisive 2-0 victory over 100 Thieves in the lower bracket of VCT Americas Kickoff, Hotspawn spoke with Adam “mada” Pampuch about the team’s improvements, integrating Keiko, and their looming qualification match for VCT Masters Santiago. With one series left to secure a spot, NRG’s confidence and cohesion appear to be peaking at the right time.

Hotspawn: Firstly, mada, that was a very quick game.

How are you guys feeling after that win?

Mada: “Feels good. We definitely applied everything that we talked about over the last week and a half. Everything we said we needed to fix kind of is what we showed today. So it was good. Good signs.”

Hotspawn: What in particular do you think was your biggest weakness in the previous games?

Mada: “Well, we’re still a new roster with Keiko, I mean, new in quotation marks. We’ve been a roster for quite some time now, but getting that match experience is pretty valuable for improving as a team. So, I would say we’re pretty fortunate that we played against MIBR and G2 early on in the tournament. It’s the two best teams, in my opinion.

“Obviously FURIA up there as well. But they kind of exposed our weaknesses. I’m not going to say specifically what they showed us, but they showed us a lot of flaws in our game, a lot of flaws in our communication, a lot of flaws in our ideas, and we just got to learn so much from it, you know?”

Hotspawn: Today against 100 Thieves you guys look super confident, especially on that first map.

Was there a lot of counter-stratting on Pearl, or were you guys just feeling it today?

Mada: “The preparation was definitely very good for my coaches before the game, but I think it was more just people kind of recognizing the game, sticking to what we do, sticking to our foundation as a team, and it was just very solid the whole way through. It was more so just about putting trust in each other and believing in each other and having fun out there.”

UNREAL SHOTS FROM KEIKO!!! pic.twitter.com/Jca4HuXOoh

— VALORANT Esports NA (@valesportsna) February 14, 2026

Hotspawn: It seems like Keiko is fitting in well after coming from another region, playing for NRG after winning champs, having to fill s0m’s shoes.

How do you think it’s been for him and how have you managed to integrate him into the roster?

Mada: “I think he’s integrated very well into the team. He’s more of an introverted person, I would say. So you’d have to ask him how exactly it’s been, but I would say it’s been good. We’re always laughing, always having a good time. He’s very receptive to the criticism we give him and he’s also expressing how he feels about certain situations. So it’s very good. A very healthy team dynamic. And overall he’s a great person. Nice guy. I always just kind of make fun of him for having the British accent, English accent.

Hotspawn: I remember you telling me the last time I interviewed you that your favourite agent to play was Jett, even though you were really good at everything else, but it seems like you’ve been running a lot of Waylay.

So would you say that your preference has changed or is just Waylay that incredibly strong in the current meta then?

Mada: “Waylay’s just very good in the meta. It’s kind of like if you’re not playing it, you’re at more of a disadvantage. But I still do think Jett is great on some maps and I really hope they kind of just nerf Waylay so I can go back to playing it.”

Hotspawn: Out of curiosity, how do you think they should nerf Waylay? Because a lot of people have complained if you nerf her too much, she becomes useless.

Mada: “If you make the pull out time, the gun pull out time after you dash, I think they can increase that by even a very small margin will kind of change the agent a little bit. And honestly, I don’t know what else they can do. I trust them to make the right decision.”

Hotspawn: Last year, you were talking about how tier two in NA is super, super strong, and now this year there’s a global trend with a lot of teams that qualified for Santiago either having made it through Ascension or, like FURIA, having rebuilt from tier two talent.

So what do you think is the reason for that, and do you see it continuing consistently into the rest of the year?

Mada: “As far as FURIA, it’s definitely a very hungry team. I mean, if you look at the roster, you kind of see koalanoob, who everyone now knows that he’s someone who would do anything to win. He’s a very expressive person, a very emotional player, which is good. These are all good things. You have alym, who’s also a hungry player from tier two. He was on QoR, I think, last year.

“Eeiu, he got cut from 100 Thieves very randomly. And, I mean, that just kind of sparked something in him. Artzin, similar situation from MIBR. And nerve, also just someone who’s insanely hungry. Been in tier two for a very, very long time.

“So all these players just kind of have incredible passion for the game at the moment. And to be completely honest, I didn’t expect them to go all the way through the upper bracket, but I did have them and we all had them, like our entire team knew that they were going to be the dark horse this year. And it’s been nice to see that they’ve kind of made it all the way and are going to Chile as first. I think they definitely deserved it.”

Hotspawn: Last year you guys were still  this unknown quantity and now you’re the Champs winners. People have to put respect on your name.

Has that made a difference for you guys in terms of overall approach?

Mada: “Nothing’s changed for us. We’re doing the same recipe as last year, same process, work hard every day, healthy lifestyle outside of the game. I’d say we’re definitely, I mean I can’t speak for every team, but if I had to guess, I would say we’re the healthiest and most active team outside the game. And that’s kind of been a big thing for us because I think it reflects in game. So still doing that, still practising same amount.

“If anything, the only thing it changes is it doesn’t give us any pressure, but we become the pressure. People play against us and they’re more worried to play against us because of who we are now, if that has any effect. Obviously I think better teams, like the top teams, MIBR, G2, that doesn’t really happen. But for people lower down in the ranks of Americas, respectfully, I think it might have some effect on them.”

Hotspawn: Talking about staying healthy outside of the game, how do you manage to do that?

Mada: “I’d say we’re just disciplined. We’re just disciplined people. We all live in different apartments. So we just trust- I mean it’s not really trust, it’s just you want to make your life as healthy as possible. You want to feel as good as possible outside the game because it reflects inside the game. It’s just an individual thing.”

Hotspawn: Tomorrow you’re going to be playing a best of five against either G2 or MIBR. So both teams that you mentioned you fell into before.

Is there any particular team of these two that you would like to play again and beat for that Santiago slot?

Mada: “They’re both incredible teams. But the way G2 played against us last week was by far much better than the MIBR we played against the week prior. So I’m expecting G2 to- honestly, I don’t want to jump the gun and say they’re going to sweep them, but I think it’s going to be a pretty one-sided game.”

Hotspawn: You told me before that your favourite thing to eat in terms of sweets was dark chocolate.

So after your trip to Paris, has that changed or have you found anything else that you like?

Mada: “I’m still not someone that eats a lot of sweets. I recently bought a little small tub of vanilla ice cream. I’ve been watching Game of Thrones, so I’ve just been having a little bit when I’m watching it.”

Hotspawn: Sounds like a recipe for relaxation.

Mada: “Yeah, it does sound really nice.”

Hotspawn: There’s been a lot of nerfs in terms of the timers after your Champs run, and the meta has shifted quite a bit, with a lot of teams running consistent double duelist.

How has that affected you guys?

Mada: “I mean, you see the comps we’re playing. We’re not going the double duelist route on any maps right now, so we’re just kind of trusting each player to play comfort roles and making it work within our team. We know what’s good and we know what works. But I would say that the meta is pretty double duelist right now. The comps G2 play are definitely where the meta is leaning. 100%.”

Hotspawn: Assuming you guys make it to Santiago,

Which potential opponent has excited you in terms of their play style, or is there any player that you want to match up against?

Mada: “I hope Paper Rex makes it. They’re also fighting through the lower bracket in a similar spot that we are, so I hope that they get there. I’d love to play against them. Also, d4v41 is a super chill person outside the game. Every time in Paris, I would see him outside the hotel, we’d chat. He’s a great guy, so hope to meet him again.”