Why "perfect teammate" skullz is the right fit for Liquid

We dive into the stats and story of Brazil's latest star rifler.

On October 19, Felipe "⁠skullz⁠" Medeiros was set to move to Fluxo. He was ready to reunite with Vinicios "⁠PKL⁠" Coelho and Romeu "⁠zevy⁠" Rocco to continue his development in Brazil's local scene.

Instead, after primary target Kaike "⁠KSCERATO⁠" Cerato opted to stay in FURIA, skullz was approached by Wilton "⁠zews⁠" Prado and Liquid with an offer he could not refuse.

It is easy to see why skullz would be tempted by the chance to play in a partner team with the likes of Keith "⁠NAF⁠" Markovic and Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller. But, what was in it for Liquid? What have they seen in paiN's young rifler that justified breaking the bank and paying a reported $600,000 buyout?

We spoke with old teammates Victor "⁠remix⁠" Monteiro and Gabriel "⁠NEKIZ⁠" Schenato to find out, diving into his stats, positions, and personality to make the case for such a bold investment.

First things first, let's zoom into the profile of the type of player skullz is. For paiN, he was the stereotypical lurker, and a passive one at that. Former teammates NEKIZ and remix both drew comparisons to Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool when asked.

This comes with the usual bells and whistles: An exceptional 40% survival rate, 75% KAST, and only 16.9% opening kill attempts on the T side. The 21-year-old is an expert at providing stability in his solo lurks on the T side of maps like Inferno (1.23 T rating), Vertigo (1.20), and Anubis (1.17).

In the last twelve months, skullz is the fourth highest-rated Brazilian rifler after KSCERATO, Felipe "⁠insani⁠" Yuji, and Lucas "⁠Lucaozy⁠" Neves. On LAN, only KSCERATO has a better rating — in large part thanks to skullz's performances at the Paris Major (1.18 rating) and ESL Pro League Season 17 (1.19).

This is already a key distinction between skullz and the player he succeeds in Liquid, Aleks "⁠Rainwaker⁠" Petrov. Rainwaker had impressed in Europe's tier two, but did not have anything close to the LAN experience of skullz.

The next question is fit. Given that Liquid targeted KSCERATO too, it is clear that the backroom staff had a clear plan; skullz's profile is the perfect plan B for a KSCERATO-type lurker.

That is true on CT side too: skullz is, realistically, replacing Rainwaker as the side's anchor on defense, but the key difference is that skullz is already used to these positions. The Bulgarian, by contrast, was used to star rotator positions in his time at 500 and had to learn a new playbook upon his arrival at Liquid.

Anchor is "what he’s playing the most lately," NEKIZ told HLTV. "It's what made him reach this level. I remember during the EPL 17 he won a lot of good rounds which were impossible to win, like clutch situations or even multiple kills in a bombsite take all by himself." remix added to this, crowning skullz as the "best Brazilian anchor" in his opinion.

There is a point of conflict stylistically with NAF, who must be growing tired of his frequent role changes in the past twelve months. skullz and Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken's arrival could mean more changes, and it is on T side where it most likely skullz might need an adaptation period if NAF is chosen as the side's primary lurker.

cadiaN's presence also throws a wrench into the works. HEROIC's riflers did not have as defined roles as most teams, with Martin "⁠stavn⁠" Lund as the primary trader and the three others thrust into various situations in each and every round. A similar style at Liquid would mean some new scenarios for someone like skullz, even if his trading stats are higher and more even than most lurkers.

When we plugged skullz into our stats-based doppelganger system, however, there were promising signs. The most similar players were not ropz or KSCERATO, but flexible riflers like Sergiy "⁠DemQQ⁠" Demchenko, William "⁠mezii⁠" Merriman and teammate Twistzz. Jakob "⁠jabbi⁠" Nygaard and stavn complete the top five, another good sign when it comes to adaptation into cadiaN's system.

Adaptation is also a factor outside of the server. The move to Liquid means leaving Brazil, and the Portugese language skullz is used to communicating in, behind.

Marcelo "⁠coldzera⁠" David and Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo are the two biggest Brazilian names that attempted international switches, and neither found the success they had found on home soil.

The key difference here might be zews — who has already excelled at integrating a Brazilian into Liquid in the form of Epitacio "⁠TACO⁠" de Melo in 2017. skullz is also entering his prime, as opposed to coldzera whose FaZe run was, in hindsight, more of a swan song than an extension of his peak.

skullz's English is "fine," according to NEKIZ, and both players we spoke to believed he had the personality to adapt to whatever situation he was thrust into. remix pointed to his kindness and ability to get on with people, while NEKIZ believes he is young enough to "adapt easily to any new style." There is also an ambition and sense of determination behind skullz that should put him in good stead ahead of his move to Europe and tier one.

"Since our time in Avalanche [when skullz was just 16] I could see he is different from others," remix told us. "If I had an option to choose anyone to play with forever, I would choose him. From outside the server to inside, I'm sure that whoever plays with him will always want to play with him. As a champion, he really hates to lose, even at tic tac toe. This guy is totally competitive."

"One thing that I can highlight is his self-confidence," said NEKIZ. "He doesn't give a shit what player is against him." It's a confidence that lends itself to internal discussions, too: "The other thing that I would highlight are his opinions. Sometimes younger players don't have the personality to disagree on something, but if he's feeling something is wrong, he’ll say it. I’ve never had any trouble with him, he is probably the perfect teammate."

In modern CS, where all players are expected to chip in during defaults, this is an invaluable skill that Liquid will need to nurture in a star-studded roster already full of loud voices.

skullz has the stats, even against top opposition. He plays the roles Liquid were looking for, an anchor on CT and closer on T. According to NEKIZ and remix, he has the personality to step up, too.

Last year, remix told skullz that "he could fit in any top tier team in the world." He continued, "like FalleN in Liquid and coldzera in FaZe, amazing players play in amazing organizations." There is a sense of inevitability around skullz rising to Brazil's best team or an international project.

His $600,000 buyout could have been a stumbling block, reflective of a Brazilian scene where organizations have the power to inflate prices. That Liquid extracted him out of paiN regardless is testament to the potential they see in skullz.

There are out-of-server benefits to Liquid targeting a Brazilian, it must be said. Liquid will now qualify for the easier Americas RMR, meaning that skullz was likely competing against other players from his continent rather than the entire globe in Liquid's mind. Once you constrict the shortlist in this way, skullz becomes a far more obvious choice.

The organization also opened a multi-million dollar facility in São Paulo last year to help support its Brazilian staff in VALORANT, Rainbow Six, and Fortnite as a sign of its commitment to the region.

But, despite the commendations of his teammates and his statistical qualities, we should not presume success is a given. There will be countless firsts for skullz, and it is impossible to know how he will react to time away from home and in such a new system. The trajectory of young talent is not always linear.

Liquid arguably could have used a pack player like René "⁠TeSeS⁠" Madsen or, historically, players like TACO and William "⁠RUSH⁠" Wierzba, that would bomb-site entry on T and anchor on CT. That way, Twistzz could have kept his FaZe roles and NAF would be restored to primary lurker without any conflicts.

Instead, they have gone for skullz — a sign that KSCERATO was pursued for more than just his raw star power. There was a plan in place to integrate another lurker-anchor.

cadiaN's HEROIC was famous for spreading its fragging between all five players, and the signing of skullz indicates the plan is for that to continue. Every player should have their time in the sun.

The last lineup was a mess, as Liquid sacrificed their NA identity only to sign a Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis twin in Robert "⁠Patsi⁠" Isyanov and a NAF twin in Rainwaker.

The new roster, by contrast, has its back covered. It has one of the best in-game leaders of the post-COVID era in cadiaN; it has Twistzz, a romantic but also functional signing; and in skullz, it has room to grow, too: An X-factor in a squad full of stable and known quantities.

From a general manager's standpoint, skullz ticks box after box. Now, he has the place to prove he belongs in the big leagues, something that, if you ask his former teammates, he was always destined for.