Revolta: A return to the top of Brazil
Playing League of Legends professionally has always been a nebulous undertaking. In a region like Brazil, which lacks the infrastructure of North America -- never mind more established leagues in China and Korea -- many players quit before their careers truly begin. Keyd Stars' jungler Gabriel "Revolta" Henud was nearly one of those players.
"I was feeling like I didn't have a future as a player," he says of his brief 2013 retirement from competitive play.
"I wasn't being a pro player. I was at home, my family was there. I didn't have enough time to practice. So I just thought, okay it's better for me to go to college and try the easier way of life," he laughs.
Revolta's mother was the catalyst for his return, urging her son to re-examine his decision to leave. "[She] said, 'Look, you're young, you have time. Just try it.' So I decided to keep going as a player."
Since then, Revolta has played on many iterations of teams, learning from each stop on his path. As Brazil has grown, so has he, into the most formidable professional of his region.
Communication Issues
Even though he's now a known name in Brazilian League of Legends esports, Revolta began as a no-name addition to Keyd Team in February 2013.
"It was weird, actually," he says "I had no experience, and everyone on that team was like winners and I was like, 'Oh my god what the [expletive] am I doing here?'"
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Revolta struggled on Keyd Team. Personalities often clashed, which affected his and the team's overall performance. After a year Revolta left Keyd and joined CNB e-Sports Club. In a twist of irony, CNB spent the majority of 2014 as runners-up to the revamped Keyd Stars roster that included Korean imports Park "Winged" Tae-jin and An "SuNo" Sun-ho.
"We were forever 2nd Place," he pauses, laughing again. "We didn't talk as a team as much as we could, that was the biggest problem. You can't win if you don't believe in who is beside you."
"At that time, I had a little bit more experience than when I first joined Keyd. I learned a lot." He emphasizes those last two words. "Again, we had a lot of problems. I couldn't play with Leko, for example, because his personality is so hard, and mine is too. We didn't know how to live together."
Both Revolta and former CNB top laner Whesley "Leko" Holler reunited on the current Keyd Stars. He chuckles when asked how they get along now. "A lot of things changed. On Keyd [Stars] we are fine. It doesn't matter how much we get stressed out. We are just going to win."
Whether a result of stress, or ill-preparedness, CNB lost to KaBuM! e-Sports in the 2014 CBLoL Regional Qualifer, and Revolta returned to Keyd. Benched following some time off for health issues, a disoriented Revolta looked for a new home.
"I had to think on the time I was spending on being a player and how to get better. It made me a better player and a person. In the end it was good, but in the moment when I left Keyd and joined INTZ I was lost."
INTZ and the International Stage
Signing with INTZ e-Sports was a long shot for Revolta. Prior to joining, he doubted himself and his ability to be a strong professional ever again. With a desire to use what he had learned on Keyd and CNB, Revolta became INTZ's shot caller.
"It was my first time shot calling, and the first game we played was horrible. They didn't know how to play early game, I didn't know how to shot call, so we were lost," he bursts out laughing at the memory.
"Our first scrims were crap. Everyone was saying, 'Oh, INTZ is shit right now, they're not going to win anything."
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Far from the excrement Revolta claims that they were at their inception, INTZ tore through 2015 CBLoL Summer, only dropping two games. They swept both their Semifinal and Final matches, winning the Summer title and a spot at the International Wildcard Invitational. He cites the players' willingness to talk with one another as the key to INTZ's success.
"When you can talk about everything about the game and everyone hears you, and we're not going to have problems, the kind of problems I had with Keyd and CNB. INTZ was a real team, the first real team I had."
Re(volta) the Third Time is the Charm?
Following INTZ's overwhelming domestic run, Revolta noticed other Brazilian teams focusing on communication and teamwork like INTZ had. In the offseason between IWCI and 2015 CBLoL Winter, Keyd approached Revolta again, and the now-decorated jungler decided to give his old team another try.
"I felt something different. And I decided that I should give this team a chance. I love the players, I'm friends with all of them and why not, you know?"
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Camaraderie wasn't the only reason Revolta returned to Keyd. Money was a large factor in his decision, one that earned him a fair amount of criticism from fans. To his credit, Revolta shrugs this off.
"I felt that [Keyd] recognized my success last Split. I love the INTZ players and organization, but as Brazil is growing I think we need to pay more attention to money stuff. As a pro player, we don't have that many years."
The uncertainty of a player's professional lifespan has never left Revolta. Now reunited with friends and former teammates, he wants to make the most out of his remaining time in the spotlight.
"First off, we want to win the CBLoL, and then we want to make worlds. International experience is something that we miss a lot in Brazil. Brazil has good players, they just need to play against better teams," he says.
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Grateful for his IWCI experience in Europe, Revolta credits Origen's Maurice "Amazing" Stückenschneider for a lot of his own personal growth.
"I love to watch the Chinese league and Korean league, but when I was in Turkey, I played against Amazing and I learned a lot from him. Before I played against Amazing and some EU junglers, I loved to watch KaKAO play just because he changes his pathing and makes the game how he wants to play and that's something that nobody does."
"When I went to Turkey I was kind of surprised that people knew us," he laughs. "There were some people who actually liked us. Not that many!" he quickly adds. "But there are some and that's something big for Brazil. Growing as a region, growing internationally, and fighting for some respect."
