When you watch the 100 Thieves VALORANT roster play in VCT Americas, especially over the past couple of weeks, you can’t help but notice in-game leader Kelden “Boostio” Pupello spends more time out of his chair than in it. After every monumental round, the former world champion is on his feet talking trash to anyone who will hear him.
Boostio did plenty of this during his time with Evil Geniuses, especially during their run from the 2023 Americas playoffs through Masters Tokyo to Champions. But it feels more impactful now that he’s with 100 Thieves, with a roster that looked depleted and devoid of all energy after a lackluster 2023 campaign. After the team’s second straight win in VCT Americas 2024 stage one, against an undefeated Cloud9 team, Boostio spoke to Dot Esports about who is trash talking is for. Spoiler note: It’s for everyone.
“I like showboating, I love shit-talking. I won a world championship; there’s nothing any of these other players can say to me,” Boostio told Dot Esports on April 22 after 100T’s lone match during the super week. “What can they actually say to me? They can literally say nothing. I think a lot of fans like it and I think it does get into the enemy’s head, which is the main reason I do it. I think my teammates like it. A lot of them are reserved people. I think them being able to see that really lights a fire, makes them happy, makes them smile.”
Boostio had even more firepower at his disposal after the C9 game, in part due to a memorable round where his mouse stopped working. Unable to fire or even switch weapons, he played the role of human bait for his teammates, helping turn the tide of a pivotal round where C9 had a clear advantage. Boostio said this was because the wireless mouse charger his mouse was left on was not working.
Even an uncharged mouse isn’t slowing down the 100T momentum, who hadn’t won a best-of-three VALORANT series since May of last year before winning two straight over the past week. While Boostio’s individual numbers on the scoreboard don’t stand out, all four of his teammates have been playing incredibly well. And according to the team’s IGL, this is only the beginning.
“I think all four of my teammates have the best aim in the world,” Boostio said. “If we keep playing to our level like we are now, we are going to be the strongest team ever created. If we can communicate like how we do in scrims, if we keep getting these match reps where we’re comfortable, we’re going to be dangerous.”
While most of the group 100T are in is struggling, it’s not an easy path ahead for the boys in black and red as both the undefeated KRÜ and the stacked NRG await them in the final weeks of stage one.
