Brazil’s newest tier two sensation: Who is escolinha do bubu?

^{Banner image: Ubisoft / Eric A.}

Throughout the last two seasons, the Brasileirao has been known for the influence the tier two has had over the top-flight. 

Last season, the wave of young talent was led by eventual Rookie of the Season Diogo “Fntzy” Lima, Team Liquid duo Gabriel “AsK” Santos and Pablo “resetz” Oliveira, and many other names distributed among the rest of the rosters in the league.

Série B’s influence got even more tangible this year, with eight tier two players making their way to Brazil’s top flight. Eventually, six of those eight would qualify for the Charlotte Major.

Brazil’s talent is huge. As Lorenzo “Lagonis” Volpi mentioned, many players are waiting for a top-flight call. It’s just about giving them a chance, which puts professional players between a rock and a hard place as they must reinvent themselves constantly to keep their spots in the league.

In a country with so much young talent, it’s no surprise to see super tier-two teams. As it’s been recently pointed out on social media, every year a group of talented players gets together to build an insanely skilled roster with the potential to face and defeat top-flight teams. 

These are some of the most notable rosters that have recently competed in Brazil’s tier two scene:

• 2018 - Ghost Squad: Alem4o, Lagonis, FelipoX, StK, Kurtz
• 2019 and 2020 - Team Kids: Fntzy, nade, handyy, resetz, wag
• 2020 and 2021 - SuperNova Team: d4sh, Dotz, Dudds, DreeuZ, ppWs
• 2022 - Escolinha do bubu: kondz, Florioo, hatez, vitaking, Wizard

Looking at the very first three squads, we see some of the best names the scene has produced in the last years. Of the first 15 names, 12 have already competed in the Brasileirao, with some of them having competed in and even won an international tournament. 

With so many successful precedents, it’s no surprise that people see something special in Escolinha do bubu.

Escolinha do bubu is known as a team named after Matheus “Budega” Figueiredo, XSET’s coach. It is led by former Santos e-Sports member Raul “kondz” Romao, and also has the former members of Golden Kids, Team oNe’s Academy, Florio and Gustavo “Wizard” Gomes. Hatez and VITAKING, the remaining two members, come from SG e-sports Série B 2021 roster. 

We are talking of a roster with great experience in tier two competitions. Except for kondz, who was playing in the Brasileirao, all Escolinha do bubu players were competing in last year’s Série B, playing matches against top-flight rosters from time to time in last year’s Copa do Brasil editions. 

Wizard has recently been linked with a possible move to Ninjas in Pyjamas, who are currently looking for someone to join the team after Julio “JULIO” Giacomelli’s departure. 

Escolinha do bubu’s results have been impressive. Leading Liga Six with an iron fist and having already played in this year’s first Copa do Brasil, the team has been known for its positive tier two results. However, the team has recently made a step forward. 

Recently, Escolinha do bubu defeated FURIA Esports, Team oNe, and 00 Nation in the team’s Gamers Without Borders online bracket. 

Yesterday, the team put FaZe Clan between a rock and a hard place after winning Kafe by 7-2 but losing the other maps by 2-7 and 4-7. Later today, Escolinha do bubu will face the South American side Furious Gaming as the winner will face FaZe Clan or MIBR tomorrow.

Overall, a result that presents a threat to even big, established top-flight rosters. The future of some of these players looks bright and some of them could be joining the first tier anytime soon.