100Thieves in-game leader Kelden “Boostio” Pupello is known to be an animated character who often jumps in and out of his seats, especially in VCT Americas in the past couple of weeks.
The former world champion takes every opportunity after hitting milestones, winning a duel or a map to jump on his feet and celebrate or even thrash talk. It’s not a character that just emerged, Boostio has been known for this even during his time at Evil Geniuses as they made an incredible run from the 2023 Americas playoffs through Masters Tokyo to Champions.
While it may have looked overzealous at Evil Geniuses, it’s shaping to be an important motivational technique at 100 Thieves, as the roster looks depleted and lacking energy after a poor 2023 campaign.
At the VCT Americas 2024, the team recorded a second straight win in stage one, and they managed it against a hitherto undefeated Cloud9 team. After the game, Boostio revealed the reasons behind his excessive celebration and those it is targeted to.
“I like showboating; I love shit-talking. I won a world championship; there’s nothing any of these other players can say to me. What can they actually say to me? They can literally say nothing. I think a lot of fans like it, and I think it gets 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 said.
Boostio had to be more tactical in the C9 game after his mouse stopped working in a round, making it impossible for him to fire and even switch weapons. He then became human bait for his teammates, which was instrumental in the win.
