With PNC 2022 a couple of days away, we’ve been closely watching each of the 16 nations competing in the upcoming tournament. From their selection process, to their individual player stats, to their history in international events, we’re doing our best to anticipate how we think teams will perform when nations clash in Bangkok on June 16th. One element we have not yet considered is each team’s coach. A coach is obviously a critical role in any PUBG match, but these coaches have a particularly difficult challenge heading into PNC. Most of the players on each PNC team do not normally compete together, meaning coaches will need to foster cooperation and teamwork in a very short timeframe. To get an idea of their strategy and approach to this task, we’ve interviewed the four different Americas coaches. Next up is team Argentina’s PIPAA from Synergy Esports.
What is it like to be chosen as the coach of your country for the PNC 2022?
Being elected coach of Argentina is a dream come true. Representing my country is the best thing that could happen to me.
Can you tell me a little about your players?
They are very good players, very experienced, and above all, professionals.
What are your roster’s main strengths?
They are self-critical and so fix their mistakes very quickly. They have a good relationship with each other as well which helps with team synergy.
What are your main roles and responsibilities with regard to the team?
From my perspective as a coach, I can see mistakes and point out areas of improvement for the boys. During the excitement of the game, they may overlook certain errors that I’m able to see because I’m not playing.
What are the unique challenges related to coaching a national roster in comparison with a regular team?
The main challenge with training a national team compared to a regular team is not knowing the game plan and strategy of the other teams. Since every team competing is newly formed there is no way to train for and study our rivals for obvious reasons. Also, my responsibility is greater in this tournament since I am representing my country.
How have you been devising your strategy for the event?
There is only one tested strategy and it has to do with the hotdrop, but it’s not just up to us. It’s going to depend on the other teams.
Do your tactics differ as the players do not normally compete together?
We are fortunate that all of our players have shared a team at some point, so that makes it much easier to put together tactics.
Is the team gelling well together? How do you build a strong team ethos?
We have a friendly relationship and that makes it easy for us to get along very well. We all listen to each other and freely contribute our ideas because we all want the same end result. All that leads to a good team spirit.
Tensions can run high at such a big event, how do you ensure the players keep their cool?
In case of a bad game, a good reset always works. Making sure my players know that they have another chance in the face of a possible stumble. One mistake does not mean failure.
Which nations do you think have the strongest players?
The strongest country in this PNC is China since it has 2 PGC champion players, one PCS, and another highly experienced player. But what will really give them an advantage is that they will not be playing LAN with all the other countries. This is a clear benefit since they will not feel all the sensations and nerves that come with playing live.
Do you think that different countries/regions have different styles? If so, how? Can you see any rivalry developing between the different nations?
Obviously each region has a different style of play. In Asia the game is more aggressive, most teams have that style. In North America, on the other hand, the game varies between aggressiveness and intelligence. And in LATAM, very few teams take the aggressive game as their main strategy, they usually use a more passive style of play and wait it out until the end of the match.
The biggest rivalry, in my opinion, could be between Argentina and Brazil because of the rivalry between the two countries in soccer.
Final thoughts: Any fan messages/requests for support/anything else you want the community to know
I would like to tell everyone thank you very much for the support we have received and I have no doubt that this support will last through the entire PNC tournament. You all cheering on Argentina, it helps and motivates us a lot to see you supporting us and wishing us the best
Keep up with the other coaches as we share our interviews with them in the coming weeks, and don’t forget to watch PNC 2022 from June 16-19th.
WHERE TO WATCH / FOLLOW
Check out our PCS6 Americas content channels for VODs and streams:
Be sure to follow PUBG Esports on social media to stay up to date on all the action.