dumau on pressure, belief, and Legacy’s surprise CAC playoff run

dumau on pressure, belief, and Legacy’s surprise CAC playoff run

Legacy rifler Bruno “dumau” Maia says the key to his team’s breakthrough at the CS Asia Championships 2025 was learning to keep the mental game in check once the server goes live. Speaking to HLTV after Legacy sealed a playoff berth in Shanghai, the Brazilian reflected on the team’s mindset and why their spirited 2-1 group campaign felt like a turning point. In his words, “when you get on the server, a lot starts running through your head — you fight it with courage and faith,” a mantra he credits for Legacy’s ability to close tense maps against favored opposition. 

Legacy’s path to the bracket was built on two statement wins. First came a gritty victory over Virtus.pro, a result that reset expectations for a roster still finding its ceiling. They then edged 3DMAX to lock a top-six finish and avoid the early exit that had dogged their recent LAN appearances. The group run finished 2-1, good enough to book a quarter-final meeting with Liquid. 

The Brazilian core has been under the microscope since the turn of the year, regularly sparring with teams inside the top-20 but struggling to convert good mid-rounds into series wins on stage. dumau acknowledged that context, stressing that the difference in Shanghai was less about reinventing their playbook and more about resisting the “noise” of the moment. “You can know every protocol,” he noted, “but if you doubt for a second — the round’s gone.” The team’s ability to manufacture pressure on CT sides and keep composure during low-economy rounds proved decisive in both the VP and 3DMAX series, he added. 

The reward for Legacy’s steadier hands is a quarter-final clash with Liquid, who topped their group with confident showings and punched their playoff ticket ahead of the Brazilians. Liquid’s rise under cadiaN has been one of 2025’s key talking points, and their clean progression in Shanghai underscores the scale of the challenge facing Legacy’s rifling trio. dumau didn’t shy away from it, framing the matchup as another chance to test their new mental baseline against a structured, high-tempo opponent. 

Beyond Legacy’s storyline, CAC’s group stage produced its share of shocks — a backdrop that, according to dumau, should embolden underdogs to take initiative instead of defaulting to safe, late-round play. He pointed to FUT’s upset of FaZe as proof that the field is volatile and that preparation only goes so far without conviction in the moment. “You can’t play these events on autopilot anymore,” he said. “Everybody has enough tape; what matters is how brave you are when the game turns messy.” 

That belief showed in Legacy’s map vetoes and pacing. On their preferred comfort picks they leaned into space-taking defaults that allowed dumau to find mid-round fights, while on opponent picks they slowed the game, forcing late-round executes where utility layering and crossfires could do the heavy lifting. The shift wasn’t about high-risk hero plays, dumau emphasized; it was about cutting out “respect rounds,” trusting protocols, and making sure a lost duel didn’t spiral into a lost half. 

The Brazilian also took a broader view of the season. The calendar’s density has left many teams juggling travel and practice windows, and dumau argued that the rosters who manage stress the best — not just the ones with the deepest playbooks — will harvest the most points before the next Major cycle. Legacy’s internal vocabulary around “courage and faith” isn’t motivational fluff, he insisted, but a reminder to stay present in the two or three critical rounds that decide series at elite level. Those were precisely the moments that got away from them at earlier stops; in Shanghai, they finally went the other way. 

Looking ahead to Liquid, dumau expects the NA side to test Legacy’s trading discipline and late-round calling. Liquid’s recent form has been anchored by assertive mid control and well-timed AWP rotations; shutting down those patterns, he says, will require Legacy to win early-round utility battles and avoid being funneled into predictable executes. Even so, the mood in the camp is buoyant. “We earned the right to play these matches,” he said, reiterating that the group wins weren’t a fluke but the payoff for weeks of cleanup work on comms and roles. 

For neutrals, Legacy’s run is a welcome injection of chaos into a bracket many expected to be dominated by usual suspects. And for dumau personally, it is validation that the fine margins he often references — staying confident on 20-second hits, trusting a teammate’s info on an eco, flashing through a smoke instead of saving — are where careers are made. Whether Legacy can ride that edge any further in Shanghai will likely hinge on the very thing he keeps circling back to: the battle inside the server that no stratbook can win for you.

Context & related results:
• Legacy reached the CAC 2025 playoffs via wins over Virtus.pro and 3DMAX; they face Liquid next.
• Liquid advanced from groups before Legacy following strong showings in Shanghai. 
• The event’s upset-heavy opening featured FUT handing FaZe a surprise defeat, underlining the parity dumau referenced.