EPT
I’m here with bodyy, from G2 Esports, who unfortunately went out 0-3 in the swiss-system groups, first against Astralis, then Team Liquid, and finally OpTic Gaming. I’d like to come back on your whole run. You encountered three teams which had question marks around them. OpTic had just made changes. Team Liquid were at their first LAN with Pimp instead of S1mple. Astralis were a bit struggling but were still a strong team. How do you feel about the run?
So we played Astralis first. That’s a team on our level. We prepared well before this tournament, this was the tournament we had to win. We put all the chances on our side. We were supposed to be ready. Against Astralis we managed to do great on the CT side, but on the T side we couldn’t make the difference. I think we put zero round… one round? [E/N: they actually got three]. During practice our T side was really strong, but they made the right calls, the right bets, they knew where to be, so well done by them.
Also, a team that has been impressive during the tournament is OpTic. You played them in the match where you could potentially be eliminated. What was the mindset going into it? Did you think you could bounce back against that team?
So after losing the first two matches, we thought we had nothing to lose anymore. We told ourselves that we were going against OpTic, a team that’s 0-2 like us, that was potentially weaker than the other teams present, although all the teams in the tournament were pretty strong. We thought that we’d play our game, that what was planned during practice should go as expected and that it’d work out. In the end, we get the first two rounds, and then we get stomped because of errors, we don’t play our clutches well. We don’t apply certains principles we set during practice. And we got what we deserved, because we didn’t play well.
There was the first real off-season in CS:GO this summer, with a lot of teams actually taking breaks, changing players and overall not showing much about their potential and style. Did it make preparation harder?
Well in the end, we got two north american teams, so in any case we didn’t really know beforehand how they would play, because we’re not used to play against them. We watched their demos, but then they changed players. And in the end, it didn’t really affect our game style when it comes to preparing against them.
So it came down more to the fact that it was NA teams that an actual impact of the off-season?
In fact, with what we had prepared, we were supposed to be ready to go against different styles of team. There was no style that really scared us. They played superbly, and I personally didn’t expect them at that level, they were pretty strong.
Coming back to G2 itself, the team’s dynamic has always been described as relying on shox and ScreaM to explode, with the team performing when they’re on, and not so much when they have a game off. What do you think about that, is there more than meets the eye?
I don’t think it’s the case. They’re still star players, that’s two players that can explode in a game and really carry the team. But for me, CounterStrike has never been about two players, or even one. It’s always been about five players that must do their part, that must work as five, and if only one doesn’t show up, the team is going to be lacking, and in that case the star players need to explode and pick up the slack. But for me, in CounterStrike you really need five strong players and in the long term, that’s how you can win multiple tournaments and have a really strong team.
Let’s move on to your personal career, 2016 has been the turning point for you, when G2 picked you up from LDLC White. How do you feel about how 2016 unfolded for you so far? Has it been faster than expected, or do you think you’ve finally reached a step you’ve been aiming and working for long?
Honestly, it was already incredible to get into G2. I didn’t expect it at all, the kick of Ex6tenZ and G2 that reach out to me. I really didn’t expect it and that was a crazy surprise. Playing at such a level… I was hoping I’d play at such a high level one day, but not that quickly. So that was really… our performances, I didn’t really expect us to perform that fast. I mean, our second place in the ESL Pro League [E/N: the Season 3 Finals], we win ECS Season 1, and then... we had a few hiccups. There was the major, even if we had the group of death, then there was E-League, where we had a stand-in. But honestly I wasn’t expecting results so fast. Even though for me, that’s four excellent players and it’s already an honor to play with them.
Also, with DEVIL, you’re from the same team, LDLC White, before he was picked by EnVyUs, and then you by G2. Was there a rivalry between the two of you? The two promising french players getting picked by the top french teams.
I think there was a small rivalry yes. I wanted my team to beat DEVIL’s team, and I saw that as some kind of rivalry. I always wanted to be superior to his team. There’s always rivalries between french teams anyway. So I think there was one between him and me.
Moving on to the french scene. There’s still the two top french teams, EnVy and G2. As you’re coming from the french second tier, what do you think of the situation right now, notably with Ex6tenZ that is trying to do something with LDLC?
I’m not going to lie, with G2 and the rest… We don’t have much time to pay attention to it, we’re more focused on our game, we focus on the top teams, and with all the travel, etc. we don’t have much time to watch their matches. Then, I still got friends in this scene and I know a bit what’s going on. Individually, they have the right level, but they lack experience. Ex6tenZ brought them that but he can’t teach players… well he can show them what he learned himself, but he can’t teach them how to play against tier one opposition. It doesn’t replace the player’s experience. I think that they need to forge their experience, that they go to international tournaments, although they don’t always have the opportunity to travel. And now that the European tier two is really strong, the french tier two tends to be lacking, and they really need to have better opportunities to go to international tournaments, in order to get some needed experience there, and climb the steps afterward.
Now, your next stop with G2 is the Epicenter in Moscow in two weeks, what’s the main takeaways you learned in New York that you want to bring here to make a difference?
I think we focused more on the team play, but I know that some players invested less individually going into the tournament, they didn’t have a great event and were a bit less in form, because we were more focused on the team play. Now we got two weeks until the Epicenter, and everyone needs to work hard again, work on his positions, train their individual aim, and really be ready for the Epicenter. And that should help a lot, and this should be good. Like I said, we really focused on the team play and we neglected the individual skill.
Ok, that’s all for me. Anything you want to add?
Well, thank you for the interview, as well as Team Liquid. Also thanks to G2 for trusting me, and see you soon!
Interviewer: Ragnarork
CSS: FO-nTTaX
Graphics: DearDave
Photos: HLTV
So we played Astralis first. That’s a team on our level. We prepared well before this tournament, this was the tournament we had to win. We put all the chances on our side. We were supposed to be ready. Against Astralis we managed to do great on the CT side, but on the T side we couldn’t make the difference. I think we put zero round… one round? [E/N: they actually got three]. During practice our T side was really strong, but they made the right calls, the right bets, they knew where to be, so well done by them.
Also, a team that has been impressive during the tournament is OpTic. You played them in the match where you could potentially be eliminated. What was the mindset going into it? Did you think you could bounce back against that team?
So after losing the first two matches, we thought we had nothing to lose anymore. We told ourselves that we were going against OpTic, a team that’s 0-2 like us, that was potentially weaker than the other teams present, although all the teams in the tournament were pretty strong. We thought that we’d play our game, that what was planned during practice should go as expected and that it’d work out. In the end, we get the first two rounds, and then we get stomped because of errors, we don’t play our clutches well. We don’t apply certains principles we set during practice. And we got what we deserved, because we didn’t play well.
There was the first real off-season in CS:GO this summer, with a lot of teams actually taking breaks, changing players and overall not showing much about their potential and style. Did it make preparation harder?
Well in the end, we got two north american teams, so in any case we didn’t really know beforehand how they would play, because we’re not used to play against them. We watched their demos, but then they changed players. And in the end, it didn’t really affect our game style when it comes to preparing against them.
So it came down more to the fact that it was NA teams that an actual impact of the off-season?
In fact, with what we had prepared, we were supposed to be ready to go against different styles of team. There was no style that really scared us. They played superbly, and I personally didn’t expect them at that level, they were pretty strong.
Coming back to G2 itself, the team’s dynamic has always been described as relying on shox and ScreaM to explode, with the team performing when they’re on, and not so much when they have a game off. What do you think about that, is there more than meets the eye?
I don’t think it’s the case. They’re still star players, that’s two players that can explode in a game and really carry the team. But for me, CounterStrike has never been about two players, or even one. It’s always been about five players that must do their part, that must work as five, and if only one doesn’t show up, the team is going to be lacking, and in that case the star players need to explode and pick up the slack. But for me, in CounterStrike you really need five strong players and in the long term, that’s how you can win multiple tournaments and have a really strong team.
Let’s move on to your personal career, 2016 has been the turning point for you, when G2 picked you up from LDLC White. How do you feel about how 2016 unfolded for you so far? Has it been faster than expected, or do you think you’ve finally reached a step you’ve been aiming and working for long?
Honestly, it was already incredible to get into G2. I didn’t expect it at all, the kick of Ex6tenZ and G2 that reach out to me. I really didn’t expect it and that was a crazy surprise. Playing at such a level… I was hoping I’d play at such a high level one day, but not that quickly. So that was really… our performances, I didn’t really expect us to perform that fast. I mean, our second place in the ESL Pro League [E/N: the Season 3 Finals], we win ECS Season 1, and then... we had a few hiccups. There was the major, even if we had the group of death, then there was E-League, where we had a stand-in. But honestly I wasn’t expecting results so fast. Even though for me, that’s four excellent players and it’s already an honor to play with them.
Also, with DEVIL, you’re from the same team, LDLC White, before he was picked by EnVyUs, and then you by G2. Was there a rivalry between the two of you? The two promising french players getting picked by the top french teams.
I think there was a small rivalry yes. I wanted my team to beat DEVIL’s team, and I saw that as some kind of rivalry. I always wanted to be superior to his team. There’s always rivalries between french teams anyway. So I think there was one between him and me.
Moving on to the french scene. There’s still the two top french teams, EnVy and G2. As you’re coming from the french second tier, what do you think of the situation right now, notably with Ex6tenZ that is trying to do something with LDLC?
I’m not going to lie, with G2 and the rest… We don’t have much time to pay attention to it, we’re more focused on our game, we focus on the top teams, and with all the travel, etc. we don’t have much time to watch their matches. Then, I still got friends in this scene and I know a bit what’s going on. Individually, they have the right level, but they lack experience. Ex6tenZ brought them that but he can’t teach players… well he can show them what he learned himself, but he can’t teach them how to play against tier one opposition. It doesn’t replace the player’s experience. I think that they need to forge their experience, that they go to international tournaments, although they don’t always have the opportunity to travel. And now that the European tier two is really strong, the french tier two tends to be lacking, and they really need to have better opportunities to go to international tournaments, in order to get some needed experience there, and climb the steps afterward.
Now, your next stop with G2 is the Epicenter in Moscow in two weeks, what’s the main takeaways you learned in New York that you want to bring here to make a difference?
I think we focused more on the team play, but I know that some players invested less individually going into the tournament, they didn’t have a great event and were a bit less in form, because we were more focused on the team play. Now we got two weeks until the Epicenter, and everyone needs to work hard again, work on his positions, train their individual aim, and really be ready for the Epicenter. And that should help a lot, and this should be good. Like I said, we really focused on the team play and we neglected the individual skill.
Ok, that’s all for me. Anything you want to add?
Well, thank you for the interview, as well as Team Liquid. Also thanks to G2 for trusting me, and see you soon!
Interviewer: Ragnarork
CSS: FO-nTTaX
Graphics: DearDave
Photos: HLTV
