Virtus.pro CS:GO pro Evgenii FL1T Lebedev shared his impressions on ESL Challenger Rotterdam 2022 Finals and his expectations for the Rio de Janeiro Main Event.
- You recently won ESL Challenger Rotterdam 2022. It seemed like you were in control of the final. Was it really like that? Or did your heart skip a beat when ENCE started to make a comeback on the second map?
- In the finals against ENCE, we controlled most of the situations and understood that, for the most part, the rounds we lost were our fault. We understood everything perfectly and knew we were going to crush our opponent.
- MOUZ will play against you in the Challengers Stage at IEM Rio. This is your first opponent. What do you think of the Europeans' form? And is there any benefit to playing with MOUZ in Rotterdam?
- I think MOUZ is in good shape right now. This is a strong team with young players. But it also has some pretty experienced players who have been on the pro scene for a long time. MOUZ has good firepower.
There are pros and cons to facing MOUZ. On the plus side, you can learn how your opponent plays and adjust in game situations and get a feel for their rhythm and tempo. But you don't want to display any of your own skills at less important tournaments either. That's why such games can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. For our team, I think that this game will be a benefit.
- Not so long ago you said Ancient was one of your best maps. Can you name the worst map in your pool?
- Haha, Nuke. But seriously, we all play all of our maps well. I wouldn't name any weak map.
- Let's talk about the major and qualifying for it. Who surprised you the most at RMR?
- G2 Esports and Astralis surprised me. I can't remember other teams, but these teams really surprised me. And in terms of gameplay, everything was as it should be.
- What happened to G2 Esports, in your opinion? What is the problem with the team?
- Actually, G2 played pretty well. They were good in ESL Pro League, pretty confident in the group. Maybe it was just an emotional swing. Maybe their urge to win was too great, and they just burned out.
- You went into the major with a 3-2 statistic. How important is a 3-0 statistic? Or does it not make any difference?
- It's not particularly important for professional players. Of course it's nice to go to the Legends because you're skipping one stage, but overall, it doesn't make any difference. The important thing is to move out. To end up in the major.
- You're in good shape right now. Who wouldn't you want to face at this stage besides Vitality and Cloud9?
- To be honest, I don't really care who I face, because if you intend to win the major, you have to play against the best teams and players. What's more important is our form before the tournament.
- Is there any anxiety before the majors?
- There's not much anxiety. We don't focus on the fact that this is the most important tournament, we approach it like any other tournament. We're trying to train. Now we just have a good team work atmosphere.
- What goals does the team set for the major?
- One always sets a goal to win. What's the point of going with any other goal? You need to win as many games as possible and enjoy them.
- And if a team doesn't make the playoffs in the major, will that be a failure?
- Honestly, I don't know. It's a sport. Anything can happen. I can't predict anything, it's going to depend on our game. If you show a decent game, but you've lost to NaVi, FaZe or someone of this caliber, it can't be called a failure.
- You failed at IEM Cologne, but after that you showed good results at all the tournaments. What did you change in your preparation as compared to that tournament? Maybe you focused on something in particular?
- We reconsidered some of our approaches, we trained more. At that time we hadn't played that many matches together yet. That was one of the first tournaments for fame and n0rb3r7. N0rb3r7 already had LAN tournaments, and fame had no LAN at all. So we got the experience we needed. I hope that it will help us to do well in this major.
- What do you think about the k0nfig situation? He's been featured in fight scandals twice lately. How often do such situations happen at tournaments?
- Actually I don't know anything about those brawls, because if we go somewhere after the tournament, we only go with the team. So I'm not aware of it. It's very strange and it shouldn't be allowed. It's way out of line. The man represents an organization that has won four majors. It's unacceptable. And the player has to understand that for himself.
- Is there any chance of device coming back to Astralis? And if he does, do you think he'll help the team a lot after such a long pause?
- I think the chance of him coming back is great. I think he'll play for Astralis after the major, maybe even earlier. As to whether he can help the team, I can't say for sure. He's a guy with a tremendous amount of experience, he's won four majors, and there's definitely something he can do, but you have to dig deeper. You have to know if he played CS during his break.
- Who do you think can replace k0nfig in Astralis now?
- To say for sure, you need to take a closer look, but there are guys from Sprout. Staehr, for example, maybe Heroic. The Danish scene is big enough, there are many good players there, and I think the organization will have no problem with choosing. They will find who to take instead of k0nfig.
- You've been in the team for a year already. Who do you communicate with the most?
- I have a fairly good relationship with everyone. It's part friendly, part working. I can get along with them all. I probably talk the most with Jame. We spent eight months together in the last year. But you can find some common ground with all of them and talk about anything.
- How is Jame different from your previous in-game leaders?
- Each captain is different in their own way. Jame is punctual, responsible and hardworking.
- You've been in the pro scene for four years. Do you remember your first prize money? What did you spend it on?
- That was a long time ago. I can't remember my first award. I didn't buy anything expensive, except for an iPhone.
- How important is the age in CS:GO? Do you believe in a career after 35?
- That depends on the person and on how they deal with work. After 35, people tend to spend more time with their families and have other interests. Some get tired, and there is emotional fatigue as well, so it all depends on the person. Take f0rest or FalleN. They are 30+, and they're still playing.
- How important is a coach in CS? Can a team achieve significant success on tier-1 without a coach?
- A coach is an integral part of the team, but it all depends on the team's structure and the training process's structure. A coach can give you some mental and emotional support. One needs that kind of person who can pause in the right round and say the right thing. I think every team should have a coach.
