You made it to the Playoffs, back in the LANXESS. How are you feeling about it
Feeling good. It was a difficult road. We had some tough matches getting to the Playoffs, but I'm happy with the way that we advanced in the end. Winning versus NAVI in such a close fashion really is going to mean a lot for us in the Playoffs. I'm super excited to be in the LANXESS this time. It's also a Major in this arena, so it's going to be even more special.

Your team's record in overtimes has improved a lot since karrigan came in. What does he bring specifically in those scenarios that was maybe different to what you had before?
It's a bit hard for me to talk on this topic because I haven't really focused too much on it. It's more of a question for zonic. But what karrigan brings is just a lot of experience. He has the right approach when it comes to the overtimes; he knows how to use his experience.

FaZe won a lot of close games as well, so he's probably pretty confident going into overtimes. That's one of the reasons why we brought him in as well. Obviously not just because of the overtimes, to get us over the edge, but just his experience as an IGL and, you know, he has won a lot. He has a good track record, and we believe that's something we've been missing in this team. I would say there are a lot of positive signs so far.

A lot of people have spoken about his lack of impact in the fragging department, but what kind of impact does he bring to the team in general throughout the game, even if he's not getting those kills?
I think he's aware that his individual level is not the best, and he knows that he can do much better. He's just struggling now to find a balance. He's new to the team, so he wants to make sure that everyone else is comfortable, that he's up to speed with everything. So I think this is why his individual level is taking a bit of a hit right now.

After this season, once we finish this, this is where he can focus a bit more on himself because he was playing much better individually in FaZe, and the individual level shouldn't just disappear within one or two months. I believe that he can play much better, and I really hope he will because he can do it, he has done it in practice.

But we are not too worried about his individual level because we can see clear signs of why we brought him in and what it means to have him on the team. The players are feeling very good following his voice. He's a very vocal IGL, everyone trusts him. He's sacrificing a lot for the team. He's giving people space, especially for players like m0NESY and kyousuke, they're feeling much more comfortable. kyousuke had two great events, in Astana and Shanghai. He's also helping me a lot on CT-sides. As I said, he's just a vocal player, and he brings a lot of good things.

It's also worth mentioning the atmosphere and the energy he brings on the stage and in the matches in general. It's something that we have lacked in the past as well, and it's nice to have this kind of mindset in the games.

You've been playing incredibly well here so far. I've spoken to you in the past about your preparation for Majors and this kind of event and how you are hoping to find something extra in that preparation, now that zonic is your coach. Has anything changed in the run-up to this tournament? Did you prepare differently than you have to Majors in the past?
I actually prepped a bit differently. I honestly played a bit less [laughs]. I always tried to overdo it for the Majors. I just always felt like I was never ready enough for such an event. I always wanted to do more, I wanted to play more, I wanted to have more setups. I wanted to play more DM, I wanted to make sure my aim is always better and better.

For this Major, I was just focusing a bit more on the mental state. Just remembering who I was before and doing the things I usually do on the server. The individual performances that I had in Shanghai have kind of shaken me up a little bit, and I think I learned a lot from it. So it's been good so far this Major. Hopefully I can keep it up for the Playoffs as well.

kyousuke had previously struggled in Playoffs but had a really good showing in your last Playoffs run. How important is it for him and for the team that he had that prior to coming here? Do you think that will help him once you get onto the arena
Definitely. He will have more confidence now as we're getting into Playoffs. As you mentioned, he had great showings in the Playoffs recently; it's something that we have been missing in the past. He's a key player for us; he's the one that is taking the space, taking the charge in most of the rounds on the T-side and CT-side. We need him to feel comfortable and confident.

I'm not sure how he has been playing at this event so far, but I'm not too worried about him. I would say he's just feeling much more comfortable with Finn, now that Finn is always up front and he just needs to follow him. Finn is also very good at developing him, teaching him different ways of playing. So it's been good so far. It's just a learning process for him. kyousuke should get even better than he is.

You play Vitality in the quarterfinals, and you guys have a better record than most teams against them. How are you feeling about that matchup?
I'm feeling pretty good, actually. Obviously, it's going to be a very hard match, there are no easy matches in the Playoffs. But I'm happy that we got to face them early on and not in the final, mostly because of the map pool.

Our map pool is not that strong right now, and Vitality is one of the only few teams that are pretty dominant on four or five maps, right? So it's very hard to exploit any weaknesses in their map pool. I'm happy that we got to play them in BO3. We have a good track record, but this is a Major Playoffs, so I don't think it matters what happened in the past. We haven't played them in the Playoffs of a Major, so it's gonna be a crazy game.

I just want us to go in, have fun, and enjoy, and then bring the same energy that we have done for the game against NAVI. I believe we can win.

Finally then, you've lifted the trophy before. What's going to be the key things for you to do it again this time?
It's still a long road ahead. There's a lot of games to be played. For me, I want to mostly focus on how to get there, not really on a trophy. I need to stick to the things that I promised myself before this event, and just make sure that once I finish this event, I have no regrets.

I just want to say to myself that I've done everything that I have agreed on with myself, and then whatever happens happens, but I want to just make sure that I have no regrets.