I never expected that I would get such titles.
"I never expected to win WCG just as I never expected to get those titles."
Not even after winning the World Cyber Games, Extreme Masters and Electronic Sports World Cup tournaments?I never expected to win WCG just as I never expected to get those titles. To be honest I never really thought about it.
How do you find the buzz around you and making you look like a superhero?
Of course I am in a way glad because of it. I have always given my best and striven to become the best and when it finally happened it was good that people noticed and appreciated the hard work I had put into this. In spite of it all, I do not see it the same way as some. I think that the entire team wins so it is possible that if it wasn't for our crew, I would haver have achieved all of this.
How do your team mates react to you being put on a pedestal all the time with them being far behind, in the shadow?
You should ask them about it. Even if they hated me for it they wouldn't tell me, so it is difficult for me to answer the question :D Besides, I do not think they are, as you put it, "far behind, in the shadow." There will come a time when I am taken down from that pedestal and someone else will be there. I guess people will always put someone on a pedestal and it does not necessarily have to be me all the time.
Where does this discrepancy come from? There are many stars in Fnatic but regarding MYM almost only NEO is talked about.
And MYM does not have stars? Apparently, the other MYM players are simply underappreciated enough because NEO does not win matches alone.
"MYM shall rise like a Phoenix from the ashes"
Okay. You have a dozen awards, but the results are gone. Where is the MYM team?MYM shall rise like a Phoenix from the ashes and you will soon see us in a good shape... I hope. :P
Do you have doubts that maybe in this lineup you will not achieve anything, that maybe this team requires changes?
It may be that we lack some fresh blood in the team but we are looking to get it back without roster changes. So far we have not considered such an option. Unless I am unaware of something and the boys are planning to cut me.
Do you govern yourselves or does the management have big influence? Can you imagine a situation where MYM asks you for a roster change?
I can't imagine anything like that to happen. In all honesty, no one outside of our team has the right to decide what the roster should look like or be able to rationally assess what kind of change would be needed. Such a situation would seem absurd to me and I hope that everyone is aware of this.
"What if we had not been in PGS and played without an organisation at the ESWC?"
What do you think about the ESWC issuing an invitation for PGS as the title defenders?I was in shock when I found out. On the one hand, I understand it because people gave examples that we are going towards professionalism, that in football... blah, blah, blah. Still, this simply unfair, especially that PGS does not even have a team they could send. Moreover, it is the players that won the tournament, not the organisation. You have to admit it is unfair. What if we had not been in PGS and played without an organisation at the ESWC? Would we have not gotten the invite as MYM players now?
The PGS management said that building a new CS team in Poland makes no sense. Do you think that another quintet with the right backing would have a chance at becoming one of the better European teams?
I think so. I think that there are two teams that would join the ranks of the top international teams if they had the right backing.
What do you think of their decision to no longer go on with Counter-Strike after your transfer to MYM?
Most likely I would have done the same if I were in their shoes. Perhaps I would try to make less of a fool of myself in the process, though. It would be difficult to replace us with another CS team so they took on Call of Duty. To find out whether CoD can take CS's place we will need to wait, as I cannot tell you right now. I regret that they did not pick up a CS team - they would be able to send it to international events.
Who do you see as your main opponents in 2008?
There are many teams that could win right now so it is too difficult to name just one.
You make it look like you are doing your best to avoid naming the team whose name starts with F...
It's not like that. Fnatic is one of those teams. Initially I wanted to say Fnatic but I reminded myself of teams like SK, roccat, aTTaX, emuLate and others, and each of those is able to win an event. I thought there was no point in naming just one.
Would you be willing to bet money on MYM winning ESWC or WCG this year?
I'd like to be ready to do it but as I am not much of a gambler, I would not do it. :P
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Photo by Julia Christophers
