Counter-Strike: lurppis: "[PwR] is a completely new team"

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By Duncan 'Thorin' Shields

Feb 2, 2011 16:54

Power Gaming's lurppis talks to HLTV.org about his removal from EG, the new look PwR team and his expectation to be where he left off with EG a couple of months in.

Set to arrive back in his native Finland within a week former

Evil Geniuses player

Tomi 'lurppis' Kovanen spoke to HLTV.org in an interview about joining up with ex-team-mates in

Power Gaming when he gets home.

What led to his removal from EG:

"We had some underlying problems in the team outside of the game that were probably never going to be fixed without a player change and I have the least in common with everyone in the team. Some of the players at EG have been questioning my motivation ever since I started staying in Oregon even though I haven't had any problems in that department, I just choose to do what makes me happy over having a lower ping. There are some personality clashes on the team which only got worse once gfn (the glue of the team holding everyone together and solving all arguments like Warden before him) quit. One of the players even got cut last Spring for a few days until we decided there were no suitable replacements in the US and took him back."

lurppis' impact on EG during his time:

"Anyone can see how the results and the community's general opinion of EG changed during those 1,5 years and make up their own mind. Before I joined in, they placed 5-6th at KODE5 USA and before I quit we won an international event beating fnatic in the finals, so we definitely got a lot better; how much credit goes to me is up to you. Although I know if a few things would have gone our way our results could have been even better, I'm still happy about how we performed, given the circumstances."

How today's lurppis differs from 2009's:

"It's hard for me to tell what has changed since it has been happening slowly for me, but it would probably be pretty easy for the Power Gaming guys to point out if you asked them a couple of months down the road. I'm sure my personality has changed a little bit since I'm two years older and I've most likely changed in-game as well. As far as calling strats goes, I think I got better playing with gfn getting some real feedback from another strat caller (which I've never really had before) and also learning to work around different personalities and playing styles."

Asked how he thinks Power Gaming will fare in light of all the roster changes across the board in the international scene:

"I'm not sure if it's fair to compare us to the top teams that have been changing players yet, since we're an entirely new team (changing the in-game leader and another core player, I would say this is a completely new team rather than a Power Gaming with two player changes) and it will take us some time to get back into the groove. I do think and hope we will be where I left off with EG in a couple of months though, and that shouldn't be an unrealistic expectation. It all depends on how many tournaments we get to go to and how much we get to practice before them."

lurppis is best known as the in-game leader and tactician for

Wings/serious,

hoorai/69N-28E/Roccat and

Evil Geniuses. During his time with the latter he placed 3rd at Arbalet Cup Europe 2009, 4th at the IEM IV World Championship, 3rd at Arbalet Cup Dallas 2010 and 1st at the Beat IT finals. His career with EG closed out with two upset victories over fnatic's legendary 2009 lineup. One coming in the Beat IT finals in a Bo3 and the other a lower bracket overtime thriller on dust2 at WEM.

Source: HLTV.org