shox

Do you consider that your victories at the ESL Pro League S5, as well as the DH Tours and Malmö, can compensate your failure at this summer’s Major which was probably your main goal of the season? Can we still say that 2017 was a good year for you?

No, it does not compensate in any way, we were in bad shape during the Major and even though we tried to get back on track, it was too late to repair our mistakes, we were too weak.

Overall, let’s be realistic, this year’s results were bad. This team was created with victory as a goal, with the intent to win Majors and reach the world’s top 3. Two victories in major tournaments, one in a minor tournament, and a respectable performance at the EPICENTER – these are our “positive” results. Besides that, we were shaky at the DH Austin when the season started, failed the first ECS finals, lost against Na’Vi in quarterfinals of the ESL One Cologne, couldn’t reach the playoffs at the Krakow Major, missed the qualification for the ESL One New York back in August when the season started again after summer break, lost against Cloud9 in quarterfinals of the ELEAGUE, couldn’t reach the playoffs at the IEM Oakland, finished last at the BLAST Pro Series, and finally couldn’t qualify for the ECS/EPL finals at the end of the year.

There’s no balance between positive and negative, we’re underperforming compared to what we were expecting and we couldn’t achieve the objectives we had set at the beginning of the year.

What drove you to change your map pool and start playing Mirage again?

Given that we didn’t manage to step up on Train, we now had two weak maps with Mirage and our map pool was too fragile. We talked about it and all agreed that we were more likely to step up on Mirage than on Train. That’s why we changed, and it ended up being effective.

“As the captain, it’s hard to feel at ease when the team itself isn’t working”

Compared to last year, we feel that you specifically have had less impact statistically and individually. Did leading require more efforts for you this year, thus deteriorating your individual level?

I clearly tried to find myself a lot throughout this year, in order to make the players feel more at ease individually within our team play. The thing is, we have very specific profiles and they’re not always compatible with each other. So we were kind of running after “what would work best” for the team, and we couldn’t really manage to find a viable and stable approach. I deliberately stepped back to make place for the others and look for the “magical formula”. I focused a lot more on the team than on myself this year. And given our results, it wasn’t even successful. So as the captain, it’s hard to think about myself and feel at ease when the team itself isn’t working.

If you had to choose between the victory at Tours, the one at the ESL Pro League finals or the one at Malmö, which one would you keep and why?

Malmö, without hesitation, because it happened at a difficult time for the team and we pulled ourselves together in order to win.

Your worst memory of the year?

There are many, because there was much disappointment in each of our defeats... I’d choose the BLAST Pro Series as there’s nothing good to retain from it. We came, got destroyed, and left. We were like ghosts.

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

I didn’t watch that many matches as I was focusing a lot on my team, and I chose an internal rather than an external point of view. I’d pick our match against SK at Malmö, our comeback on Inferno and the outcome on Mirage as the third map, these are good memories.

One knows that Dust2 is a map renowned to be very good for French teams. What do you think of the new version, and which map would you like to see leave the map pool when Dust2 officially comes back to competition?

I didn’t really pay attention to it since it’s still not officially back. But after playing on it during some DM, I figured it’s still the same Dust2, I’m in love with this map and I’ll probably always be. I can’t wait for it to come back! For the rest of the question, it’s pretty easy... I’m sure you can guess yourself...

kennyS

We know that great confidence and mindset are very important for CS, and even more for you. Have you or the team already thought about hiring a mental coach?

It is no secret that mental plays an important role and especially for me, it’s a sensitive subject and hard to manage, I’m lacking in this. To answer your question, we’re not neglecting this aspect and there’s room for improvement. It’ll be one of our priorities for the year to come.

Did SmithZz pieces of advice regarding the AWP bring something new to your play after a year by his side? Do you feel that your play style has changed?

Eddy’s (SmithZz) play style was very different from mine, which is more aggressive and instinctive. I’d say that he brought me a peaceful and passive style, and more than anything he allowed me to anticipate my opponents’ moves a lot better than before. He helped me expand my style and develop the passive/semi-aggressive aspect. The difference between our styles and his teaching have helped me a lot.

“Mental plays an important role and especially for me, it’s a sensitive subject and hard to manage”

If you had to choose between the victory at Tours, the one at the ESL Pro League finals or the one at Malmö, which one would you keep and why?

They all have different tastes. Tours was great thanks to our French supporters, Malmö was probably the best tournament of the season for us. But the one I’d pick is without a doubt our victory at the ESL Pro League, because we made an amazing comeback during the season, ended first of our group at the very last moment, beat SK in semifinals and destroyed North in the finals... It felt so great, especially because the crowd was supporting us and I liked it a lot! They chose their side, I like this kind of atmosphere. It felt like a football match in a big stadium.

Your worst memory of the year?

The Major was really hard to take, but I’d pick the BLAST. It almost felt impossible for us to go back on stage and play the next games. We were mere shadows of ourselves, it was mortifying. Special mention to our defeat against Na’Vi in quarterfinals of the ESL One Cologne, which was also very frustrating.

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

I’d choose the ESL Pro League finals against North. It was important for me to beat them, given what had happened between us… We were determined. Some matches were obviously more memorable than this one, but it’s the one I enjoyed playing and winning most.

One knows that Dust2 is a map renowned to be very good for French teams. What do you think of the new version, and which map would you like to see leave the map pool when Dust2 officially comes back to competition ?

These changes were actually very small and the map ended up being similar to the former version. To be frank, I can’t wait for D2 to replace Train. Train must be reworked, because in my opinion it’s been a real failure since the beginning of CS:GO, even though it’s often played.

bodyy

Your team’s online games have been laborious during this season. You came back from nowhere early 2017 during the ESL Pro League S5, but failed to qualify for season 6 a few months ago. Do you prepare these matches in a different way compared to offline matches? How do you explain some of your defeats against teams you’d usually beat during a lan?

I don’t think that we prepare these matches any differently. We’re as motivated as during our offline matches, everyone starts focusing as usual, nothing different. But I think that nowadays, no team is “easy to beat on lan” anymore. Some teams simply are more at ease online and become more aggressive, take more risks. Even if it ends up being effective, it’s not easy to do the same thing during a lan with a different environment.

More than a year and a half after you joined the French top, what’s your personal assessment? What has changed in your level, your role, your place within G2...?

Since I reached the top, as you can guess, I have acquired a lot of principles and experience. I started by playing a DH Malmö where we lost 02-16 against CLG and 09-16 against GODSENT, and now I’ve won this very same tournament a year later. Between these two, I’ve played dozens of tournaments against the best teams in the world… any player would progress with that! Individually, I’ve had my good and bad moments, but I don’t know if that’s related to the changes of roles I’ve had. What I know is that my teammates trust me and are ready to help me, guide me during the difficult moments. I’m more and more imposing my play style within G2, which was difficult at the beginning since I’m playing with such experienced players. They’re not opposed to anything, but I’m the one who had set a barrier for myself.

“My first entry in the Lanxess Arena gave me the chills”

If you had to choose between the victory at Tours, the one at the ESL Pro League finals or the one at Malmö, which one would you keep and why?

I was very satisfied with what I had brought to the game during the ESL Pro League and the DH Tours. Even if they were not tier 1 tournaments, I managed to prove to the most reluctant ones that I deserve my place within G2. Malmö was unhoped for with our comeback against SK in quarterfinals and the team’s form during the weeks prior. I think I’d choose Malmö, because it was a great team performance and a reference for us in terms of mindset and play style.

Your worst memory of the year?

I think there’s a draw between the Krakow Major, where we couldn’t even get past the group stage, and the quarterfinals against Na’Vi at the ESL One Cologne.

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

My first entry in the Lanxess Arena gave me the chills, and I’d never felt that in another arena before, it was incredible! As a spectator I’d pick the EPICENTER finals with VP vs SK, it clearly was on another level in every aspect: the game level, the mindsets to be able to perform that well on five maps, and VP coming back to the top after a difficult period.

One knows that Dust2 is a map renowned to be very good for French teams. What do you think of the new version, and which map would you like to see leave the map pool when Dust2 officially comes back to competition?

I can’t wait to play on the map on something other than deatchmatches. After waiting for so long, I hope Valve will quickly put it back into the map pool. I wouldn’t mind if Train were to leave, and it would allow us to have a less predictable veto. I didn’t see many changes on the map other than the textures, nothing new regarding the strategic aspects I think.

NBK

You had a co-leading or even leading role in some of your former teams, how is it right now? With shox, SmithZz and apEX who also lead on some maps, do you still have some influence on the lead?

We’ve already settled on who does what regarding the lead. I’ve had some influence for a while when I took the lead on CT, but right now I’m more passive and I mainly help for the mid-round calls. Regarding the theoretical aspect of our play, I’m mainly trying to be the “final decider” when two or more people are exposing their ideas. It’s always a good thing to have several thinkers within a team, but too many ideas can also lead to many disagreements. It’s important that we do not stay stuck in these kinds of situations so we can avoid losing time and move forward in the same direction.

You’ve always had a difficult time when playing against FaZe, no matter if it’s their new line-up or the former one with kioShiMa. What’s so special about this team that makes it so difficult for you?

Most certainly their unpredictability and their double-AWP setup. French teams have always liked to take control of the game and force their opponent to adapt, but FaZe won’t always give you this opportunity, they have great individualities that can simply ruin your plans or win key rounds that they had only 10% chance of winning...

“It’s always a good thing to have several thinkers within a team, but too many ideas can also lead to many disagreements”

If you had to choose between the victory at Tours, the one at the ESL Pro League finals or the one at Malmö, which one would you keep and why?

These three victories brought me very different feelings. Winning in France against weaker opponents, winning in Dallas after two big matches, or winning in Malmö where we showed our best unerring game. I’d choose Malmö, because we managed to develop an amazing play style and everyone was 100% focused.

Your worst memory of the year?

Most probably our quarter final against Cloud9 at the ELEAGUE. We gave everything we had, played two beautiful matches to get out of the group stage and go to Atlanta, which ended up as an almost useless round trip. We failed badly on one of the biggest tournament of the year.

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

The BO5 between SK and VP at the EPICENTER finals was terrific, both teams made an amazing tournament with SK using a stand-in and VP getting better out of nowhere

One knows that Dust2 is a map renowned to be very good for French teams. What do you think of the new version, and which map would you like to see leave the map pool when Dust2 officially comes back to competition ?

I was hoping for some change in the map’s functioning. I remember I was pretty disappointed to see that it “only” underwent some aesthetic changes to make us lose more FPS. We’ll see which map will leave the map pool next to know if we’re really happy for D2’s comeback or not :D

apEX

You’re the leader on Mirage, did you take the responsibility yourself, or were you asked to do it? Will it be possible to see apEX lead on other maps in the future?

Concerning Mirage, the fact that I’m leading came quite naturally. Given that Richard (shox) didn’t play the map for more than two years, I took the initiative and showed the grenades on the map and the things to master. For the future, I don’t think I have the required skills to be a good leader. It is most certainly the most ungrateful and complicated role. The leader has an enormous responsibility on his shoulders and must be capable to question himself in difficult times. Richard does this perfectly at the moment so I didn’t even think about it, but, given my temper, it would be complicated...

You are often criticized for your force-buy policy. Do you think that it could handicap you, or is the probability to win the round solely with pistols too big to abandon this practice?

Hmmm, it is a complex question and it is often Richard’s choice to force-buy! We are very good at force-buys (on the terrorist side) when we prepare our rounds in advance. We have strats designed for this purpose and they do us a lot of good. But, in general, our team has good buy rounds (given that we haven’t won many pistol rounds this year), so I think that, in the future, we will take the time to build up a bank and play more buy rounds.

"[Not getting out of the groups at the Majors] has become complicated to handle from a personal point of view”

If you had to choose between the victory at Tours, the one at the ESL Pro League finals or the one at Malmö, which one would you keep and why?

The victory at the DreamHack Malmö had an important significance for me. We were back from holidays and from a rather complicated end of the first part of the season. We did an important debriefing to set the record straight and move forward for the second part of the season. We trained hard and the right way for two weeks, we were in the right mood, we were all playing a lot, and, at the end, we got rewarded, one of the most beautiful victories of my career.

Your worst memory of the year?

Without any doubt the umpteenth fail to reach the playoffs of the Major… It is something that has become complicated to handle from a personal point of view. This feeling of feeling well during the period preceding the Major and then failing… I don’t know how to describe this, but it hurts, a lot…

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

So from our side the match against SK at Malmö was one of the best matches I participated in. The comeback from 08-14 on Inferno and playing Mirage as a third map, it was unique. Then, in general, the EPICENTER final was just magnificent, probably one of the best matches I had the opportunity to see..

One knows that Dust2 is a map renowned to be very good for French teams. What do you think of the new version, and which map would you like to see leave the map pool when Dust2 officially comes back to competition ?

Since we do not play the map I would say Train :D But I am really eager to see this map come back, it has always been very appreciated by French teams and I think that, with our line-up, we will do nice things on it. Concerning the new version, it doesn’t really change from the old one, it’s still d2 and no modification will lead to real strategic changes I think ! Looking forward to the after-Major!

SmithZz

After a year spent as a coach, did your vision of the role evolve over time? Did you do what you were expecting to do?

My vision of the role changed. At the beginning of the year I was really focused and invested in the game, and especially in all its technical aspects. The management of egos, the mentality and the relationships between players happened to be an important part of my working time as a coach. The diversity of this job mostly is what makes it beautiful and complex!

We often saw the public blame G2 for its lack of tactics/strategy (perhaps wrongly), do you think this reputation is justified?

No, it is our choice to have a game that’s not based on tactics, because it’s too predictable and it would require too much work to consistently renew our strategies and choose the tournaments we participate in. Therefore, we tried to base our game more on control, principles and teamplay with a few strategies to unlock some situations. A vision of the game shared by Richard and me, which we want to share with the others in the team, we have a long way to go but I’m optimistic for the future!

“The management of egos, the mentality and the relationships between players happened to be an important part of my working time”

If you had to choose between the victory at Tours, the one at the ESL Pro League finals or the one at Malmö, which one would you keep and why?

Malmö, because our play style was very clean and very rigorous.

Your worst memory of the year?

Not getting out of the group stage at the Major, again and again.

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

Our match versus SK in the quarterfinals of Malmö.

One knows that Dust2 is a map renowned to be very good for French teams. What do you think of the new version, and which map would you like to see leave the map pool when Dust2 officially comes back to competition ?

Ever since I stopped playing, I’ve only done one pickup evening a few weeks ago, the first map was dust2 and I smashed everyone like in the old days. It only changed visually so, in the end, I still like it as much. It would be suiting for us to see Train or Mirage leave but I can see Valve choosing Nuke or Cache.