We had a chance to sit down with Rigon ârigoNâ Gashi and have a talk to him about how this RMR have been going for BNE and ask some more questions.
Hugo “TheSwedishJoker” Nilsson Meier, BLIX.GG: BNE have made the Major once again. Can you just talk me through the whole series and how it was from your perspective?
Rigon ârigoNâ Gashi: We knew that FaZe are lacking right now a bit, theyâre not playing at their best, and we just kept believing. We came into the match in a good mood, just tried to make a good mood, and we took the game as practice. We said âGuys, it doesnât matter whoâs behind FaZe, we just play like in practice and we just give our bestâ, and that paid off in the end!
Q: Obviously you guys played against them last time, you knocked them out from the Rio Major. Does it feel a bit like a déjà -vu? Do you think you are their kryptonite now?
rigoN: No, I donât think weâre their kryptonite, but weâve been here three times. Itâs the third time weâve been here, and we have gained some experience in how to close matches and stuff like this, not to be too overhyped, stay calm and play the rounds. I think this is a good thing that itâs the third time weâve been here.
Q: As you said itâs your third time making it to the Major, and you guys still donât have an organization. Have you had any talks, or do you think something will happen now?
rigoN: Weâve had some talks to be honest, but I donât know because Banks (James Banks, ed.) is always doing the negotiations and the stuff with the organizations. I think in the end it just didnât work out, not that we want 20k per player or something, I donât know what happened there, to be honest. We donât want much, but as Iâve said before, if an organization wants to take us it would be nice, yeah.
Q: The North-American organization TSM, for example, announced they would be getting back into CS:GO. Do you have any preference for organizations, or is it just whoever will help you stay in Europe?
rigoN: I think itâs just whoever will help us, inside the game and outside the game, give us boot camps and stuff like this. We donât want high salaries, whatever, I hear always âThey want so much salary, and bla bla blaâ but itâs not true, itâs completely not true. We will see, of course, weâll get offers and we will see.
Q: You guys are the first Balkan team to make it to a Major, now for a third time. Does it feel like youâre building the Balkan scene? What do you think itâs needed for us to see more Balkan teams or individual players?
rigoN: I canât really answer this question, because we have been building now for two years. We took progress, progress, progress, it doesnât work like today to tomorrow âOh, weâre in the Majorâ, you know? We took a gamble in the first Major we qualified because we were individually good, we took a gamble, we won. In the second Major, we had made even more steps forward, and now I think on the third step, the third time we qualify, I think we are going to definitely keep a high level. But I donât really have a⦠because Iâm Swiss and in Switzerland, there are no CS players either!
Q: Youâre Swiss, were your parents Albanian? Do you speak Albanian with them? How does it work for you?
rigoN: My parents are from Albania, Kosovo, and they came before the war already in Switzerland. I was born in western Switzerland, so I know Albanian, German and whatever.
Q: Do you prefer speaking Albanian, or do you prefer Swiss German?
rigoN: I donât care, I speak them all together!
Q: When you guys came into the scene everyone was thinking you were just another FPL team, how do you feel like you guys have evolved since that first Major? Do you feel more like a structured team compared to then?
rigoN: We have structure, but we still do our plays, because our plays brought us to this point. What we have now is more discipline, how to close out games and stuff like this, thatâs all.
Q: Iâve seen how emotional and loud you guys are, does it sometimes get too much and you have to turn it down? How do you guys sort it out in the team?
rigoN: I mean, versus FaZe right now we were 15-14 and shouting like this, we just tried to calm down because you cannot put down the adrenaline, itâs going to stay. But we just tried to calm down, take a breather and go on!
Q: Since the last Major your results have been mixed, and I think that it was the same after the first one. Why do you think that is, is it due to online CS?
rigoN: I think itâs online CS, because if you see like⦠I donât want to be rude or something, I like the SAW guys, but for example, SAW destroyed us 2-0 online and they just melted us. Then they come for example here and they have had tough matches, but itâs just the online CS. Weâre kinda bored of playing online, you know? We want to start playing the tier-one tournaments, in two weeks now we go to Melbourne and we hope to win the whole event so we can finally qualify for Pro League. Then the fun starts for us.
Q: What are your plans now, after here? You guys are going to play tomorrow, but after that have you guys talked about what youâre going to do?
rigoN: Weâll probably have like 2-3 off days because we went to boot camp as well, weâre on the road for three weeks now. Afterwards, we are going to Melbourne and have the tournament, where we will try to win it!
Q: CS2 has come out, have you been able to play the beta yet or have you just been focusing on CS:GO prior to the Major?
rigoN: I played CS2 on the first day when it came out, I got the beta as well. I played one game but itâs actually the same game, itâs just the Molotovs and the sprays are a bit different. After this I didnât play anymore, only CS:GO so we could focus on the Major.
Q: Nikola âLobanjicaâ MijomanoviÄ has been very vocal and critical on Twitter, do you agree with the things he has been saying about the game?
rigoN: To be honest I read it but I donât care, itâs his opinion and he can do whatever he wants. My opinion is that itâs the same game, itâs nothing special.
Q: Is there anything youâd want to see changed before it gets released to the public and you start playing tournaments on it?
rigoN: Not really, as I said, I donât care! I would like to play CS:GO but CS2 is out and weâll just take it how it is.
