Author: Sam "AN1MO" McKenzie
Alvaro âSunPayusâ Garcia defied the odds to qualify for the IEM Cologne 2023 playoff stage last year with Movistar Riders, now on ENCE, the IEM Dallas winner has just done so again with the Finnish organization.A 2-0 victory versus fnatic, we sat down with SunPayus after the game to discuss their difficulties closing out map two, as well as the changes made to their opponents.Sam âAN1MOâ McKenzie, BLIX: You guys maybe struggled to close out the second map against fnatic, but you got the win in the end, how are you feeling?SunPayus: I’m feel really good. For me, my best…
Life with OG probably hasnât gone as planned for Nils “k1to” Gruhne. Winless at BLAST Fall Groups, it took until IEM Cologne for the new team to even get a win on the board.Having faced limited practice time and a tough group to debut against, faith in the new OG roster was low, but now with two rounds under their belt, we spoke to k1to after the teamâs most difficult game yet.Sam “AN1MO” McKenzie, BLIX: A tough game there against Vitality, how are you feeling straight after?k1to: Bad. We didn’t get into map one at all, we just got destroyed…
Heroic entered IEM Cologne 2023 as the number one ranked team in the world, so it wouldâve been a huge surprise to both them and viewers to see them struggle to victory against TheMongolz.After the game, we spoke to Martin âstavnâ Lund about TheMongolzâ unorthodox style, coming close to winning events, and cadiaNâs penchant for trash-talking.Sam âAN1MOâ McKenzie, BLIX: An intense opening game there, was that not the game you were expecting from TheMongolz?stavn: It definitely wasn’t what we were expecting, no [laughs]. I mean, they did beat FURIA and they looked pretty good. I think they play some unorthodox…
It might have happened quietly, but David “frozen” Cernansky is one of the best players in the world. One of MOUZâs key playersbefore Robin “ropz” Kool left, he has really stepped up since the Estonianâs departure to become a superstar for the German organization.Now playing under a new IGL in the form of Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek, MOUZ have started strong here at IEM Cologne 2023. After picking up a win against NAVI in the opening round of the Group Stage, we sat down with frozen to discuss his form and what siuhy is bringing to the team.Sam “AN1MO” McKenzie, BLIX:…
Winners of IEM Dallas, ENCE have slowly been reasserting themselves as one of Counter-Strikeâs premier teams since the arrival of Guy “Nertz” Iluz.Following a close game against 9INE, ENCE now have their opening win at IEM Cologne 2023, and after the game, we spoke to Pavle “Maden” Boskovic about 9INE, the strengths of ENCE, and how not being able to play at BLAST events affects the team.Sam âAN1MOâ McKenzie, BLIX: A very close game versus 9INE, how are you feeling now you got the win?Maden: After we came back from 15-10 and won the game, it feels good, but I…
Although 18 of the 24 IEM Cologne teams made changes coming into the event, G2 were not one of them. Potentially a surprise given their downturn in form following their win at IEM Katowice, the organization decided to stick by their roster in hope of a return to their trophy winning ways.After their opening win against Astralis, we sat down with Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen to discuss the victory, picking up momentum, and backroom changes in the team.Sam âAN1MOâ McKenzie, BLIX: A close game there against Astralis, how does it feel to get the win?HooXi: Good, it feels good to win.…
Once the star of ECSTATIC, Dion âFASHRâ Derksen didnât quite set the world alight as many would have hoped for him in his time on fnatic. Now on OG, the roster initially got off to a poor start with four straight defeats spanning BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2023 and their opening game at the IEM Cologne 2023 Play-In.As one of the stars of the team, it would be easy to blame FASHR, but as he admitted to us himself here in Cologne, he still needs time to relearn the roles in which he once dominated tier two.Despite him still needing…
One of four tier two teams to rain on the tier one parade at the BLAST.tv Paris Major, there were high hopes coming into IEM Cologne 2023 as to what Apeks could achieve at the tournament.Reinforced by Aleksandar “CacaNito” Kjulukoski after the lost of Justinas “jL” Lekavicius, the team unfortunately couldnât bounce back from a narrow defeat against Astralis to take down OG in order to advance from the Play-In stage.Following their loss to OG, we sat down with IGL Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski to discuss the recent roster move, their elimination from the event, and the expectations the team has…
One of the brightest young talents in the game, Daniil “headtr1ck” Valitov has been a key figure for NIP for a while now. The team faced disappointment at the BLAST.tv Paris Major, but since the return of Hampus “hampus” Poser, the team has so far defeated Vitality to qualify for BLAST Premier Fall Final and now qualified for the IEM Cologne Group Stage.After their qualification and the nailbiter of a third map versus Imperial, we spoke to headtr1ck about the game, the difference between hampus and Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, and the potential this new NIP team has to succeed.Sam âAN1MOâ…
Aurimas “Bymas” Pipiras burst onto the pro scene as a stand-in for FaZe Clan. Overshadowed by Helvjis “broky” Saukants there, he found himself picked up by MOUZ where he would remain for two years before the arrival of Dorian “xertioN” Berman a year ago.Now one of BLAST.tv Paris Major quarter-finalists Into the Breachâs newest signings, Bymas looks to battle his way back to tier one with an organization that has already defied all the odds once.We sat down with Bymas at the IEM Cologne 2023 Play-In to discuss his integration into the team, the differences between ITB and MOUZ, and…